What Is A Portfolio?

Portfolios are used by a variety of professions to collect and display samples of work or achievements.  Unlike a resume, portfolios actually display achievements and speak louder than claims by the author listed on a resume.  Artists, musicians, architects, engineers, and many other professionals still use a portfolio to highlight their work.  High schools, such as New Technology High School in Napa, and many colleges require students to build a portfolio as a way to tie together the student's entire educational experience.  It provides proof that students have met educational requirements, achieved educational goals, and serves as evidence that students have demonstrated competency in an educational program.

Portfolios In The Police Academy

Like any other higher education program, the police academy includes a complex and diverse curriculum with 42 individual components known as learning domains.  The contents of each learning domain has been tied directly to specific job tasks performed by a peace officer in the field.  There are certain competencies that every peace officer must have to be successful on the job.  The basic academy curriculum is intended to help students develop competencies required to be successful on the job.  A completed academy portfolio binder is a collection of work that demonstrates a student's competency in various aspects of the peace officer job.  It provides hard evidence of a student's knowledge, skills, and abilities. 

The Portfolio Project Assignment

The Portfolio Project includes the development of a portfolio binder and a formal presentation that students will make to their peers and academy staff at the conclusion of the academy.

The goals of the Portfolio Project include:

• Tie together learning from all 42 learning domains in the basic police academy.

• Collect evidence that demonstrates a student's competency in the academy's six core dimensions.

• Develop time management and organizational skills.

• Increase self-awareness and facilitate individual goal setting to improve performance.

• Develop presentation skills.

BINDER

Cadets shall begin work on the portfolio binder within the first week of the academy.  The academy will provide cadets with a 3 presentation binder and tabbed dividers for the four major sections of the binder that include: Self-Assessments; Core Dimensions; Evaluations; Daily Journal.   Within this limited structure, cadets may be as creative as they wish in designing their portfolio.  The binder will be evaluated based on content and design.

The binder cover shall minimally include the academy name, class number and dates of attendance, and a picture of the cadet.   The binder must include a master table of contents for every item included in the binder with a reference system that easily locates each listed document.  Cadets must minimally include in the binder, all evaluated work, a self-evaluation for each evaluated assignment, a journal entry for every day class meets, and all evaluations.  Cadets may include any other related material and work they desire.  All included documents must be 3-hole punched and placed neatly in the binder.

The recruit training officer will periodically inspect portfolio binders during the academy program to insure the project is progressing and that the binder is being assembled properly.  After the final evaluation, the binder will be returned to the cadet and may be used during background investigations as the cadet wishes.  The academy will not keep any part of the binder.

PRESENTATION

At the end of the academy, each cadet will make a presentation on how they have demonstrated mastery of the six core dimensions.  Cadets are encouraged to be creative with the design of the presentation, but are expected to be complete, professional and attentive to time constraints.

The presentation must demonstrate how the cadet has mastered each dimension by providing evidence of the work completed and a self-evaluation of what was learned.  Cadets should identify strengths and weaknesses as well as what the cadet identified still needs to be learned.   Cadets are encouraged to include personal perspectives on the academy experience during this presentation.   It is expected that presentations will include visual aids and interactivity of some type.

SECTION 1 SELF ASSESSMENTS

This section of the binder contains all self-assessments including those given on the orientation day.   It includes the academy entrance exams, academic and learning styles inventories, as well as the physical fitness assessment.   In addition, this section shall include a written self-evaluation that ties together everything learned in the self-assessments.

SECTION 2 DIMENSIONS

This section should be sub-divided into six chapters that correspond with the six core dimensions.  Each chapter shall contain every graded activity returned to the cadet including whatever scoring sheet or evaluation provided by the instructor.   Cadets will write a self-evaluation for each and every graded activity.  The self-evaluation will include what the cadet learned from the activity, what the cadet discovered still needs to learn, and how the activity relates to other topics and activities in the academy.  Ideally, self-evaluations will tie together with commentary relating one experience to another.

There are some activities such as learning domain tests and scenario tests that are graded, but not given back to the cadet for inclusion in the binder.   Cadets will develop a record of the scores they receive for learning domain tests, quizzes, scenario tests, and for all other activities that are not recorded on paper (i.e., firearms qualifications, driving tests, etc.).  Cadets will write a self-evaluation for each of these activities as described above.

