Decide if you want to have a working portfolio, or a showcase portfolio. A working portfolio will hold a collection of your completed works and your works-in-progress. This type of portfolio is beneficial for the student and teacher in evaluating difficulties and progress. A showcase portfolio displays the student's accomplishments and best work, and is used as a keepsake, or as proof to colleges and/or employers demonstrating the student's achievements and abilities.
Collect the items that you want to go into your portfolio. Some items that may go into a working portfolio are drafts of different projects, worksheets or a journal. Some items that may go into a showcase portfolio are final drafts of writing samples, artwork or detailed accounts of projects completed. Both types of portfolios may contain reading lists, lists of educational resources or curricula used, list of classes taken, grades, evaluations, test scores, volunteer service, list of extra-curricular activities, photographs of field trips and daily activities.
Narrow down and organize the things you wish to add to your portfolio. You don't have to keep every scrap of paper scribbled on, so choose which items you feel are significant enough to preserve. For a showcase portfolio, choose carefully to display the student's best work. For a working portfolio, you may wish to continually revise it, or dispose of part of the work you kept at the end of each quarter or year, preserving only those that best demonstrate the student's progress.
Decide how you are going to split up the material. For example, you might prefer to keep a working portfolio for each major subject area for each child, or you may prefer to keep one showcase portfolio per year. For older students, you may choose to keep a single showcase portfolio encompassing their entire high school education.
Choose something in which to keep your portfolio. One simple way to do this is to keep a three-ring binder. You can make page holes in all of your pages, or for cleaner preservation, use page protectors. If you like to include a lot of photographs, consider using a scrapbook, which work great idea for the early elementary years. An accordion file or collection of folders works well for a working portfolio. If you want your portfolio to have a more sophisticated look, consider having it entirely computer printed and bound by a desktop publisher. Some office supply store chains and printing shops will do this for you. If your student is working on a showcase portfolio demonstrating proficiency for a specific field of art, you may want to look into purchasing a professional presentation case.