Elements:
Copy of resume - Make sure it is free of all spelling/ grammatical errors and on nice resume paper.
Sample lesson plans - Ones you used during student teaching that you are particularly proud of. A unit you designed on your own would show ingenuity and might land you a job where there is no curriculum designed for it
Copy of your transcripts - It does not necessarily have to be official ones if you had those sent to the school before hand.
Letters of reference - These need to be from people who have directly observed you when you were teaching. Cooperating teacher, University professor that observed you, and if you can, get the principal at the school you are student teaching to come observe you and write a letter of recommendations.
Letters from professors - These are also fine to use, but from what I understand, they don't hold as much weight as people who have seen you interact with students. From their point of view, your performance in a class is not as important your teaching abilities.
Philosophy Statement - Make it about a half page. Don't make it much longer, you want to make your point and move on. Be sure to mention that you love kids. Don't change your philosophy statement depending on what school you are interviewing at. You need to be happy at the school you will teach, just as much as they need to find someone who will fit the school. Pretending to be someone you aren't is not a good way to get a job, no matter how desperate you are
Examples of alternative assessment you have used - If you had students do projects for assessment instead of tests include proof of that. Assignment sheet, rubric or anything that would show that you know that tests aren't always the only way to assess that students are learning. Maybe a short summary of how you used that assessment and why you liked it or didn't like it.
Sample student work - Projects work great here.
Photographs of you working in the classroom with students - Another visual reminder that you like kids and are capable of having your own classroom.
Awards and certificates - Dig up those certificates for being employee of the month. They are now useful!
Teacher Certification Scores - Use at your own discretion.
List of questions to ask them - Have some questions written down that will help show your interest in the school. Sample questions would be: How involved are parents with their child's education in this district? What is the discipline policy at the school? How are the classes distributed (block scheduling, 7 classes a day)? Are there full time counselors/ nurses at the school?
Presentation:
Leather-looking three ring binders. The binders are the best, because info can be added and taken out.
Do all typing yourself on a computer using all the computer skills that you own. Use nice fonts, Word Art and other special features give it a high quality look to the portfolio. Knowing your way around a computer might just get you the job. That is a big deal in education right now!
Use resume paper throughout the portfolio to make it look just a bit nicer. Plus the paper in the portfolio will then match your resume.
The photographs are a definite plus. Paste them neatly with rubber cement onto extra resume paper. Good organization of your portfolio will show that you will be able to do the same in your classroom.