KENTUCKY'S TECH PREP EVALUATION SYSTEM: A FIVE-YEAR REVIEW

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 levels. The study found that the success of tech prep depended on the following elements: staff development, curriculum integration, secondary-postsecondary linkages, academic rigor for all students, and community and work-based learning. Lessons learned from the state's 5-year assessment experience with a model that aligns a specific program (tech prep) with state reform can help school administrators connect goals, strategies, and assessment of various program initiatives. (The report contains 27 references and study documents, including a matrix showing the alignment of tech prep goals and strategies with Kentucky education reform goals.) (KC) * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document.