The federal administration’s 2011 proposed budget zeroed out Tech Prep for the 35 states that chose to keep Tech Prep as a separate funding source and rolled the funding to the base allocation. More recently, with the budget impasse in Congress, interest in reductions in domestic spending and vague prospects in resolving the question (Tech Prep as a single funding source or not), the Chancellor’s Office needed to make some decisions about Tech Prep consortia. The reality of the current climate is that Tech Prep will either be rolled into Title I-C or cut out of the budget entirely. The Chancellor’s Office, after exploring ways to preserve the activities that were most important to transitioning students from secondary to postsecondary, decided to invoke the option of a “10% Reserve” set-aside allowed within Perkins IV, to financially support transition activities.
The emphasis for this allocation will be on facilitating the transition from secondary to postsecondary to occupation. The areas that will be funded within this grant are:
1. Outreach/Career Exploration
2. Validation - not origination - of current articulation agreements (using templates and other existing resources)
3. Support for “credit by examination” mechanisms
- Testing
- Registrars
4. Support for concurrent enrollment options (but not direct instructional costs)
- Registrars
- Text book options
5. Support for coordination of work-based learning/internships/placement
Articulation
What is Articulation?
Articulation is a planned process that links two or more educational institutions together to facilitate a smooth transition for students to move from one course, program, or educational level to the next, while minimizing or eliminating course repetition. In the Tech Prep program, articulation plays an integral role in this transition for students in high schools and ROP programs. It provides students with an opportunity to earn credit for high school/ROP courses that are deemed equivalent to those at a community college.
In this program, the 2+2 articulation model is utilized. This includes the final two years in high school and the first two years in college.
How are Articulation Agreements Made?
Articulation agreements are created as a result of partnerships between a college and local high schools and ROP programs. Together, college faculty and these institutions examine course curriculum of their respective disciplines and determine that select courses are equivalent in content. A formal agreement is written that identifies the equivalency among these courses. These agreements should be reviewed on a yearly basis.