Stern, D., Finkelstein, N., Stone, J. R., III, Latting, J., & Dornsife, C. (1994). Research on School-to-Work Programs in the United States (MDS-771). Berkeley: National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of California.

Tech Prep: Bridging Secondary and Postsecondary

The Tech Prep initiative aims to develop articulated programs that offer four years of sequential coursework intended to provide training for specific technical careers. These begin in the last two years of high school, are completed after two years of postsecondary training, and lead to an associate's degree in such fields as business, health, engineering, and agriculture. Furthermore, unlike previous efforts, the federal government has offered direct support by enacting the Tech Prep Education Act as part of the 1990 Perkins Amendment and allocating over $63 million in FY1991 and $90 million in FY1992 to promote the development and operation of articulated 2 + 2 Tech Prep initiatives.

Essential Features of Tech Prep

In The Neglected Majority, Dale Parnell (1985), then the Executive Director of the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, offered a potential option for bringing technical education into the mix of educational reform. This book brought widespread attention to the concept of Tech Prep. Parnell argued for a complete restructuring of general education curricula. According to Parnell, the content of Tech Prep should be a foundation of basic proficiency development in math, science, communications, and technology in an applied setting. He further recommended substantive program coordination between secondary and postsecondary schools. With this framework as a guide, Tech Prep-type initiatives began developing across the country in the late 1980s.

The educational strategy selected by Congress for The Tech Prep Education Act of 1990 was quite similar to those outlined in the secondary and postsecondary portions of The Neglected Majority. Tech Prep education was defined as

a combined secondary and post-secondary program which:

1. leads to a two-year associate's degree or a two year certificate,
2. provides technical preparation in at least one field of engineering technology, applied science, mechanical, industrial, or practical art, or trade, or agriculture, health, or business,
3. builds student competence in mathematics, science, and communications (including through applied academics) through a sequential course of study, and
4. leads to placement in employment (The Tech Prep Education Act of 1990, p. 40).

In developing regulations for the implementation of the Tech Prep Education Act, the U.S. Department of Education accordingly specified desirable components by awarding preference points to projects which

• provide for effective employment placement activities or transfer of students to four-year baccalaureate programs.
• are developed in consultation with business, industry, and labor unions.
• address effectively the issues of dropout prevention and re-entry and the needs of minority youth of limited-English proficiency, youth with handicaps, and disadvantaged youth.

The principal defining characteristic of Tech Prep is curriculum articulation. Tech Prep represents an advance over prior articulation efforts in that the articulation occurs between programs or majors (e.g., health and graphic arts) and is not limited merely to courses (e.g., welding and shorthand).

Earlier efforts at articulation (including most 2 + 2 programs) made little or no attempt to integrate the vocational and academic curriculum at either the high school or community college level. Although many Tech Prep programs, especially at the community college level, are only beginning their work to bridge the gaps between vocational and academic education, it is clearly a priority activity (Bragg, 1992).

The development of Tech Prep is associated with previous efforts to establish articulated course agreements between community colleges and local high schools. The most widely cited research investigations of national articulation efforts were conducted by Bushnell (1978); Long, Warmbrod, Faddis, and Lerner (1986); and McKinney, Fields, Kurth, and Kelly (1988). Based on the results from site visits and questionnaire surveys, these researchers offered recommendations for successful articulation efforts. Bushnell (1978) found a necessity for adequate counseling services, placement services, and developmental or remedial education programs. Long et al. (1986) found that a true blending of resources at secondary and postsecondary institutions required creating a jointly operated training facility; writing new, comprehensive, competency-based curricula for all four years; and investing substantial planning time and funding. McKinney et al. (1988) found that the increasing state role in articulation can be centered most usefully on removing bureaucratic hurdles, providing information and ensuring continuity in financial support, and educating all potential stakeholders as to their potential benefits of early involvement.

