Running Head: PDQP PROGRESS REPORT 1

PDQP Progress Report

Candee Edgar

National University

November 18, 2018

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for

TED 690 – Capstone Course

Instructor Clifton Johnston

PDQP PROGRESS REPORT 2

Abstract

The following paper reports on my Professional Development Quest Portfolio (PDQP)

implementation and progress. Included will be discussions on: my goal achievements (both

accomplished goals and future goals), frustrations, questions, concerns and the next steps for

myself and the learning community in developing my PDQP.

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PDQP Progress Report

My journey which has led me to this destination of developing this Professional Development

Quest Portfolio (PDQP) originated in 2016 when I decided to pursue a multiple subject teaching

credential while working as a fifth grade teacher’s assistant in a charter school. I knew that I

would select the Internship Program with National University and pursue a Masters of Education

once I obtained a full time teaching position. In the fall of 2017, I was employed to teach first

grade at a charter school in Los Angeles, CA. I had acquired substantial theory and knowledge

from the previous National University courses while simultaneously completing the Reading

Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA) in May of 2018, completing the Teaching

Performance Assessments (TPAs) in June of 2018, completing the final two courses for NU, and

now I have arrived at my final destination for National University, the TED 690 - Capstone

Course. Developing my PDQP is simply the continuation of my endless journey as a life-long

learner.

My PDQP is currently under construction using a website as my platform. This PDQP

development over the past three weeks represents an organized snapshot of my teaching

practices which is clearly over half way to completion. My Table of Contents is designed to

reflect the six domains of the California Teaching Performance Expectations with each domain

having its own tab. Costantino validates, “Teachers need to demonstrate their own competency

in order to validate their ability to promote student achievement” (Costantino, De Lorenzo, &

Tirrell-Corbin, 2009, p. 11). I have carefully selected artifacts which will provide documentation

of evidence to demonstrate my own teaching performance competencies for Domains A, C, D,

and F which are now populated in my PDQP along with an introduction, explanation of each
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artifact, and a justification/rationale paper for each domain. My five year professional

development growth plan is included as an artifact in Domain F and serves as a road map to

where my future journey of this quest will lead. Also included under the tab, ‘My Story’ is week

one’s assignment, Telling My Story, and week two’s assignment, Looking Forward – My Plan;

here I will also include my PDQP Progress Report for week three and for week four my

Reflection and Advice for Future Students. There is a ‘Reference’ tab which will list all of the

resources used thus far in the development of my PDQP.

As I began the development of my PDQP, I encountered a few frustrations. One frustration at

the beginning was to chart a plan for the overwhelming amount of work to be completed during

such a short period of time while juggling a full time teaching position and the responsibilities of

a family. The other was lack of a clear understanding of what was expected. Then after

conducting research about PDQPs and their purpose, carefully reading the text and other related

resources, and getting clarification from Professor Johnson’s live sessions, I soon had a clear

vision and understanding of what steps needed to quickly get underway. Another frustration or

challenge was, as Costantino states, “Determining the purpose of your portfolio, considering a

set of performance standards, and collecting, selecting and creating documents” (Costantino, et

al., 2009, p. 43). I soon determined not only was this PDQP an exit portfolio for the TED 690 -

Capstone Course, but it was also a working portfolio document which will serve as a work in

progress to continue to show my own professional growth. As Helen Barrett explains the two

major purposes for developing e-portfolios in education, she references Janus, the Roman god of

gates and doors, as a metaphor for portfolio development. Barrett describes the purpose of

developing portfolios as, “a combination of process (a series of activities) and product (the end

result of the e-portfolio process)” (Barrett, C. 2016). Now with a clear understanding of a PDQP
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and being able to use the Teaching Performance Expectations as my performance standards, my

frustrations were totally erased. I was ready to move forward with the complexity and depth of

each week’s assignments; I could clearly visualize how to design and put together all of the

intricate pieces of this PDQP.

