A TECH PREP PRIMER
Tech Prep programs offer an alternative to the traditional "general
education" program, and are specifically aimed at equipping youth
with the technical and academic skillsrequired to compete in a rapidly changing global economy. The seventy-fivepercent
of students who do not go directly from high school to afour year university need and deserve an equally well-definedcareer
path to follow. Tech Prep is part of a national educational reform movementdesigned to establish a career path
relevant to the changingneeds of the current economy, and is intended for all students,no matter what their exit
point from school in order to enter thework force.
EXPECTATIONS VS. REALITY
- 97% of the parents surveyed expect their children to finish high school.
- 70% of the parents expect their children to complete a four-year college degree.
- The parental projections for college completion are almost triple the actual
rate.
Newsweek, May 17, 1993
What is Tech Prep?
- A four year high school and community college program for students seeking technical
training.
- A program that combines technical and academic program requirements for both
high school and community college graduation.
- Instruction in higher order skills in mathematics, science, English, communication
and critical thinking.
- A curriculum that may fulfill all lower division requirements for transfer to
a university.
Who is Tech Prep for?
Tech Prep is designed for all students
Who is involved at the local level?
- 106 California community colleges have received federally funded grants to establish
consortia of high schools, businesses, regional occupational programs and universities to develop and operate Tech
Prep programs.
- Six consortia in the state were awarded federally funded grants to establish
Tech Prep programs in each vocational subject area: Business
Education, Agriculture, Health Careers, Home Economics, Industrial Technology and Engineering Technology.
What are Tech Prep's intended outcomes?
- Students will be better prepared to enter the workplace with increased skills.
- Employers will have better trained and better educated workers.
- High schools will have fewer dropouts and more students finding their courses
of study more meaningful.
- Colleges will have fewer students who need developmental or remedial help.
- Communities and states will eliminate program duplication, provide for greater
efficiency, and develop more fully the human resources within their region.
- America will have a world-class workforce.
Components of Tech Prep models
which are central to theoverall Tech Prep philosophy include:
- Secondary-to-postsecondary articulation to provide students with a nonduplicative
sequence of progressive achievement.
- Integration
of academic and technical studies.
- Workplace learning
experiences linking school-based knowledge to the workplace and community.
- Outcomes-based curriculum utilizing authentic and performance-based assessments.
- Applied academics
designed to make the classroom more relevant to practical applications.
- collaborative partnerships among educators and community representatives.
Last update: January 6, 2000 (DD)
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