SECTION 3 EVALUATIONS

Cadets will be provided with a copy of each formal evaluation given by the academy.  In addition, cadets will receive all peer evaluations written by their classmates.  All of these evaluations will be included in this section of the binder.  In addition, cadets will write a self-evaluation for each formal and peer evaluation received.  The self-evaluation shall include an analysis of the information and how the cadet intends to change their behavior in response to the feedback received.  Ideally, the self-evaluations will include examples of how the cadet changed their behavior and will link together the three formal evaluations with the information received in the peer evaluations.

SECTION 4 DAILY JOURNAL

The Daily Journal is an electronic document that shall be printed out monthly and included in the binder in a hard copy form.  There shall be one entry for each day the academy class meets.  Cadets shall respond at least to each of the questions included in the journal document and are encouraged to expand entries with any additional information desired. 

SELF EVALUATIONS

An essential component of the self-improvement and learning process is the writing of a self-evaluation for all of the graded or evaluated activities in the police academy.  This exercise is intended to cause cadets to focus on their performance and their learning throughout the academy training process.  Cadets will write a response that includes answering four essential questions:

• What did I learn from this exercise?
• What did I discover I still need to learn?
• How did the activity relate to other topics and activities in the academy?

The typical self-evaluation should be about one paragraph, but can be as long as is necessary to be effective and meaningful for the author.  This exercise is similar to the daily journal, but is very specific to the activity involved and how that activity specifically connects to other areas of academy training.  The evaluation shall contain the cadets name and the title of the activity being evaluated.   The self-evaluation will be attached to the front of any activity documents.  Self evaluations written for learning domain tests or other activities that do not have documents involved will stand alone in the appropriate chapter of the portfolio.  In all cases, the self-evaluation shall be noted in the table of contents.

Questions And Keys For Success

How will the project be evaluated and how should it be put together?

• The RTO will evaluate the Portfolio Binder and will issue a final score.

• The RTO will check on the progress of your Portfolio Binder at least three times during the academy.

• The grading criteria can be found in the rubric for the Portfolio Binder Project and Presentation.  Read carefully the center column of the portfolio project rubric for what is minimally required and the column on the far right for a description of an exceptional project.

When should I start the project and how often should I work on it?

• Begin the project immediately and remember that one of the primary goals is to tie together the entire academy experience.

• Contribute to the project daily at least by making an entry into your daily journal as required.  Dont make-up entries by back dating your thoughts.

• Stay up to date by completing self-evaluations on the same day you receive a graded activity back from an instructor.

• Remember that time management is one of the skills this project is intended to develop.  Read Part 2 of the Seven Habits book for time management techniques.

What is the best way to organize the project?

• Use the presentation binder and dividers provided by the academy as a minimal framework for the binder.

• Set up folders on your memory stick for at least the daily journal and self-evaluations.

• Use the information printed on the dividers to help organize computer files and hardcopy material that will be included in the Portfolio.

• Make sure to back-up all computer files on your home computer.  Memory sticks have been known to fail.  You are responsible for the final product no matter how the technology you choose to use performs.

• Print a hard copy of your daily journal at least once per month.

• Create a table of contents first thing and make an entry to it each time you add a new assignment.  Use the table of contents as a check against the information on the dividers to insure you have all of the required material included in your binder.

• Set aside time each day to keep your Portfolio Binder up to date.

What else should I add to the binder to make the project exceptional? 

• There are few if any limitations on what else can be added to the binder.  Just make sure that every addition connects somehow to your academy experience.

• Make sure entries into your daily journal and your self-evaluations connect with each other.  Self evaluations require comment on how the assignment being evaluated relates to other topics and activity in the academy.  Daily journal entries should do the same.

• Create a professional resume and add it to the Self Improvement section.

• Use pictures to enhance your writing.  Pictures can be added to your daily journal and self-evaluations.

• Create a professional looking cover that reflects your personality and experience.

• Enhance the format for the daily journal and other pages that incorporates use of a custom letterhead or graphics.

• Create a theme for your Portfolio using pictures, graphics, and other material unique to you.  Use the third column of the Rubric for the Portfolio Binder Project and Presentation as reference for making an exceptional binder.

How can I get the most out of this assignment?

• Offer to proofread and review Portfolio Binders from other cadets.  Share ideas and techniques for accomplishing the assignment.

• Use the daily journal to really capture your academy experience.  Make meaningful and thoughtful entries.

• At the end of each month, read your daily journal entries and self-evaluations for that month.  Make note of what you have accomplished and set goals for the next month.

• Remember that this project is not just a requirement to graduate.  It will become the foundation for YOUR background investigation.