Explanation of Required Elements
In Tech Prep Structure we introduced you to the seven required elements of Tech Prep. Now, we would like you to take a closer look at them.
1. Articulation AgreementsWhat is Articulation? EXAMPLE: There are keyboarding courses taught at a high school. They are not college level courses, but they meet the pre-requisite to get into a lot of the other courses in the office technologies area at a local community college. Students are not actually taking college courses, but they are taking courses that will get them ready for the college courses. How does it Work?
How are Articulation Agreements Developed? Creating articulation agreements requires bringing secondary and postsecondary faculty members together. Some colleges have developed a form to document how and when articulation agreements are created and reviewed. Information is reviewed annually to ensure the agreements are not out of date. The articulation review forms list who attended the meetings, what was discussed, the learning outcomes, what outcomes are being achieved, and additional courses they would like to consider for articulation.
High schools and community colleges collaborate across institutional levels to develop articulation options and seamless career pathways which allow students to enroll in secondary-to-postsecondary course sequences which lead to degrees or certificates. Pathways reflect a range of industries, interests, and labor market conditions represented across the state of California. Consortia take varied approaches to not only define pathways, but also the means used to determine which industry areas to focus on. Most commonly, consortia have opted to focus on multiple career pathway areas in order to provide students with a breadth of articulated offerings. Three career pathways have emerged as most often implemented among Tech Prep consortia: Health and Human Services, Information Technology and Finance and Business. San Diego Tech Prep pathways focus on:
Curriculum integration across academic and career technical lines has always been important to the development of Tech Prep programs and the improvement of career technical courses so they better reflect academic requirements in the workplace. Consortia have devoted considerable time and resources toward sequenced integration (that is from secondary to postsecondary levels). Integration of standards is a general focus of consortia in the curriculum integration process. Consortia rely heavily on direct industry input as well as input from career technical program advisory boards. In San Diego, Tech Prep has benefited greatly from its partnership with the Regional Occupational Centers and Program (ROCP) whose courses are often the secondary component in sequenced integration. ROCP curriculum is industry-based and standardized across courses and is updated on a continuous basis in order to maintain pace with real time industry needs. Consortia are also making efforts to integrate curriculum horizontally in order to provide students with a comprehensive foundation and a means to learn concepts across academic and career technical domains.
In order to implement Tech Prep, consortia arrange a variety of professional development and collaboration opportunities for secondary and postsecondary teachers. Professional development most often centers on developing and renewing articulation between secondary and postsecondary staff and training on curriculum integration. The top 5 professional development activities offered to teachers in 2004 were: Most consortia maintain professional development in a general way by providing information and monetary support to attend conferences. The annual statewide Tech Prep conference is a popular destination for faculty and counselors. Consortia also incorporate a variety of strategies to expose faculty to industry as well as bring industry into the fold of curriculum development. The San Diego Community College District has been designated as one of six distribution points positioned throughout the state, to provide Tech Prep related professional development and outstanding practices and resource dissemination to Tech Prep stakeholders within the region which includes San Diego, Imperial, and Riverside Counties. This module is just one of the professional development activities offered by the distribution point! Most professional development activities offered by consortia are open to counselors as well as teachers. Counselors are a key ingredient in the marketing of Tech Prep programs and providing them with the information, materials and training necessary to become familiar with the program is extremely important to its success. The top four professional development activities offered to counselors at secondary and postsecondary levels in 2004 were: Counselor involvement, especially at the high school level, can provide the dual benefit of broadening students’ understanding of the community college system and what Tech Prep can offer them. Section 204 of the Perkins Act requires that each Tech Prep education program "provide equal access to the full range of technical preparation programs to individuals who are members of special populations, including the development of tech-prep program services appropriate to the needs of special populations" (American Vocational Association, 1998, p. 137). Special populations are defined as: a) individuals with disabilities; b) individuals from economically disadvantaged families, including foster children; c) individuals preparing for nontraditional training and employment; d) single parents, including single pregnant women; e) displaced homemakers; and f) individuals with other barriers to educational achievement, including individuals with limited English proficiency. Section 204 of the Perkins Act requires that each education program "provide for preparatory services that assist participants in tech-prep programs" (American Vocational Association, 1998, p.137). Preparatory services include outreach to potential career and technical education students, career and personal counseling, and vocational assessment and testing. Preparatory services are provided to students not yet enrolled in Tech Prep. The delivery of services is before the 11th grade.
All programs must ensure that: The Perkins Act does not limit Tech Prep evaluation to the Tech Prep seven essential program elements. Some states have developed additional program elements to increase the breadth or depth of the Tech Prep education program. One element is work-based learning experience, which allows students to understand all aspects of the industry and connect school- based learning with work-based learning. Experiences may include job shadowing, mentoring, internships, cooperative education, or youth apprenticeships. The work-based learning experience is closely related to the student's course work and pertinent to the contents of the school curriculum. |
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