ToolKit98

Sample A.48

Career-Technical Assessment Program
(C-TAP)

California Department of Education

The purpose of the C-TAP is to design a performance-based student assessment and certification system for career-technical education programs offered in California high schools, adult education programs, and regional occupational centers/programs. C-TAP assesses students' preparedness for entry-level jobs and postsecondary training, using two formats: cumulative and on-demand. The cumulative assessments include a portfolio, an assessment project, and a supervised practical experience. The on-demand assessments include a project presentation and written scenarios.

The portfolio contains: (1) an introduction, (2) a career development package, (3) work samples, (4) a writing sample, and (5) a completed supervised practical experience (SPE) evaluation form. The career development package consists of a resume, an employment or college application, and a letter of recommendation. The work samples demonstrate hands-on mastery of important skills and may be represented by actual products, photographs, videotapes, or written descriptions. To support integrated learning, work samples connect to other C-TAP components such as the project or SPE. The writing sample focuses on a topic relevant to the student's program area.

We have included the C-TAP Portfolio Sign-Off Sheet, Rating Guide, and SPE evaluation form from the student guidebook and the teacher's summary of requirements for portfolio entries.

Sri Ananda
Career-Technical Assessment Program (C-TAP), 1995
WestEd
730 Harrison Street
San Francisco, California 94107
(415) 565-3000

Student Guidebook Chapter 2, About Your C-TAP Portfolio Page 19

Table 10.1: Summary of Requirements for Portfolio Entries
Entry	Requirements
PRESENTATION Table of Contents	organization accuracy and completeness neatness correct spelling
Letter of Introduction	an original letter containing three parts: - description of self (personal or career goals with plans for achieving them, strengths and qualities, and/or important achievements) - description of best work sample (why work sample was selected as "best" and what special abilities the work sample highlights) - explanation of what portfolio means to the student (how the pieces relate to personal or career goals, what was achieved by completing the portfolio, and/or how work has improved) effective writing (neat, organized and clear, with correct grammar and spelling)
CAREER DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE Application	neatness, a good overall appearance (typed or written in ink) completeness, no blanks correct grammar and spelling accuracy
Letter of Recommendation	letter of recommendation from an appropriate person who gives a good picture of career-related strengths and skills
Résumé	accuracy completeness; must include: - contact information - career and educational plans - education - paid/unpaid work experiences - at least one of the following: activities, achievements, skills, strengths, abilities, references, and special interests - references neatness, good overall appearance correct grammar and spelling
WORK SAMPLES	coverage of all required standards completeness, including appropriate documentation and summaries for four work samples. Summaries must include: - a description of the work sample and the steps taken to complete it - the standards or skills covered - what was learned by doing the work sample
WRITING SAMPLE	coverage of at least one content standard effective writing that is neat, organized, clear, and uses correct grammar and spelling final draft (at least 3 pages in length, typed, double-spaced with 1- or 1½-inch margins on 8½x11 paper, single-sided) bibliography including at least three different sources of information
SPE EVALUATION	completed SPE evaluation form, signed by supervisor

Teacher Guidebook Chapter 10, Evaluation Part II-50

C-TAP Portfolio Rating Guide

Basic Proficient Advanced

CONTENT

Knowledge of major ideas and concepts in career-technical standards

Knowledge of how skills in career-technical standards are applied

Shows gaps in knowledge; misunderstands major ideas and concepts

"Hands-on" work demonstrates minimal knowledge or skill

Shows knowledge of major ideas and concepts; covers the content of important career-technical standards

"Hands-on" work demonstrates a variety of skills

Shows clear understanding of major ideas and concepts; explains how ideas and concepts relate to each other
"Hands-on" work demonstrates superior skill

CAREER PREPARATION
Career planning
Personal qualities needed for employment

Shows little or no evidence of planning for a career
Does not identify own personal qualities needed to be successfully employed

Shows evidence of planning and developing a career
Identifies own personal qualities needed to be successfully employed

Shows excellent understanding of career planning; describes a realistic plan that leads to clear career goals
Highlights own personal qualities needed to be successfully employed throughout the portfolio

ANALYSIS
Evaluation of own skills and work
Investigation and information gathering

Gives incomplete or sketchy evaluation of own work
Does not gather information from several sources

Gives accurate evaluation of own work
Shows ability to find and use information from several sources

Shows understanding and insight in evaluating own work
Demonstrates superior ability to gather and combine information from various sources

COMMUNICATION
Attention to audience
Using own ideas
Organization and clarity
Accuracy, neatness, and completeness
Language mechanics, sentence structure, and vocabulary

Shows little or no awareness or the audience
Writing is not original; copies the ideas of others
Ideas are presented in a disorganized way
Work lacks accuracy and completeness; appearance interferes with communication of ideas
Writing contains errors in language use that make ideas difficult to understand

Effectively presents self and ideas to outside reviewer
Writing is original
Writing is clear and organized
Work is accurate, neat, and complete
Writing contains few language errors; ideas are not difficult to understand

Self and ideas "come alive" to outside reviewer
Writing is original and may be creative
Writing is clear and well-organized throughout portfolio
Work is accurate and complete; appearance helps the communication of ideas
Writing is almost free of language errors and is easy to understand

Portfolio Sign-off Sheet (PDF)

Supervised Practical Experience Evaluation Form (PDF)

This document's URL is:

Email Webmaster
Tel. 503.275.9500

	Basic	Proficient	Advanced
CONTENT Knowledge of major ideas and concepts in career-technical standards Knowledge of how skills in career-technical standards are applied	Shows gaps in knowledge; misunderstands major ideas and concepts "Hands-on" work demonstrates minimal knowledge or skill	Shows knowledge of major ideas and concepts; covers the content of important career-technical standards "Hands-on" work demonstrates a variety of skills	Shows clear understanding of major ideas and concepts; explains how ideas and concepts relate to each other "Hands-on" work demonstrates superior skill
CAREER PREPARATION Career planning Personal qualities needed for employment	Shows little or no evidence of planning for a career Does not identify own personal qualities needed to be successfully employed	Shows evidence of planning and developing a career Identifies own personal qualities needed to be successfully employed	Shows excellent understanding of career planning; describes a realistic plan that leads to clear career goals Highlights own personal qualities needed to be successfully employed throughout the portfolio
ANALYSIS Evaluation of own skills and work Investigation and information gathering	Gives incomplete or sketchy evaluation of own work Does not gather information from several sources	Gives accurate evaluation of own work Shows ability to find and use information from several sources	Shows understanding and insight in evaluating own work Demonstrates superior ability to gather and combine information from various sources
COMMUNICATION Attention to audience Using own ideas Organization and clarity Accuracy, neatness, and completeness Language mechanics, sentence structure, and vocabulary	Shows little or no awareness or the audience Writing is not original; copies the ideas of others Ideas are presented in a disorganized way Work lacks accuracy and completeness; appearance interferes with communication of ideas Writing contains errors in language use that make ideas difficult to understand	Effectively presents self and ideas to outside reviewer Writing is original Writing is clear and organized Work is accurate, neat, and complete Writing contains few language errors; ideas are not difficult to understand	Self and ideas "come alive" to outside reviewer Writing is original and may be creative Writing is clear and well-organized throughout portfolio Work is accurate and complete; appearance helps the communication of ideas Writing is almost free of language errors and is easy to understand