What is Tech Prep?

Tech Prep is an educational reform initiative that involves partnerships between high schools and colleges that offer two-year and technical programs of study.  Tech Prep encourages students to plan for, prepare for, and pursue a certificate or associate degree after high school graduation.

Tech Prep links high school and postsecondary programs of study by creating an opportunity for high school students to earn Tech Prep college credit for classes they take in high school. Tech Prep Articulation Agreements approved by faculty from participating high schools and colleges provide students with an opportunity to earn Tech Prep college credits and advanced placement in their college program of study. 

Graduates from high schools participating in the Tech Prep program are eligible for Tech Prep college credit and advanced placement if they earn a B or better grade, meet the Tech Prep Articulation criteria in the approved or “articulated” high school class(es), and enroll at a Tech Prep partner college within two years of high school graduation.

Who is involved in Tech Prep?

Tech Prep is a national education movement, supported with federal funds.  High schools and colleges in all states operate Tech Prep programs, but programs vary from region to region.  In Montana, there are five Tech Prep regions, which you can see by clicking on the Montana Consortia link.  In Montana all five colleges of technology, the three community colleges, several tribal colleges, and some of the four-year colleges that offer two-year programs of study are active Tech Prep postsecondary partners.  Over 90% of Montana’s high schools are involved with Tech Prep programs to create Tech Prep college credits, encourage thoughtful career and educational planning, and encourage studies that will lead to satisfying, high-skill, high-demand careers.

Who’s involved in Tech Prep in Central Montana?

Central Montana Tech Prep is a Consortium of four college partners and 48 high schools in thirteen north central Montana counties.  The College Tech Prep partners are MSU-Great Falls College of Technology, MSU-Northern, UM-Helena College of Technology, and The Art Institute of Seattle.  These colleges and the 48 high school members of the Central Montana Tech Prep Consortium are listed on the Members page.  Each secondary and postsecondary member has a designated Tech Prep contact person who is also identified on the Members page.  Central Montana Tech Prep Consortium efforts and activities are facilitated by the Central Montana Tech Prep Coordinator whose office is located at MSU-Great Falls College of Technology.

What does Tech Prep do for students?

Tech Prep helps students clarify paths of study beginning in high school and continuing through a variety of college certificate and two-year degree programs, so they don’t waste time or miss important classes or opportunities they’ll need to move ahead after high school.  It encourages high schools to provide strong career development and guidance programs, so students can make good decisions about future education and work steps.  Tech Prep also helps and encourages teachers to teach in a way that helps students to connect knowing with doing.  This contextual teaching helps students recognize how what they are learning will be useful in the world of work and citizenship.  It often involves hands-on instruction as well as teamwork and problem-solving, so students also learn and gain experience with employment skills that are highly valued.  

What are Tech Prep college credits?

One of Tech Prep’s greatest benefits for students is Tech Prep college credits.  Tech Prep college credits work like an essential scholarship, because high school students earn the college credits for work they’re already doing in high school classes.  Tech Prep college credits help students and parents save time and money once they get into their postsecondary program of study. 

What is the value of Tech Prep college credits?

Tech Prep college credits are like an “essential scholarship” in terms of financial savings.  Because students don’t have to take the Tech Prep class in college, they will save on the costs of tuition, fees, books, and supplies that they would otherwise spend for that class.  The value of a college credit varies from campus to campus, but it is safe to figure that one 3-credit (typical one-semester) college class is worth at least $360.  The typical Tech Prep college student carries in an average of 6 credits with an “essential scholarship” value of $720.  Some students have claimed as many as 12 Tech Prep college credits for coursework completed in high school.  The “essential scholarship” value for those Tech Prep credits would be almost $1,500.  As of Fall, 2003 over 250  students from Central Montana Tech Prep Consortium high schools had claimed more than 1250 Tech Prep college credits.  In terms of savings associated with tuition, books, and fees, this amounts to at least $150,000 is savings to students, parents, and taxpayers.

Besides the financial savings, a very meaningful and even more appreciated benefit of Tech Prep college credits for many students is the time they save in their college schedule.  Because Tech Prep college students already have the credit pending for those courses, they have more time and flexibility in their college semester schedule to enroll in other classes of interest, to take higher level courses sooner, or to take lighter course loads so they have more time for study or part-time employment.

Who is eligible for Tech Prep college credits?

Tech Prep college credits are available to qualifying students graduate from a Tech Prep partner high school, earn a B or better in an articulated class, meet any other stated conditions, and enroll at a Tech Prep partner college within two years of high school graduation.  The Tech Prep college credits mean that students do not have to take the parallel college course when they enroll at the college.  Instead they will receive the appropriate college credit on their transcript after successfully completing their next twelve college credits on or through the college campus.

What is “articulation”?

Teachers from Tech Prep high schools and faculty from Tech Prep partner colleges meet to examine the contents and competencies of their respective classes and to agree on conditions that must be met for students to earn Tech Prep college credit for their high school classwork.  The college faculty must agree that the high school class is parallel or similar enough to the college course that it can be approved as a Tech Prep class.  This process of examining and comparing the expectations for classes at both levels is called “articulation.” 

