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What is a rationale?

1. Fundamental reasons; the basis. (Dictionary.com)

2. An explanation of controlling principles of opinion, belief, practice, or phenomena. (Merriam-Webster Online)

For each artifact/illustration you include in your portfolio you must write a brief rationale statement about why you chose it. A rational is not a description nor is it a summary of the document, rather it addresses the how and why (your illustration exemplifies your best work) questions. Your rationale statement should be a brief justification about why you feel the selected artifact demonstrates proficiency in the corresponding Accomplished Practice(AP). In other words, your rationale statement should show your reader that you understand the AP, how you have chosen to illustrate that understanding, what you are capable of doing in regard to the AP.

When you write your rationale statement answer the following questions:

1. Why did you choose to use this as an illustration?
2. How does this illustration demonstrate the Accomplished Practice above?
3. If you chose to include a media clip or picture, explain why you think this provides evidence of the accomplished practice.

The following is an example of a rationale statement for the assessment portion of a cooperative unit plan:

AP 1. Assessment:

Description: Assessment of fifth grade class during internship.

Rationale: Why did you choose to use this as an illustration? This illustration shows one of my best examples of assessment in that it covers all of the criterion for assessment according to the twelve accomplished practices.
How does this illustration demonstrate the Accomplished Practice above? The assessment techniques use in this illustration allow for both student and teacher assessments as well as clear documentation and validation of the assessment data.
If you chose to include a media clip or picture, explain why you think this provides evidence of the accomplished practice. The pictures included in this section are examples of the students work and are placed beside examples of how each was assessed under the instructor's rubric.