Results from recent investigations (Dornsife, 1992; Hull & Parnell, 1991) substantiate previous findings. For instance, researchers continue to report that investment of substantial planning time and funding is a key factor contributing to the implementation of Tech Prep initiatives (Bragg, Layton, & Hammons, forthcoming; Evaluation and Training Institute, 1991; National Council for Occupational Education, 1989; Ramer, 1991; Wentling et al., 1991). More importantly, results from recent investigations indicate that the few programs that have operated for at least five years have advanced their scope and objectives beyond the articulation of existing courses that merely provide advanced placement credit (Dornsife, 1992; Ramer, 1991). However, the introduction of Tech Prep is leading to a broader concept of articulation--one that expands the concept from individual course articulation to the articulation of full-blown programs or majors.

A second kind of improvement may occur when consortia move, over time, from the simpler, advanced credit mode to the more complex, advanced skills mode, in which programs are designed to add specific technical content to programs and not merely shorten the time it takes to acquire the same knowledge. However, most Tech Prep programs are in the earlier stages of development and have not as yet achieved these more advanced forms of articulation.

Tech Prep Planning and Implementation

To qualify for a Tech Prep grant, local consortia--taking on a multitude of forms but typically comprised of a public community college and its surrounding secondary school districts and businesses and industries--must develop a plan to address components specified in the legislation. The idea of using a consortium-type approach may enhance the potential for implementation of an educational innovation, but research suggests that the act of involving multiple entities may require a significant portion of the three-year time allotted for Tech Prep implementation (Layton & Bragg, 1992). Consequently, it may be difficult for Tech Prep to demonstrate significant impact on constituencies (e.g., educational institutions, students, and businesses) because of this protracted adoption period.

Bragg et al. (forthcoming) found that of the approximately 390 local Tech Prep coordinators who responded to a questionnaire, most consortia have completed initial implementation of the following components: "consortium building (including recruiting schools, college, employers, and other organizations; formal signed articulation agreements between secondary and postsecondary schools; joint in-service of secondary and postsecondary personnel (e.g., faculty, counselors, and administrators); team building to facilitate Tech Prep planning and implementation; and equal access for all students" (pp. 8-9). Scores on a scale measuring degree of implementation are shown in Table 24 for the components with the highest implementation scores.

Components still in the planning stage include apprenticeships spanning secondary and postsecondary education, computer monitoring of student progress through Tech Prep programs, job placement services for students/graduates, work-based learning for students (e.g., internships and apprenticeships), and development of advanced skills technical curriculum. As shown in Table 25, these are the program elements with the lowest implementation ratings.

Control of Tech Prep funding and administration primarily rests within traditional local and state vocational education agencies, possibly to the detriment of the initiative in the long term. Many of the Tech Prep coordinators interviewed by Bragg (1992) described problems occurring with implementation when Tech Prep was isolated from the entire educational enterprise and viewed as another vocational education program. This focus was viewed as particularly threatening to effectively integrating vocational and academic subject matter, an essential feature of Tech Prep. Release of general education state or federal funds for Tech Prep could create a fairer and more realistic environment for implementation of the integration concept called for in the 1990 Perkins Amendment.

Partnerships are a necessity for full implementation of Tech Prep according to the federal legislation. Depending upon past and current relationships, some Tech Prep planners seemed to be struggling with establishing fair and meaningful partnerships among

• the levels of education (i.e., high school and two-year college, or two-year college and four-year college);
• vocational and academic education teaching and curricula; and
• education and business, industry, and labor constituencies.

For example, sometimes business and industry or postsecondary education was viewed as trying to exert too much control over high school curricula. In other cases, either vocational or academic education was seen as too aggressive in establishing the newly articulated Tech Prep curricula. In still other cases, four-year colleges were refusing to consider Tech Prep curriculum as comparable to college prep. In sum, without meaningful partnerships, it will be difficult to establish Tech Prep effectively. Both local and state educational agencies seemed to be learning under fire about what could influence the success and failure of their new partnerships.

According to the survey conducted by Bragg et al. (forthcoming), the five most important barriers to Tech Prep implementation were as follows: "Little time designated for joint planning by vocational and academic or secondary and postsecondary faculty. Failure of four-year colleges and universities to award college credit for applied academic or other Tech Prep courses. Lack of general awareness about Tech Prep. Lack of staff, time, and money dedicated to Tech Prep. Belief that Tech Prep is an educational "fad" that will go away" (pp. 10-11). Table 26 shows the average ratings of importance given to these obstacles.

