Portfolios
Portfolios
ULTIMATE GOAL:
A portfolio should be something a student can
take to job or college interviews.
It serves as documentation of achievements and will be
helpful to the student when filling out college and job
applications in the years to come.
Remember that your portfolio needs to be neat and to the
point.
Student portfolios should include
Letter of introduction
Application – documentation of learned skills
Resume – student qualifications
Academic skills (Project) – an entry from areas showcasing growth and
knowledge with a reflection sheet
Writing sample
Work based learning
Oral presentation
Service learning
Credentials
Technology
Leadership experience
Letters of recommendation
Letter of Introduction
This letter serves as an introduction -telling
the person who reads it who you
are. It must be free of spelling and
grammatical errors and should describe
your career goals and other relevant
information.
Letter on Introduction
Include your full name, address, and the date just
as you would any formal business letter. Pay
attention to having even top, bottom, left and right
margins.
DO NOT try to squeeze too much information
on the page.
This is an introduction - not your life history.
Resume
Professional resume to include educational and
work experience, honors, awards and other
activities.
Styles of resumes may vary and can be found in
many text books and on line.
Be sure the resume is neat, printed on good quality
paper, and one page in length.
Project
Health care knowledge/skills application
project
Awareness project or other activity that
requires problem solving and hands-on
application..
Writing Sample
The ability to write effectively will be important to
you in college and in a career. Students are asked
to answer questions following instructions given.
BE SURE the answers are clearly thought out and
neatly handwritten. DO NOT use a computer!
Work-based Learning
This section includes a summary of 8 or
more hours of a work-based learning
experience or supervised practical
experience such as job shadowing, career
exploration, internship, and volunteering
WORK-BASED LEARNING
DO include the important facts - date, time, location,
mentor(s) and what you did as part of the experience.
NOTE: A letter from the agency in which the Student
experienced a work-based learning environment may be
used, provided the letter provides an appropriate
description
Oral Presentation
Script of health-related speech and short
description of who, where, what and when
the speech took place. Must be a speech for
school faculty, civic or community
organization, local health care group,
school classroom (any grade) or as part of a
HOSA competitive event .
Service Learning
This is a one page summary of one or more
service learning projects or activities to
show the dates, hours, location, and learning
outcomes
DO use a chart or outline format.
DO provide the dates, hours, location and
learning outcomes.
(What did you do? What did you learn from this
experience?)
Credentials
This section includes up to five pages. Most students include a school
transcript or recent report card.
Also included can be copies of certificates or documentation that
shows completion of training in health-related competencies Examples include and are not limited to: CPR certification,
First Aid certificate, CNA, EMT, Foundation Standards assessments,
etc.
Technology
Evidence of the use of technology beyond the
basic skill level. Examples might be of something
you created such as a web site, electronic
newsletter, PowerPoint presentation, etc., OR
other evidence of advanced technology skills
(certificate, etc.).
Leadership Experience
In this section the student should list and describe his or
her principal leadership activities in the approximate order
of interest. These should include leadership roles in the
arts, athletics, and organized school or community
activities. Be sure to include dates and fit it all on one
page.
Student portfolios
Letters of recommendation – show how
others view a student
Maintaining the portfolio
Appearance – neat and clean
Update – insert best work
Evaluate – reflect on work collected in
portfolio
Replacement – insert new work
displaying a greater skill mastery
Benefits of the portfolio process
Tangible proof of their
knowledge and skills
Students develop a sense of pride
and ownership from
collecting their best work
Benefits
Intangible self-assessment
and self –esteem
A portfolio provides future employers,
scholarship committees or admission
committees additional evaluation tools.