A TECH PREP EVALUATION MODEL FOR POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONS

With the passing of Perkins II in 1990, the concept of Tech Prep education became the cornerstone for the vocational-technical education system. However, educational programs that are not monitored or evaluated can seldom claim any real sense of measured achievement. To determine whether such programs are providing a quality product that is effective and attains the program goals, a standardized measurement is needed that all parties can acknowledge as purposeful, relative, and worthy of achieving. The purpose of this study was to develop and pilot test an evaluation instrument utilizing program performance indicators specifically identified for postsecondary Tech Prep programs. A survey of postsecondary program coordinators provided a snapshot of the current adoption level for these program performance indicators. iii Dedication To my late mother, Agnes Reilly Smith, who taught me the value of education and who set me on this path. To Michael C. Roberts, my partner in life, who has supported this endeavor through his