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The areas served and the labor markets targeted by this Tech-Prep consortium are diverse. The school districts and colleges serve a broad area that stretches roughly 30 miles north to south along the Connecticut River valley. It includes cities with old manufacturing sectors, such as Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee, as well as more suburban and rural areas. The largest vocational school, in Springfield, has a student population that is about 26 percent white, 32 percent African American, and 40 percent Hispanic, while one of the other large vocational programs, in Chicopee, has an almost entirely white student body. Springfield, the major urban center, has a population of about 160,000. It has a shrinking manufacturing sector, but is experiencing employment growth in health care. According to school officials, several major manufacturers--such as American Saw and Manufacturing, Milton Bradley, and Leggo--are expanding their operations and employment in the greater Springfield area.
Tech-Prep follows earlier efforts by individual colleges and school districts to develop program linkages and innovations, and other ongoing initiatives parallel and complement the work being done under the Tech-Prep grant. Beginning in the late 1980s, STCC developed articulation agreements with several vocational schools in Springfield and surrounding areas, focusing on identifying equivalences between high school and community college courses that would allow students to gain college credit for high school courses. At the vocational school in Springfield, changes in mathematics instruction have been gradually adopted over the past several years, based on standards issued by the National Council on Teaching of Mathematics. The Springfield City Schools recently received a grant to support integration of vocational and academic curricula; in 1993-1994, the vocational school was conducting a pilot implementation of a plan to cluster students enrolled in a particular vocational program together in academic classes, where the curriculum could then be tailored to their occupational studies.
Tech-Prep in this consortium, at least in its early stages of development, is primarily an effort to improve vocational education. At the end of eighth grade, students choose whether to attend a four-year vocational school or an academic, college-prep high school. All students who are considered Tech-Prep participants in school year 1993-1994 attend vocational high schools. Although guidance orientations for eighth-graders provide information generally about all vocational programs and specifically about the special features of Tech-Prep, the major choice students face is the traditional one between the vocational and college-prep schools. In ninth grade, vocational students participate in a year-long exploratory rotation among different vocational programs; at the end of ninth grade they choose their three-year secondary vocational program. The changes introduced by Tech-Prep are aimed at enhancing the rigor and appeal of the vocational option, and the likelihood that students who choose it will go on to postsecondary study. In the consortium's largest few school districts during the 1993-1994 school year, the implementation of Tech-Prep so far consisted primarily of three changes:1
The following four sections discuss these three main components of Tech-Prep, as well as its governance and leadership.
These articulation agreements specify equivalencies between vocational courses at the high school and college levels, rather than defining overall programs of study spanning secondary and postsecondary years and the academic and vocational courses to be taken at both levels. The emphasis in the articulation process is on identifying the three-year sequences of high school vocational courses taken in grades 10 through 12 for which college credit can be earned, and the various specialized college programs toward which the credit can be applied. For example, students who complete a three-year high school course sequence in electronics could receive credit toward Associate of Science (A.S.) degrees in electronics, computer maintenance, laser electronics/optical technology, or biomedical instrumentation. In most cases, articulation agreements allow students to receive credit for the introductory college course related to their high school vocational sequence--such as Electronics I--on the basis of adequate grades and the high school instructor's recommendation. However, the colleges also offer a "challenge exam" option; students who did particularly well in high school can take a test which may earn them further course credits.
Since receipt of the first Tech-Prep grant for school year 1991-1992, the range of articulation has increased substantially. Vocational school students can now earn credits in a total of about 17 college-level programs, including culinary arts, business administration, marketing, early childhood development, automotive technology, office administration, biomedical instrumentation, graphic arts and communications, office administration, robotics, landscaping and plant science, computer assisted design and manufacturing, energy systems, and telecommunications. There are still vocational programs, however, that are articulated with college programs at some high schools but not at others. For example, HVAC students from one high school in the consortium can earn college credit in an energy systems program, but students from a similar program at another high school going to the same college must begin with the introductory course.2
Students choose a vocational program much as they did before. The advent of Tech-Prep may affect the academic courses they take and their options for obtaining early college credit for vocational courses. However, it does not appear that high school students, in choosing the vocational school, develop a full program of academic and vocational classes that will culminate in a degree in an occupational specialty as defined at the postsecondary level.
