Responses from 35 of 52 state tech prep coordinators indicated that 77% had evaluation plans; 68.6% had mechanisms for identifying tech prep students. Most frequent evaluation components were articulation, staff development, curriculum, and marketing. Most used evaluation criteria were job placement, postsecondary enrollment, graduation rate, and…

Tech Prep education programs play a vital role in the education of American youth. During the past decade, with funding from the Perkins Act, Tech Prep consortia have consolidated and developed programs for students. The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 required each state to identify performance levels relevant to…

Twenty-four schools, 1,350 high school students, and 251 postsecondary students were involved in the formative evaluation used by Rhode Island to assess their tech-prep programs. The evaluation provides tangible documentation that tech prep has a positive impact on participating students. (Author/JOW)

Describes the Minnesota Tech Prep Consortia Evaluation System, which collects outcomes data on enrollment, retention, related job placement, higher education, dropouts, and diplomas/degrees awarded. Explains outcome measures, database development, data collection and analysis methods, and remaining challenges. (SK)

A statewide effort was conducted in Kentucky to design a longitudinal assessment of tech prep, an educational reform strategy for high schools. Construction of the evaluation design included consideration of quantitative and qualitative data for school programmatic decisions, as well as funding accountability requirements at the district and state…

Examines the status of Tech Prep in the North Carolina Community College System and compares the attitudes of senior administrators and faculty toward Tech Prep programs. Discusses four research questions regarding college and faculty involvement in Tech Prep and finds that, in most cases, it has not yet made substantial changes within community…

This guide is designed to assist state and local consortia with their evaluation of Tech Prep education programs and with their reporting of Tech Prep program and student outcomes data to meet the accountability requirements of the Perkins Act of 1998. Intended for Tech Prep stakeholders in secondary schools and two-year colleges, the guide also…

A study used concept mapping to identify, classify, and prioritize student outcomes for use in building a foundation for evaluating tech prep programs. The study involved 61 stakeholders from 3 stakeholder groups: 24 educators, 18 students, and 19 employers, who rated 98 student outcomes statements gleaned from educational literature on tech prep…

This document reports on three focus groups comprised of state officials, local practitioners and supporters, and researchers who were convened to provide input on strategies for assessing and validating the effects of tech prep. Part I provides a brief summary of the groups' discussions, including major points and broad themes in these four topic…

During the 1993-94 program year, enrollment in secondary and postsecondary vocational education (VE) programs in Hawaii totaled 20,788 and 8,645, respectively. VE services were provided primarily through Hawaii's 39 public secondary schools, 7 public community colleges, and the University of Hawaii Community Colleges Employment Training Center. VE…

All of Washington's 22 tech prep consortium directors responded to a 1994 survey examining selected aspects of tech prep planning/implementation. Ten of Washington's 22 consortia reported having tech prep students (only 1 of 15 consortia in 1992-93), and secondary student enrollment in tech prep programs totaled 2,203 (170 in 1992-93). All 19…

In January 1995, a private research firm conducted the first year of a 5-year evaluation of tech prep (TP) in Ohio. State- and consortium-level baseline data about the following were collected: state policies/practices for TP; role of consortia in TP; professional development of instructors/administrators for TP; selected groups'…

In order to obtain firsthand information about different approaches and strategies for curriculum integration, case studies of curriculum integration models were conducted in seven sites across the United States. It was concluded that the presence or lack of certain contextual factors related to structure and operations had implications for the…

This document presents statistical data about vocational-technical education (VTE) in Ohio in 1993-94 and summarizes the mission and 1993-94 activities of the Ohio Council on Vocational Education (OCOVE). Presented first is a fact sheet on VTE in 1993-94. The next sections explain the structure and purpose of the OCOVE and summarize its…

The evolution of eight Tech Prep consortia since reauthorization of federal Tech Prep legislation in 1998 was examined in a 4-year longitudinal study. Cross-consortium changes were identified through field visits and personal interviews between 1998-2001 with a wide range of stakeholders, especially administrators, faculty, and students.…