What kinds of classes are articulated for Tech Prep college credit?

The courses most likely to be articulated are those that are foundation courses in a sequence of study that leads to a certificate or associate degree in a two-year technical course of study. Any course may be proposed for examination leading to an articulation, but there are some consortia that will not articulate courses that are considered to be traditional academic courses. 

Currently Central Montana Tech Prep Consortium high schools have courses approved for Tech Prep college credit in six different career clusters.  The Montana Tech Prep Career Clusters and some examples of the type of classes that are articulated within each cluster are:

Agriculture and Natural Resources Technology

            Animal Science                                                 Plant Science
                        Ag Marketing & Economics                              Intro to Ag Machines & Equipment

Business Management and Computer Technology

            Intro to Computers                                           Accounting
                        Word Processing                                              Networking Fundamentals
                        Desktop Publishing                                           Keyboarding

Graphic Arts and Communication

            Art Fundamentals                                             Drawing
                        2-D Design                                                       Photography

Health Services and Bioscience Technology

            Human Biology                                                Chemistry
                        Physical Science                                               Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology

Hospitality and Human Services

            Intro to Early Childhood Education                   Basic Sanitation

Manufacturing, Construction, and Engineering Technology

            Technical Graphics                                           Intro to CAD
                        Intro to Electricity/Electronics                           Welding
                        Engines & Engine Repair                                  Machining Proces
                        Small Engines                                                   Floor/Wall Framing

Where can I find out what Tech Prep classes are available at my high school?

Information about classes articulated for Tech Prep college credit and Student Tech Prep Petition Forms are available from your high school counselor or Tech Prep classroom teacher.  Each participating high school has copies of the signed formal Tech Prep Articulation Agreements, showing which high school classes have been approved , which college courses they replace, and how many college credits they carry.  The admissions office or registrar at each Tech Prep partner college will also have a copy of the official Tech Prep Articulation Agreement showing which high schools have which courses articulated.

Clicking on the Articulations tab on the home page at this site will also lead you to information about what courses carry Tech Prep college credit at the various Consortium high schools.  Select the High School in which you are interested, and you will see the most current year’s articulated classes as well as links to the articulated class lists from previous years that are still valid.

How are Tech Prep college credits earned or awarded?

To be eligible for Tech Prep college credits, students must:   (1)  Earn a grade of B or better in an approved or “articulated” high school class.   (2) Meet any additional criteria or  conditions that faculty have built into the course articulation.   (3) Graduate from a Tech Prep participating high school.  (4) Enroll in a participating Tech Prep college within two years (28 months) of high school graduation.  (5) Submit a Petition for Tech Prep Credit with high school teacher and counselor signatures to the selected college when applying or before registering for classes.  (6)  Submit a high school transcript verifying grades of B or better in Tech Prep classes.  (7) Successfully (2.0 GPA or better) complete an additional 12 credits on or through the college campus.  After students successfully complete a semester (12 credits) of classes provided through the college campus, the Tech Prep credits will be placed on their college transcript.

What is the process for applying for Tech Prep college credit?

First, the qualifying student must fill out the Montana Petition for Tech Prep Credit-Student Form.  This form requires signatures from high school teachers and counselors and should be submitted with the college application or turned in before the student registers for college classes.  It is advisable for students to carry a copy of their Tech Prep Petition Form with them when they sign up for their college classes.

Second, students must successfully (that is, with a 2.0 GPA or higher) complete twelve additional college credits (one full semester) at the postsecondary institution.

Tech Prep college credits will appear on the student’s postsecondary transcript after the twelve on-campus credits have been successfully completed.

Where will my Tech Prep college credits be honored?

Tech Prep college credits will be awarded to eligible students from Central Montana Tech Prep Consortium high schools at any of the Central Montana Tech Prep Consortium partner colleges for the courses that are listed on the high school’s formal Tech Prep Articulation Agreement.  The Central Montana Tech Prep Consortium partner colleges are MSU-Great Falls College of Technology, MSU-Northern, UM-Helena College of Technology, and the Art Institute of Seattle. There are also a limited number of articulation agreements covering classes in Early Childhood Development and Culinary Arts at Dawson Community College, Flathead Valley Community College, and UM-Western.

Tech Prep college credits for classes that appear on the formal Tech Prep Articulation agreement are certain for students who meet all of the eligibility criteria.  Signatures on those agreements verify the promise of the partner colleges to follow through and award Tech Prep college credits to students who qualify and who submit the required petitions and documents. 

What is reciprocity?  Where else could I use my Tech Prep credits?

Although it cannot be promised, it is possible and perhaps even probable that two-year colleges from other Montana Tech Prep regions may also award Tech Prep college credits to students who elect to attend there instead of going to a partner college that is part of the Central Montana Tech Prep Consortium. 