Table 27 lists the barriers that were said to be least important: "Lack of cooperation from teachers' unions. Pressure from special interest groups to modify the Tech Prep effort. Too much flexibility in local implementation of Tech Prep. Lack of support from labor organizations. Failure of two-year postsecondary schools to accommodate Tech Prep students" (pp. 10-11).

Dornsife (1992) has anaylyzed the relationship between the components of Tech Prep, the stages of program development, and the organizational structure of program operatios. An overview of these relationships is presented in Figure 5.

This figure presents a logical process through which typical Tech Prep sites progress. Each part of the program--information and marketing, curriculum development, career guidance, and program evaluation--may be at a different stage of development.

Information and Marketing

The purpose of an information and marketing campaign is to "spread the word," inform audiences, and promote student enrollment in articulated courses. As Tech Prep programs evolve and "take root," the purpose of these campaigns includes a focus on larger issues such as the goals of vocational education and the relationship between selected course offerings and technical career opportunities. Information campaigns change over time, and vary on the basis of the approach selected for planning and implementation and the activities selected to constitute the campaign. For instance, a campaign can be carried out by administrators at the postsecondary institution, by personnel in the district office, by a committee or task force, or by an outside specialist hired as a consultant. In addition, the selected marketing activities may be singular or multiple and may take place during the entire year or coincide with specific events during the school year.

Curriculum Development

At the heart of Tech Prep programs is the development of articulated curriculum between secondary and postsecondary institutions. Although there is widespread agreement on a definition of articulation and the processes for developing articulated curriculum, there remain several variations in actual practice. In short, while most schools follow the same steps for articulating Tech Prep curriculum, the result is not always the development of similar programs. Given these variations, the material below provides a discussion of some current curriculum variations.

Given the potential difficulties in planning and implementing Tech Prep, most schools begin by choosing the path of least resistance and articulate similar courses currently available. At this beginning stage of development, the primary objective is to articulate curriculum that prevents duplication of coursework and shortens the time for secondary students to complete a postsecondary program.

A second approach to curriculum articulation is to modify the content of existing courses and to articulate a sequence of secondary courses in one or more vocational-technical program areas. In most secondary and postsecondary institutions, course modifications consist of integrating new occupation-related information and skills. This integration can take the form of using new textbooks, new and different computerized material (e.g., word-processing packages), or new equipment and machinery (e.g., computerized milling machines). Beyond these course changes, the most common form of curriculum modification for Tech Prep programs is the adoption of competency-based approaches to coursework.

The third approach to developing Tech Prep curriculum is to articulate new courses and new course sequences and to develop vocational-technical and academic core curriculum designed to provide training along a career ladder. In some schools, this third approach to developing curriculum is the result of direction provided by state initiatives or legislative mandates.

In the case of Tech Prep, the articulation of new courses is almost synonymous with the integration of "applied academic courses" into a core curriculum for vocational-technical programs. These courses emphasize the acquisition of academic principles and concepts through classroom and laboratory activities that connect abstract knowledge to workplace applications.

The advantage of using applied academic courses is that they can serve as a coherent sequence of core courses linked to a sequence of recommended or required vocational courses. This linkage is a major objective of Tech Prep programs and provides the student with a clear educational plan to meet his or her occupational goals.

For example, as shown below in Table 28, an articulated sequence of classes in Tech Prep is offered between Hillsboro Union High School (Portland, Oregon) and Portland Community College. A student interested in business administration occupations (accounting) completes a sequence of coursework that includes academic courses required for graduation and recommended vocational (business) and academic courses to be taken during the junior and senior years (e.g., Accounting I, computer applications for business, and Algebra I). In the process, the student can earn community college credit in 8 of the 12 recommended courses. In turn, if the student continues in the associate's degree accounting program, he or she can earn transfer credit to a four-year college in 18 of the 27 courses required for graduation.

In this example, the Tech Prep curriculum is presented as a coherent sequence of academic courses linked with a sequence of vocational-technical courses. This sequencing provides students with a clear educational plan; and in many technical program areas, it provides the student with "multiple exits" or training along a "career ladder." For example, the accounting course sequence at Hillsboro Union High School is designed to provide the student with entry-level skills needed for immediate employment or for continuing in an accounting program at a postsecondary institution such as Portland Community College.