The focus of articulation on vocational course credits rather than on a complete academic and vocational program is probably related to the way in which articulation agreements are developed and the staff involved. Articulation between high school and college--at least in Springfield and possibly the other colleges--begins with a high-level "agreement to articulate" signed by the college president and the chair of the local school committee. Once this general agreement is reached, negotiations are held entirely between the college and high school department faculty who teach the technical or vocational programs under consideration, and do not include academic instructors or counselors. According to some high school faculty, the process primarily lays the burden on them to initiate discussions and assemble materials to demonstrate to the college faculty's satisfaction that the high school vocational curriculum, if successfully completed, is equivalent to particular courses taught at the college level. In one high school, faculty noted that without offices, telephones, or clerical support, it is a substantial challenge--when added on top of their normal teaching workload--simply to set up meetings and put together the required materials to qualify their program for college credit.
Articulation as defined in the Tech-Prep West consortium can shorten the time students need to satisfy requirements for an A.S. degree, but it also represents part of an emerging strategy to promote students' acquisition of more advanced skills. In Springfield, for example, college administrators express interest not only in helping students graduate more quickly, but also in defining programs that impart and give credentials for higher skills. The college is considering developing honors A.S. programs, and even four-year Bachelor's degree programs in a few selected technical fields. According to college staff, however, for students to attain these advanced skill objectives they must enroll not only with technical course credits under vocational articulation agreements, but also with solid math and English skills so they can avoid spending time in remedial classes. This concern is addressed by efforts at the secondary schools to strengthen the academic curriculum and instruction.
Curriculum definition has progressed in stages, and newly defined classes are being gradually introduced into the preexisting array of available classes. In math, for example, a mathematics committee including instructors from all consortium high schools and colleges began by defining a Tech-Prep Math I class for 11th-graders and Tech-Prep Math II for 12th-graders, adapting and supplementing the Applied Math curricula developed by the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD). Actual implementation of applied math classes, however, lagged slightly behind curriculum development. As a result, during 1993-1994 most schools in the consortium had a mix of traditional and newly developed math offerings. For example, at the vocational school in Springfield, the following classes were offered that year:
Other curricula, similarly, are being developed in stages. In 1992, the consortiumwide science committee developed a plan for the physical sciences, calling for teaching the CORD Principles of Technology curriculum in segments over three years beginning in 11th grade and extending into the first year at the community college level. A further recommendation on life and natural sciences curriculum is planned. The communications committee issued a report specifying the broadly defined reading and writing skills students should develop, but it does not seem that consensus has been reached on the kinds of curriculum materials to be used in English classes taken by vocational students.
From the standpoint of students, the effects of curriculum development efforts are emerging gradually. In theory, vocational students in articulated vocational programs are expected to take applied academics classes. Students currently encounter schedule conflicts and limits on the availability of class sections. However, they still have the option to take college-prep or vocational-track classes. In one focus group made up of identified Tech-Prep students, for example, some students said they were taking college-prep English and biology, others vocational English and biology. With efforts focused on the 11th-grade Tech-Prep Math I classes, in 1993-1994 younger students who were not ready for that curriculum took more traditional math classes. In some cases, because classes of Tech-Prep Math II were not yet offered, more advanced students were placed in the new applied math class although they were ready for more advanced work.
Because implementation of new curricula requires changing teachers' classroom practices as well as providing new equipment and classroom materials, change is gradual. The pace of change is understandably varied across consortium schools and even across subject areas within schools. In Springfield, cumbersome city procurement procedures delayed delivery of Principles of Technology lab equipment well into the fall of 1993, forcing physics teachers to rely to a substantial extent on traditional lecture and demonstration methods, while teachers in other consortium districts were already actively engaged in the "lab coaching" methods associated with the CORD course. Some applied math classes in Springfield were being taught with heavy use of hands-on methods--for example, engaging students working together in pairs on solving linear equations using symbolic objects. An applied math class in another district was taught traditionally, however, focusing on abstract calculations of graph slopes and intercepts with no tangible, real-life application.
Progress is perhaps most difficult in English, where individual instructors appear more wedded to their traditional curriculum and teaching styles. An applied communications class in one district--although it was taught with energy and succeeded in holding most students' attention--followed a traditional question-and-answer format, focusing on the identification of sentence fragments. In an applied reading class for a cluster of students from various building trades programs, students had their hands on computers, but the content and style of instruction were narrow and traditional. For example, teachers asked students to make lists of vocabulary words and use them in sentences, and help given to students writing journal entries about their vocational classes focused on word-processing mechanics rather than on verbal expression.