First step in developing my PDQP was deciding on the right platform to use. Once I

discovered Weebly, there was a sigh of relief, as Shivar states, “Weebly lives on the end that is

all-inclusive and provides everything you need to get started and grow your website” (Shivar,

2018). This platform was definitely a huge release of stress for me because it is so easy to use

and saves so much valuable time. Another area that this PDQP has truly helped me to improve

and gain valuable insight on is self-reflection when it comes to selecting the artifacts for each

domain. This truly goes hand-in- hand with carefully planning how each domain fits together

like a puzzle and supports the other domains to make a meaningful PDQP. For example, a

carefully designed lesson plan – needs to be reflected not only in student performance, but in

teacher performance. In Domain A of my PDQP I included a detailed math lesson plan on

dividing shapes into halves, fourths, and quarters as evidence to document making subject matter

comprehensible to students; for the next artifact, I selected a video showing my actual teaching

performance as well as students’ performance to visually show the math lesson in progress. In

Domain D of my PDQP my documented evidence includes a narrative writing unit, students’

performances, and my own teacher evaluation performance. These artifacts give true meaning to

each domain and its TPEs.

Although this journey of building my PDQP will take countless hours and work, it has

certainly empowered me. Costantino states, “Portfolios can be tools for empowerment. They

encourage teachers to assume more responsibility and ownership for their own learning and
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professional growth” (Costantino, et al., 2009, p. 5). It has not only made me take a look back to

reflect, collaborate, and plan for my future, while at the same time realizing that learning to be a

professional educator is always going to be a work in progress just like this PDQP. My PDQP

will enable me to be proud and showcase my artifacts and take ownership of my

accomplishments by keeping all of these documents on an organized website which will only

reflect and enhance my practice of teaching. After completion of this course and moving forward

with my five year professional growth plan, I will continuously update and keep my PDQP

current. My PDQP will serve as a tool which I will share with other colleagues and potential

employers my teaching performance competencies and future accomplishments.

One question which I have regarding the PDQP: Has there been any recent research to show

across the state of California if PDQPs are effectively being used today by administrators who

are seeking professional educators for their schools? If so, please share this with our learning

community. Another question is regarding the time on this Capstone Course: Is the Capstone

Course put in this short four week time frame to help us understand the time constraints placed

on teachers and all their demanding requirements in today’s schools?

My biggest and only concern with the PDQP is racing with the clock to make sure the PDQP

is completed professionally and submitted prior to the deadline of November 24, 2018, along

with all of the other course requirements. I need to take time to self-evaluate my final draft

before pressing that submit button. As Costantino states, “The self-evaluation component for

electronic portfolios requires not only assessing your portfolio for its content, but also assessing

the technical aspects” (Costantino, et al., 2009, p. 66). My PDQP needs to include content which

reflects my best teaching practices, and it also needs to be user-friendly and easy to navigate.
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The next steps for myself and the learning community are to complete all of week four

assignments along with the exit PDQP for this Capstone Course and to be mindful of others and

finalize our PDQPs in a timely manner to allow for our drafts to be posted early to enable the

learning community members to view, respond, and make any suggestions for improvement.

Sharing and commenting on another learning community member’s PDQP is valuable not only

to gain reinforcement, but to provide valuable feedback which is crucial in order for one to make

any necessary improvements before submitting their final PDQP. After submitting my PDQP

and all other requirements for completing this course, I will continue on my journey towards

accomplishing my five year professional development goals. I am grateful to have this

opportunity to develop my own PDQP which will serve as valuable asset for my future.
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References

Barrett, H. (2016). Balancing the Two Faces of E-Portfolios. Retrieved on Nov. 24, 2018 from:

http://www.electronicportfolios.com/balance/Balancing2.htm.

Costantino, P., De Lorenzo, M., & Tirrell-Corbin, C. (2009). Developing a professional teaching

portfolio: A guide for success (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Shivar, N. (2018). Weebly Review: 6 Pros & 3 Cons of Using Weebly (2018). Retrieved on Nov.

2, 2018 from: http://shivarweb.com.