In these cases, the enrolling college would have to offer a course parallel to the one that would carry Tech Prep college credit at the Central Montana partner college.  All three Montana colleges that are Central Montana Tech Prep Consortium partners have indicated a willingness to evaluate the Tech Prep eligibility of students who are from Tech Prep high schools outside of the Central Tech Prep region.  Extending Tech Prep college credits to students from high schools outside of the college’s regional Consortium is at the discretion of the college, and cannot be guaranteed.

Can I claim Tech Prep credits at a four-year college?

Because the Tech Prep program was created to encourage more students to pursue two-year and technical education after high school, Tech Prep college credits cannot be used by students enrolling directly into a four-year college or university, unless that college also offers two-year programs of study as is the case with MSU-Northern, one of the Central Montana Tech Prep Consortium college partners. 

In Montana, there is no state-level or system-wide policy that directs how Tech Prep credits that appear on a two-year transcript will be treated by a four-year college that accepts a Tech Prep two-year student as a transfer into a four-year program of study.  It is clear that the federal legislation intends for there to be a seamless transition, but individual college policies will determine how this is handled.  How the four-year receiving college will deal with Tech Prep credits is currently at the discretion of that particular college.

What are career clusters?

Career clusters are concentrations of occupations/careers that are grouped together because of their similarities regarding interests, abilities, activities, and skills sets that are involved.  Clusters are used to help manage and organize the vast expanse of occupational, labor market, and educational data that is available.  Each cluster includes a variety of occupations requiring different levels of education and training, so students can explore careers and educational options based on their interests and preferences and then examine the various options available for postsecondary education, training, or apprenticeship.

Selecting a career cluster gives a student a place to begin exploring the world of work and provides an area of focus so that choosing and planning are manageable efforts and students realize the value of having a career focus as they make decisions and plans for after high school.  By looking at clusters, instead of specific occupations students maintain some flexibility and keep from becoming too narrowly focused too early.  The intent of using career clusters to organize information and exploration is not for students to decide on a specific occupation for the rest of their lives or to make a permanent commitment.  The intent is to help them identify an area of activity and study that will help them open up options for their future without becoming overwhelmed.  By selecting and exploring a career cluster, students can prepare for the future, regardless of their interests, talents, and desired level of education.  Identifying a preferred career cluster can help them in selecting school courses, choosing extra-curricular and community service activities, scouting part-time jobs and volunteer experiences, and begin planning an appropriate postsecondary plan of study.  All clusters offer meaningful career development, options, and outcomes.

It is important for students to explore career clusters and possibilities while they are still in high school and are still able to change direction and adjust course selections for free.  Waiting until they are employed or enrolled in college to do this may mean they will pay dearly (through tuition or the costs of job change) for the career exploration and decision-making that needs to be done.

Why is Tech Prep needed?

Labor Market surveys indicate that only about 20% of jobs in the foreseeable future will require professional degrees (baccalaureate or higher).  An estimated 65% of jobs will require skilled workers with some formal training or education beyond high school, but not necessarily a bachelor’s degree.  The fastest growing segment of the job market will be those jobs requiring some education or training beyond the high school level.  And we know that as many as half of all students who begin their postsecondary education in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree will leave college before earning that degree.  That means that the four-year college degree is the answer, and certainly not the only answer for the majority of students.  Our students need and deserve to be well-prepared and advised to pursue a variety of other paths to success.

Also, the technical training that will be necessary for tomorrow’s jobs is not the same as the “shop” class or “vocational training” of past decades.  The technical worker of the future will also have to have a sound foundation in core academics and will need a good basis in math and science as well as communication and specific skills.  So postsecondary education and training at various levels besides the baccalaureate will be increasingly important, and students will have to be prepared to take advantage of those options.  Tech Prep reinforces the need for solid academic preparation accompanied by meaningful courses that help students see how what they’re learning can be applied in the “real world.”

Who benefits from Tech Prep?

Students gain the academic and technical skills which prepare them for employment and continuing education.  Tech Prep students who enroll in two-year and technical postsecondary programs and their parents benefit by saving time and money because of Tech Prep college credits.

High Schools benefit by providing programs in which students can see the relevance of their high school classes to their future plans and endeavors.  High school personnel witness higher morale, better attitudes and attendance, and improved student performance when students have clear goals and see the connection between what they’re doing now and where they want to be in the future.

Participating colleges benefit by welcoming better prepared, more focused students, so the colleges can spend less time and fewer resources on remedial courses and can work with fewer students who are undecided about their majors or preferred program of study.

Employers and the economy in general benefit by obtaining better-educated and more highly skilled workers.  Employers also gain an opportunity to provide input and to influence the content of the curriculum in programs of study related to their fields of endeavor.

The taxpayer gains because schools and colleges are able to eliminate unnecessary program and course duplication, so they use tax dollars more effectively and efficiently.

Where can I get more information about Tech Prep?

Contact your local high school counselor or Tech Prep contact or the registrar or admissions office at the college of interest. Each participating high school and college has a brief (12-minute) informative video about Montana Tech Prep as well as information about which classes have been approved for Tech Prep college credit at their institution.   You can also send an email to the Tech Prep Coordinator for the Central Montana Tech Prep Consortium or call the Coordinator at 406-771-4324 or 800-446-2698.