Six-Year Plan
A six-year plan is a coherent non-duplicated course sequence which begins in the ninth grade and leads to an associate degree. All Tech Prep Programs involve six-year plans. These plans are developed jointly by the high school and college. The plans must meet requirements established by both the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Articulation Articulated credit from high school is part of every approved Tech Prep program. Articulated credit is college credit which is awarded to a student after enrollment in college for courses taken in high school. Articulation agreements are drawn up by the schools participating in the program. Tech Prep articulated courses are taken at the high school and are free to the student. No additional tests are required at the college level.

A school district wishing to participate in an articulated program with a post secondary institution should contact the college to begin the articulation process. A meeting between faculty members representing the program at each institution should be scheduled. The faculty should review the current curriculum in order to look for duplication, establish competencies at appropriate levels, and establish competencies for appropriate courses.

An agreement should be drawn up which outlines the requirements for receiving articulated credit. Requirements may include minimum grade earned, required supporting courses, or other concerns. Adding to an Existing Tech Prep Program To add a high school program to a previously approved Tech Prep program at either Central Texas College or Temple College, call the Tech Prep Office at (254) 298-8482.

A sample of a high school plan is online for planning purposes.

Statewide Articulation
Statewide articulation is a state-level process that identifies commonly articulated technical courses at the secondary level and aligns them with content-equivalent courses at the postsecondary level.  The process allows students who successfully complete these career/technology courses, graduate from any secondary school in the state, and meet conditions of the statewide standard articulation agreement, to receive articulated credit from any public postsecondary two-year degree-granting institution in the state that offers the corresponding college courses.  The statewide standard articulation agreement outlines criteria for award of credit, and streamlines and standardizes the articulation process for students, schools, and colleges.  It does not replace local articulation efforts for courses not included in statewide articulation.

Students benefit from statewide articulation because they are able to apply for credit in two-year colleges across the state, and they save valuable time and resources by starting their college major while in high school.  Schools and colleges benefit because they do not need to duplicate articulation efforts, and taxpayers benefit because students are receiving a streamlined education that avoids costly repetition of courses.

Teachers: Download a PowerPoint presentation about your role in Statewide Articulation