TEEPS: Professional Standards

I propose that a portfolio without standards is just a multimedia presentation or a fancy electronic resume or a digital scrapbook. There is a place for that type of format in classrooms or in employment searches, but a savvy administrator will look for evidence that the candidate meets the teaching standards that have been set for the district or state; a savvy teacher will look for evidence that a student's portfolio demonstrates achievement of at least one of the district/state/national standards. Without standards as the organizing basis for a portfolio, the collection becomes just that...a collection, haphazard and without structure; the purpose is lost in the noise, glitz and hype. High technology disconnected from a focus on curriculum standards will only exacerbate the lack of meaningful integration of technology into teaching and learning.

Standards

ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers - Developed by the International Society for Technology in Education

Virginia Technology Standards - Developed by the Commonwealth of Virginia

NCSS National Standards for Social Studies Teachers - Developed by the National Council for the Social Studies

INTASC Model Standards for Beginning Teacher Licensing and Development - Developed by Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium

NSTA Standards for Science Teacher Preparation (pdf file) - Developed by the National Science Teachers Association

NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics - Developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts - Developed by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association

ACTFL National Standards for Foreign Language Education - Developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and other professional organizations