Introduction

Since 1999, the Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL), in cooperation with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), has compiled a summary document to provide a comprehensive description of the status of Tech Prep on an annual basis. This annual report presents findings for the 40 Tech Prep consortia in the state of Illinois.

Goals

1. To synthesize a substantial amount of information provided by local consortia into one place.
   
2. To identify key trends and patterns in order to understand and enhance Tech Prep efforts on the state level.
   
3. To recognize accomplishments, barriers, and technical assistance needs commonly reported by consortia.

Activities

At the end of each fiscal year, local Tech Prep consortium leaders in Illinois complete the Final Tech Prep Report form to show progress on implementation during the previous year. OCCRL staff, in cooperation with ISBE and ICCB, review the information to identify statewide patterns and trends suggesting progress and opportunities for improvement. The results from the compilation and analysis of the Final Tech Prep Report forms are categorized according to the following major areas:

 Student participation
 Program elements
 Staff involvement and professional development
 Curriculum reform
 Business partner involvement
 Barriers and major accomplishments
 Technical assistance needs

Products

Yearly reports and briefs have resulted from this project, many of which are available on our website, including:

  Trends in Tech Prep implementation and student participation for the state of
    Illinois for (FY03, FY04, FY05 )
 The Status of Tech Prep Consortia in Illinois: Summary Results for the Final Tech     Prep Reports (FY00, FY01, FY02)
  Briefs on the status of Illinois Tech Prep
 FY06 Tech Prep Final Programmatic Report Writing Tutorial

Participating staff: Debra D. Bragg, Catherine Kirby