A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

The Emergence of Tech-Prep at the State and Local Levels - 1995

Definition Of A Program Model

Although the Perkins legislation requires Tech-Prep programs to include the last two years of high school and two years of postsecondary education or training, consortia are implementing many variations to the "2 + 2" model (Silverberg 1993).1 Some Tech-Prep programs begin in the 9th or 10th grade, or even in middle school, and others extend beyond community college, to culminate in a baccalaureate degree. To determine the range of models that consortia are developing for Tech-Prep, we asked consortium coordinators to describe their basic program model. Possible response categories encompassed all combinations of middle, secondary, and postsecondary options, including (1) the last two years of high school; (2) three or more years of high school; (3) one or more years of junior high/middle school; (4) two years at a community college; and (5) options for additional study at a four-year postsecondary institution. Because we anticipated that most consortium programs would not have been fully developed at the time of the survey, our objective was to document both planned and implemented models.

Most consortia report models for Tech-Prep that begin earlier and extend later than required under federal law

Consortia report ambitious models for Tech-Prep that affect more grade levels than the "2 + 2" program originally defined in the Perkins legislation (Figure V.1). In fall 1993, 60 percent of the consortia reported including 10th grade or 9th and 10th grade in the Tech-Prep program. Of those including the early years of high school, 37 percent (22 percent of all consortia) claimed to offer program components in middle school. Almost two-thirds of all consortia reported incorporating options for transfers from community colleges to four-year colleges into the Tech-Prep program model. 

                                  FIGURE V.1              Program Models In Progress (Percentage of Consortia)          MODEL                  2+2 =====================> 24%   Middle School+4+2+2 ===============> 18%    MIddle School+4+2 ===> 4%           3 or 4+2+2 ==========================> 29%                2+2+2 ================> 17%             3 or 4+2 ========> 9%                     +--------+--------+--------+--------+--------+                     0        10       20       30       40       50                                      (PERCENTAGE)  SOURCE: Inventory of Local Tech-Prep Planning and Implementation, Fall 1993

Actual Tech-Prep implementation is likely to differ from the program models reported

Because the survey asked coordinators to report the Tech-Prep model they were "working to implement," the responses probably do not reflect current implementation of Tech-Prep. For example, 64 percent of the consortium coordinators reported that their models included options for additional study at a four-year postsecondary institution, but only half of those reported having a four-year college or university as a consortium member.

How a component or activity is defined as "Tech-Prep" affects the extent to which reported program models become a reality. The in-depth studies and discussions with both local and state Tech-Prep coordinators suggest that it is not always evident that Tech-Prep begins or ends in a particular grade. For example, some consortia may consider a new approach to providing classroom career exposure activities for all 8th-graders as a middle school Tech-Prep component, but others view these activities as simply an improvement to the overall career guidance system. What does it mean to include additional study at a four-year college as part of a Tech-Prep program? Most community colleges have arrangements enabling students who complete an associate degree--not simply those in Tech-Prep--to transfer some credits to particular four-year institutions. Of course, some arrangements may be specific to Tech-Prep; for example, some consortia may develop articulation agreements between community and four-year colleges for select occupational programs that encompass the full range of Tech-Prep articulated course work, from high school to college, and that will constitute a routine pathway for students in those career areas.

1 Amendments to the Tech-Prep Act have broadened the models that can be supported by Title IIIE funds to include "4 + 2." Some consortia are using funds from other sources t support related activities even for middle school students.
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[V. Defining Tech-Prep] [Table of Contents] [Definition Of A Core Program]