Open Discussion Forum

  • 1.  Classroom Portfolios

    Posted 09-27-2019 03:01 PM
    Good afternoon.  We are gearing up to go through the renewal process again and I wanted to get some clarification on a couple of items.  

    1. We are a large center and we have 20 classrooms divided in the following way:

    2 classrooms are considered toddlers (12-24 months)
    4 classrooms are considered two's (24-36 months)
    7 classrooms are considered preschool (3's and 4's)
    7 classrooms are considered pre-k (4's and 5's)

    When doing our classroom portfolios will it be sufficient to have one portfolio for each of the different age groups instead of one for each individual classroom?

    Also when looking at the criteria is it acceptable for us to lump our toddlers and two's in the same category?  Meaning whenever there is a "T" in the portfolio or observation criteria both toddlers and two's will do these criteria?

    Any director or feedback would be much appreciated!


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    Catherine Koob
    Director
    Our Lady of the Presentation
    Lees Summit MO
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  • 2.  RE: Classroom Portfolios

    Posted 09-28-2019 08:36 PM
    Just recently wrapped up my centers re-accreditation.  We too are large...17 classrooms and that is what we did.  Infants, Toddlers, Two's Threes and Pre-k.  Toddler/Two's were both the same criteria as were 3's and Pre-K!  

    It it was helpful for us to tailor the portfolios that way to truly reflect programming within the age groups.  

    Nick

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    Nicholas Tavares
    Program Coordinator
    Siegel JCC Early Childhood Center
    Wilmington DE
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  • 3.  RE: Classroom Portfolios

    Posted 10-01-2019 06:54 AM

    I am curious to know what is all okay.  We have 12 classrooms, each with a different portfolio.  When the Assessor comes through, they ask for the portfolio of the classes they observe(since it is random selection).  So what i am seeing thus far is that it is OK for a center to have only one portfolio for each age group? 
    We do not move children when they hit a birthday but at the beginning of the school year only.  So some rooms that start off as infants may end up as toddlers, some that start off as toddlers may end up as preschoolers, all depending on the time of year. If one infant room is observed/assessed over another, they may have different ways that they do things and prove how they do it than the other infant room.  
    A good side to one portfolio per age group would be collaboration with teachers.  Can be difficult to get them to work together as they are not in the same classroom either.  
    I would love to hear from NAEYC and multiple centers on this to get an idea of what people are doing in their centers.   



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    Mary
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  • 4.  RE: Classroom Portfolios

    Posted 10-03-2019 05:25 PM
    Deciding on whether to combine classroom portfolios by age group or develop one per classroom is totally up to the program!  The classroom portfolio should reflect the practices of the classroom(s) it represents. If you have a toddler classroom and a two-year-old classroom that have different curricula, lesson plans, and structures, you may decide to create separate portfolios to reflect the individual classrooms. However, if you have a toddler classroom and a two-year-old classroom that maintains the same teaching practices and their daily experiences are very similar, you may benefit from creating one portfolio for that age group.  If you decide to create a combined portfolio I agree with Mary that this is a fantastic opportunity for teachers to work together to assess their strengths and areas of improvement, provide insight and feedback, as well as to collaborate on best practices.  When working together teachers can decide collectively on the best piece of evidence for each assessment item within their portfolio.  Creating a plan for expectations, assignments, and when and how collaboration takes place would be helpful for teachers to develop portfolios together. It is important to note that when classes share portfolios, the one portfolio score is shared for all the classes. Make sure teachers are putting in their absolute best evidence that represents the classes - there are no bonus points for putting in extra!

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    April Kimble
    Director of Quality Improvement and Program Support
    NAEYC
    Washington DC
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