Lifelong Education Administration and Policy

Educational Administration and Policy

Graduate Handbook

Specialist in Education Degree Portfolio Requirements

PROCEDURES for the SPECIALIST in EDUCATION DEGREE PORTFOLIO

First, students are reminded that an Application for Graduation must be submitted electronically and an approved Program of Study must be submitted to the Graduate School. Please refer to http://www.gradsch.uga.edu:5080/forms/newgradms.htm for these forms and to http://www.gradsch.uga.edu/For_Students/Enrolled_Students/Enrolled_Students_deadlines.html for deadlines of the Graduate School.

Students in the Specialist in Education Degree (Ed.S.) in Educational Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia sustain the comprehensive exam consisting of a two-part process:

the presentation of the portfolio; and,
the oral defense of the portfolio to a committee of three faculty members from the Program in Educational Administration and Policy.

At the time of admission, a student is assigned a faculty advisor, and it is the responsibility of the student to remain in contact with his/her faculty advisor. Students need to begin developing and refining the portfolio beginning with the very first course as the process of portfolio development is ongoing.

Preparing the Portfolio

In consultation with the advisor, the Specialist in Education student develops a problem of practice based on interest and the area of specialization. Specialization is defined by the Program in Educational Administration and Policy as 12 semester hours of concentrated and coherent study related to educational administration and policy selected in consultation with the student’s advisor.

The artifacts within the portfolio should draw on all courses sustained to complete the Specialist in Education Degree in the Program in Educational Administration and Policy. The student should consult with each professor and/or the syllabus for each course for remarks that will assist in the development of the portfolio.

Procedurally

You will be notified of the date and time of the defense of the portfolio, and you will be expected to work with your advisor to set up the oral exam (defense of the portfolio). Typically, the oral defense is scheduled at the mid-point of the last semester of study.
The portfolio must be turned in to your advisor a minimum of two weeks before the date of the scheduled defense.
The contents of the portfolio and the defense of the portfolio will be evaluated by a committee of three faculty members. The composition of the committee will include the advisor and two other faculty members from the Program in Educational Administration and Policy.
The portfolio and the defense will be evaluated according to the rubrics developed by the faculty in the Program in Educational Administration and Policy.

The Content of the Portfolio

The content of the portfolio consists of three sections, which should be placed in ONE, three-ring binder. Following is a framework for each of the sections.

SECTION ONE: Resume and Professional Goals

The Specialist in Education Degree candidate should include an up-to-date resume that reflects Professional Goals, Education, Employment History, Awards and Recognitions, Leadership Roles (e.g., chair of SACS, membership on a school and/or county-wide committee), Professional Experiences (e.g., workshop and/or conference presentations, publications), and Professional Development and Learning Activities (conferences attended, participation in professional development).

SECTION TWO: Solution to a General Education Problem

Format

The student, in conjunction with the academic advisor, will develop a problem of practice and then in writing present a solution. The Ed. S. candidate will explain how that solution emerged from his/her experience in the Program in Educational Administration and Policy courses, by citing artifacts collected from each course appended in a portfolio.

Procedures

Prior to the beginning of the semester in which the Ed. S. candidate will sustain the comprehensive exam, he/she will consult with his/her advisor to develop a problem of practice to solve. It is suggested that the Ed.S. candidate identify the problem of practice as early as possible during the Program of Study.
Students will cite artifacts in the portfolio to support the solution to the problem.

Developing the Solution to a Problem of Practice

The following problem-solving process is recommended to Ed. S. students in developing their solution to the problem of practice they develop:

What evidence indicates the existence of a problem?
What is the nature of the problem?
What are possible solutions to the problem?
Based on the best available evidence and experience, which solution(s) is/are most promising?
How will the solution be enacted? (tasks, participants, resources, timelines)
How will unanticipated effects be addressed?
How will you provide for revising your solution?How will you legitimize and incorporate your solution into ongoing practice?

It is expected that the Ed. S. candidate will cite relevant research and theory and attend to multiple dimensions of the problem that would include, for example:

curriculum
supervision and instructional leadership
organizational leadership
law
personnel
resource management
ethics
social contexts
facilities
policy/politics contexts

SECTION THREE: Portfolio Artifacts

Students will compile artifacts from coursework from within the Program in Educational Administration and Policy that support the solution to a problem of practice developed by the Ed. S. candidate. Assignments, projects, research papers, videotapes, and any other materials that assist in supporting the solution to the problem of practice should be included in the portfolio. Remember that only ONE, three-ring binder may be used to store the contents of the portfolio (Sections 1, 2, and 3).

The Presentation of the Portfolio—The oral portion of the Ed. S. exam

The oral portion of the exam will last 30 minutes. During the oral exam, the Ed. S. Candidate will:

make a 15 minute presentation stating the problem, the solution to the problem, andthe artifacts that support the resolution to the problem; and then,
answer questions for approximately 15 minutes.

Final Assessment

Final assessment of the candidate will be based on the:

solution to the problem of practice;
supporting artifacts; and,
oral presentation.

Consult the rubric as a guide for preparing for the written (solution to the problem of practice) and the oral presentation of the portfolio that consists of three sections: 1) Resume and Professional Goals, 2) Solution to a Problem of Practice, and 3) Portfolio Artifacts.