Consortia have so far focused most of their curriculum development efforts on the secondary level. Recent Tech-Prep activity reflects a continued emphasis on articulation. Articulation promotes coordination between secondary and postsecondary institutions to eliminate redundancies in course work and, where possible, to facilitate collaboration on curriculum development and ongoing working relationships. In 38 states, more than half of the consortia had pre-existing agreements. During the first several years of federal Tech-Prep funding, consortia made substantial efforts to develop or update articulation agreements.
Articulation often focuses on courses, rather than on programs.
Current articulation agreements often link individual courses rather than comprehensive programs of study. Career development activities are common, but are defined largely by individual districts and schools rather than by a consortium-wide strategy. About 90 percent of the 702 consortia conduct individual career-counseling sessions in some or all of their member high schools, and about 50 percent conducted this activity in all participating high schools. However, career development activities are often unevenly implemented, and consortium coordinators often have trouble determining the exact nature of these activities in member districts and schools. In general, job placement is not yet a major focus of career development activity.