Printed Materials

It is permissible to single space, using 12-point Times New Roman, on the Contextual Information Sheet, the top of the Letter of Verification, and a response written directly on a Cover Sheet. All other materials including your Written Commentaries, Reflective Summary, and all other portfolio materials must be double spaced in 12-point Times New Roman

Quoted material should simply be referenced in parenthesis in the text. Footnotes are not required.

Although graphics incorporated into the Written Commentary are not prohibited, candidates should keep in mind that the page allowance set by the developers of this assessment was intended for text, not graphics. In other words, the assessment developers designated a page allowance for the Written Commentary that would allow for a complete and concise discussion of the sections within this component. It is important to also note how performances are scored—the weight of an entry lies principally in the analysis of the Written Commentary and, secondly, to artifacts, video recording, or photographs.

These are suggested page lengths provided as a guide for you to use as you prepare the commentary. If you find that you are able to complete a section using fewer pages than suggested, you can use the remaining page count from that section to complete another section of the commentary. Keep in mind that your commentary must not exceed the maximum total page allowances established. (Pages in excess of the maximum will not be scored.) However, you are not required to submit the maximum number of pages in order for your portfolio entries to be scored.

You may select to number in this way, but you are not required to do so. Some candidates find it easier to number each of the entry components separately. Some candidates choose to use one set of sequential numbers. Just remember not to exceed the page allowances for each component.

Your Written Commentaries must be typed; however, instructional materials may be submitted in the same form as they are presented in your classroom.

Candidates from almost every state submit their portfolios for scoring. Too many regional differences exist for assessors to know state-specific information presented in Written Commentaries. If candidates refer to these items in the Written Commentary, it is strongly suggested they spell them out in order to avoid confusion and to facilitate the scoring process.

The questions in the Written Commentary section of the portfolio entry instructions should be responded to, but do not type the questions themselves as part of your actual response for the entry. Use the bolded section titles for your headings, and then type your answers to the questions for that section. It is not necessary to begin a new page for each bolded section. When the questions for one section have been completed, begin the next section.

Since these pages do not count toward the page allowance for the entry, they should not be numbered.

An entry that is written in a font that is smaller than 12 point is not generally disqualified. If the size of the font is smaller, the decision is made to score an equivalent amount of the original text translated into a 12-point font. This usually means that a few pages will not be scored. If a Written Commentary is typed in a compressed font, a similar solution is found. An entry with text in both a compressed and an undersized font may be disqualified.

Documentation may be submitted in the same manner in which it was received, provided it is clear and legible.

The tracking requirements were established to give teachers the opportunity to demonstrate the broadest range of their teaching practice. This would not be possible if all entries focused on the same students, lesson and unit of study. The rule states that each one of the classroom-based entries must be supported by different lessons or units. In other words, no student work samples can be taken from a unit or lesson that is featured in either of the other entries. The students chosen should represent different kinds of instructional challenges for you. The Entry Tracking Form is included in the Organizer of your portfolio instructions to help keep a record of the selections you make as you complete your classroom-based portfolio entries.

The NBPTS definition of "unit" is a section of an academic course based on selected themes or concepts. A unit may correspond to a chapter in a text, or may be thematically based.

It is up to the candidate to decide if his/her entries are being supported by different units or lessons. NBPTS recognizes that many candidates support long instructional periods with the same unit/lesson. In this case, "units" are divided into different divisions. These divisions would constitute an entirely separate unit or lesson and it would be acceptable for the candidate to feature these separate divisions in one or more of the classroom-based entries.

No. You must use double space formatting as instructed in the portfolio instructions. There is a process in place at the scoring site to ensure format specifications have been followed. Therefore, if a candidate has submitted a written commentary using the 24 pt line spacing instead of double spacing, it will affect the amount of evidence that is scored and may adversely affect a candidate's score.