The choices students make that lead them to be counted as part of Tech-Prep are influenced by four sets of staff: (1) middle school counselors: (2) regular high school counselors; (3) high school career counselors; and (4) a special Tech-Prep counselor serving the whole consortium. Middle school counselors continue to focus on the basic choice between college-prep and vocational programs, although Tech-Prep coordinators and other staff, in an effort to overcome traditionally negative stereotypes, have provided orientation and training to heighten their awareness of recent changes in vocational programs and the enhancements associated with the Tech-Prep initiative. High school career counselors arrange for vocational instructors and students to speak at middle schools each year to market their programs--including articulated Tech-Prep programs as well as nonarticulated programs.
Regular counselors at the high schools continue to focus on helping students to choose their academic courses each year to accompany their ongoing vocational program. It appears--at least in Springfield--that these choices are approached flexibly each year, with consideration given to the students' performance, aptitude, schedule constraints, and ambitions for postsecondary education, rather than with emphasis on a mapped-out plan of study required to enter and complete a particular postsecondary program.
The consortium's Tech-Prep counselor informs high school students and middle school and high school staff about Tech-Prep and, more generally, about how vocational programs can lead to postsecondary programs and solid careers. The counselor travels almost full-time among the eight schools, making presentations to groups of students about Tech-Prep, answering questions about college entrance standards, financial aid, and application procedures, and meeting with individual students. The counselor also meets with middle and high school counselors to build their understanding of Tech-Prep and how it may affect the advice they give students.
Other approaches are also used to attract students to Tech-Prep. A summer program to get girls interested in technical careers was held in Chicopee in 1992 and may be repeated in 1994. For three weeks, this full-day program involved 30 eighth graders in hands-on exposure to electrical technology, CAD/CAM, and culinary arts (in part as an opportunity for nutrition education), as well as field trips with a scientific focus. A special brochure to overcome students' fears and reservations about postsecondary study was developed, and open houses for parents are held at most high schools each year.
Efforts to promote career awareness are broadly designed for vocational students in general, rather than specifically for those who meet the criteria to be called Tech-Prep students. The traditional cooperative education program in Springfield, for example, finds paid job placements for about one-third of the seniors in fields other than health, but does not emphasize workplace training; students are generally selected if they have already mastered the skills the employers need. All Springfield students in the health aide program continue to participate in a very structured three-year clinical training program at nursing homes and hospitals. Employers serving on the Tech-Prep West business and industry council have arranged occasional workplace tours for groups of students, and work with vocational school career counselors to arrange individual brief job shadowing experiences (about 20 during 1992-1993, for example, for Springfield students). In one of the other vocational high schools, a technology lab (similar to the Gainesville middle school facility described in Chapter VI) has been installed to support the ninth-grade exploratory program.
Ongoing planning and coordination have been the responsibility of three coordinators, one from each of the three original college members. The post of consortiumwide coordinator and fiscal agent rotates each year from one college to another. About three-quarters of the 1993-1994 grant of $267,000 was used for the coordinator staff and clerical support for the lead coordinator (with the remainder largely devoted to the Tech-Prep counselor, staff development costs, and salary supplements for high school curriculum implementation liaisons). Each of the coordinators plays an active role in monitoring the progress of articulation, as well as in curriculum development and implementation. For example, coordinators try to stay informed about the extent to which the relevant high school teachers who have participated in staff development workshops have begun using new materials and teaching approaches, and follow up with administrators if they note a slow pace of change.
Development of applied academic curricula has been pursued by a set of three curriculum committees (for math, science, and English). Each committee includes high school and college teachers in the particular subject area and is chaired by one of the three college coordinators. These consortiumwide committees prepare recommendations. It is then up to the individual school administrators and teachers--guided, coaxed, and supported by the coordinators--to assemble new materials, rearrange class schedules, and modify what goes on in the classroom.
The brief initial observation of Tech-Prep in the Springfield district suggests one of the dilemmas that may face many other consortia and schools. Two parallel efforts, guided by separate committees, are under way s to develop and implement applied curricula in math, science, and English, and to attract as many students as possible into them. The other effort is to integrate vocational and academic instruction, mostly by clustering students by vocational program in academic classes that will somehow be tailored to their technical direction. Staff responsible for integration acknowledge, however, that there are too few students in each vocational area to support clustered academic classes at all skill levels. Instead, their current plan is to have math teachers, for example, instruct building trades students at varied math skill levels in the same class, thus "accelerating slower students and narrowing the gap." This approach to integration may be working at cross-purposes with Tech-Prep efforts to develop a sequence of applied academics classes extending to advanced levels.
2 An accomplished student in such circumstances might be recognized by college faculty as suitable for placement in a more advanced course, most likely by taking a challenge exam. In the absence of the articulation agreement, however, such advanced placement is less probable.
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[XII. Emerging Issues]