PORTFOLIO
Contact Information
Sue Demers, Career Portfolio Chairperson
Email: sue.demers@gnbvt.edu
Phone: (508) 998-3321 Ext. 380
Room: B-310a
Deadlines
The Portfolio Contest Deadline is Feb. 25. All contest entries should be left with Sue Demers in room B310a.
If you are not participating in the contest – career portfolios will be due on April 1, 2025 to the following scorer/location:
- Seniors in Culinary Arts, Collision Repair Technology, Early Childhood Ed., Plumbing, Legal & Protective Services, Automotive Technology, Diesel Service Technology, Cosmetology, and Stationary Engineering should drop off their portfolios to Mrs. Erin Marcotte in room B139 (the Medical Shop near the Academy B Office) by 8am on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
- Seniors in Visual Design, Dental Assisting, Nurse/Health Assisting, Information Support Services & Networking, Engineering Technology, Programming & Web Development, Architectural & Mechanical Design, and Machine Technology should drop off their portfolios to Mrs. Linda Costa in room E105 (Childcare shop next to cafeteria) by 8am on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
- Seniors in Medical Assisting, Metal Fabrication & Joining, Media Technology, Carpentry, Business Technology, HVAC, Marine Technology, and Electrical Technology should drop off their portfolios to Mr. Ron Quintin in room C104 (IT Shop in hallway right before the cafeteria near the J Wing) by 8am on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
All late entries after April 1, should be left with Sue Demers in room B310a.
Mission
The career portfolio is a compilation of four years of student work requiring teamwork between the student and the vocational and academic instructors. The student is responsible for the contents, and all instructors are responsible for guiding, encouraging, reviewing, and supporting the development of the portfolio. The four-year cumulative portfolio is refined during the senior year and presented for scoring as part of the school graduation requirements.
To facilitate the creation of student portfolios, student work that demonstrates advanced or superior technical skills will be recognized by instructors and recommended for inclusion in the portfolio. Students are often unsure as to what qualifies for inclusion. Outstanding projects or skill sets should be photographed or documented and reported in the form of a 350 to 500-word narrative. Community service projects in which students demonstrate high-level technical skills make good entries. The projects chosen for inclusion in the portfolio should demonstrate the student’s attainment of several high-level vocational competencies and life skills. Evidence provided to accompany these projects should be detailed, clearly labeled, include technical terminology, and be accompanied by at least one digital image or drawing that enhances the narrative. Remember that the object of the portfolio is to showcase the individual as a motivated and skilled graduate of his or her technical area who is ready to continue on in the world of higher education or to enter the workforce.
Letters of recommendation from placement sites, vocational instructors, and members of the community should be collected for the portfolio. Awards and press releases citing high quality work the student completes as part of a group or as an individual should also be included. Ultimately, the portfolio is an advertisement for the student performing at his or her best. The portfolio, or parts of it, will serve students in the future as they seek access to higher education, and quality job placements.
Assessment of the portfolio will take place in the spring of the senior year. Students will be afforded an opportunity for a second scoring if their first attempt does not meet the standard of “Meets Requirements”; a minimal score of 2. Students will not be eligible to graduate without this piece.
The portfolio forces the student to begin the lifelong process of self-evaluation that will assist the student to recognize the skills they have, as well as those they have yet to master, and lead them to become lifelong learners.
Requirements
MUST be included in your portfolio:
- Checklist – Don’t worry about signatures going back to freshman year. Make sure a CTE (shop or related) teacher signs off on the portfolio before submitting for scoring! No other signatures are needed.
- Senior Goals Essay – You must have your Senior Goals Essay or College Essay in your portfolio. If you have older versions of the goals essay in your portfolio, that’s okay – but they do not need to be in there – the Senior Goals Essay or College Essay MUST be in there!
- Competency List – You will get this from either your shop or related instructor closer to spring and scoring time. Please be sure it is in your portfolio before turning it in for scoring. It should be right behind your Senior Goals Essay or College Essay in the Employability tab.
- Senior Resume – Please be sure your Senior Resume (not the one from junior year) is in the credentials section of your portfolio.
- 3 letters of recommendation – Think of those that can speak to your character and work ethic (a teacher, counselor, employer, coach, Church pastor, etc.) and have them write you a letter of recommendation. You need 3! You can have more, but 3 is required.
- Awards & Honors – This section is optional. But great to have showcased in your portfolio – if you have Renaissance Awards or Bear Awards, or SkillsUSA awards, etc., these are great things to include in your portfolio. Trade licenses and certificates are great too!
- Community Service – This is optional. However, if you have evidence of community service hours and you would like to showcase in your portfolio, you would include it in the credentials section of your portfolio behind awards and honors. Many students in the Honor Society maintain community service hours in the credentials section of the portfolio. That is a perfect place to archive such evidence.
- Work Samples – You should put your senior work samples first, then your junior year work samples, sophomore year, and freshmen ones at the bottom of this section. The most recent work should always be on the top. Your work samples should be well written (350 to 500 words is a guide and length of your essays will vary) and demonstrate an advanced level of technical skills in your Career and Technical program! All work samples should include some form of visual evidence. (A picture, blueprint, flowchart, color sample, etc.) YOU MUST HAVE A MINIMUM OF 7 WORK SAMPLES! AT LEAST 4 NEED TO BE FROM JUNIOR AND SENIOR YEARS! **At least one of your junior or senior year work samples – could celebrate/demonstrate equity, diversity, and inclusion and reflects our Core Values here at GNB Voc-Tech!
Some optional items for the portfolio (not required, but really good to have in your binder):
Table of Contents – helps the scorer easily navigate your portfolio
If you are adding any additional items to your portfolio – they should go in a Misc. tab at the end. If it is not listed as required above – it is NOT a requirement for the portfolio. If a teacher is requiring you to do something additional, please take care of that assignment, but if it is not listed above, it is NOT required in the Career Portfolio!