In several cases, the development of Tech Prep curriculum at the advanced stage of program development is the result of collaborative efforts with business and industry representatives. Their direct input typically includes suggestions for revising existing curriculum associated with the routine upgrading of local jobs (e.g., integrating widely used computer packages into the curriculum of business, administrative, and drafting courses). In some cases, however, the input from business and industry is required for the development of new courses to provide training for new or changing employment needs in the community (e.g., the development of Tech Prep in hazardous waste materials technology).

Career Guidance

The third operational component of Tech Prep programs is career guidance (Chew, 1992). The purpose of this component is to prepare a sequence of support activities designed to help students plan and develop career options. Guidance activities serve a supportive role for education initiatives such as Tech Prep because the sequencing of career development activities helps students gain an understanding of the relationship between school and work. In general, the guidance activities for Tech Prep are designed to promote student development at both the secondary and postsecondary level. In most schools, the implementation of these activities requires a redefinition of guidance at the secondary level. Instead of an ancillary department or a series of fragmented and event-oriented activities (e.g., a self-esteem workshop or a career day), the guidance program is restructured into an organized sequence of activities designed to help students learn how to plan and develop their career.

The actual selection of guidance activities is unique to each school. However, at the early stage of Tech Prep development there are few detailed examples of developing or developed guidance programs coordinated with Tech Prep. For instance, in most schools, a centrally located guidance center provides students with a collection of up-to-date print and non-print career information. This information is disseminated through various activities for improving grade-level career awareness and exploration. Some secondary school districts are expanding their sequence of guidance activities to include students in grades seven and eight such as requiring that all eighth grade students complete a "Career Plan" form. The information on this form indicates what course of study and corresponding classes (e.g., college prep Tech Prep) the student has selected, is included in his or her career planning folder, and must be signed by the parents and the student. The state of Florida is perhaps an exemplar in these efforts with the enactment in 1991 of "Blueprint 2000: A System of School Improvement and Accountability." This legislation included "Blueprint for Career Preparation," which has resulted in 64% of all eighth graders completing career plans during 1991-92 (U.S. GAO, 1993).[2]

In general, the lack of comprehensive guidance programs is not the result of disagreement over the importance of guidance for Tech Prep but is, instead, the result of limited funding. The development of a comprehensive guidance program, one that, for instance, includes work-site internships for teachers and students, requires financial resources and staff commitments that many schools do not have. As a result of these limitations, the necessary guidance activities tend to develop at a slightly slower pace than the other operational components.

Program Evaluation

The fourth operational component of Tech Prep initiatives is program evaluation. It too is a dynamic process. Given the nature of the evaluation process, and because most programs have only been operational for one to three years, there is a limited amount of published material describing current evaluation efforts. In fact, most administrators believe it takes five to seven years of operation before a comprehensive evaluation can be conducted and any major program improvements instituted (Hull, 1987; Ohio State University, 1990). Furthermore, during the first year of operation, most administrators collect information for evaluation purposes through informal means (e.g., telephone calls and unscheduled meetings). In turn, there is a limited amount of published data and restricted access to any information contained in school records (an exception is the study by Hammons, 1992).

In most cases, the community college assumes primary responsibility for conducting a program evaluation, publishing the results, and initiating program improvements. Secondary school personnel participate in these efforts; however, their participation is often limited by the form and content of data they can provide. For instance, most secondary schools do not have the financial or personnel resources to maintain a complete academic and career development profile on all students in Tech Prep programs or to collect feedback from community members after they attend school events such as a parent's night or an open house. Despite these limitations, a thorough evaluation of Tech Prep programs includes the participation of all "stakeholders" (e.g., counselors, students, and employers), particularly the collaborating secondary and postsecondary institutions.

It is important to note that a national evaluation of Tech Prep is being conducted for the Office of Adult and Vocational Education (OVAE) by Mathematica (Princeton, New Jersey). The five-year evaluation plan includes a questionnaire survey and site visits.

Stern, D., Finkelstein, N., Stone, J. R., III, Latting, J., & Dornsife, C. (1994). Research on School-to-Work Programs in the United States (MDS-771). Berkeley: National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of California.