West Virginia Tech Prep Program

The cluster/major format in secondary schools offers a structured, rigorous curriculum for individuals. The six clusters recommended for secondary schools are: Arts & Humanities, Business/Marketing, Engineering/Technical, Health, Human Services, and Science/Natural Resources. Under these clusters, 23 majors have been identified.

Each major within a cluster has three components. Professional (P) leads to a four year or more degree, Tech Prep/Skilled (S/TP) leads to an associate degree, and Entry (E) leads to job placement or a certificate after high school. In the design of Tech Prep programs, the identification of the courses in a 6 year program of study becomes the significant factor. The determination of the Tech Prep curriculum requires the inter-teaming and consensus of secondary and post-secondary faculties with strong input from business and labor.

With the advent of Senate Bill 300, the cluster/major model offers many advantages for students participating in the college tech prep programs of study. West Virginia Tech Prep has started a state-wide seamless curriculum initiative. This seamless articulation model allows for greater student flexibility when making career choices, and promotes larger college enrollments.

Clusters/Majors

Career Clusters	Arts & Humanities	Business/ Marketing	Engineering/ Technical	Health	Human Services	Science/Natural Resources
Career Majors	Communications (P,S,E)	Administrative Support (P,S,E)	Construction Technology (P,S,E)	Diagnostic Services (P,S,E)	Personal & Family Services (P,S,E)	Agriculture/ Agribusiness (P,S,E)
	Fine or Performing Arts (P,S,E)	Finance/ Accounting (P,S,E)	Information Technology Support Systems (P,S,E)	Health Information Services (P,S,E)	Public Safety/Legal Services (P,S,E)	Natural Resources (P,S,E)
	Visual Design (P,S,E)	Information Technology (P,S,E)	Manufacturing/ Production Technology (P,S,E)	Therapeutic Services (P,S,E)	Social Services/ Education (P,S,E)	Research & Development (P,S,E)
		Management/ Marketing (P,S,E)	Mechanical Services Technology (P,S,E)		Hospitality (P,S,E)
			Transportation Technology (P,S,E)
Career Level Education Requirements		P=Professional Level Careers - 4 Year College Preparation S= Skilled Level Careers - Technical Preparation/TPAD E= Entry Level Careers - Technical Certificate



	The West Virginia Tech Prep initiative provides a forum for the secondary and postsecondary levels to re-define, align, and strengthen program offerings through seamless curricula. The West Virginia definition of a seamless curriculum is a continuum of competencies which provides transition from one education level to another without unnecessary duplication. Student progression is based on the mastery of competencies to established standards. As of January 2000, West Virginia has fifty three (53) public school systems and eleven (11) community and technical colleges actively participating in Tech Prep consortia. The focus of the consortia has been the development of seamless curriculum models. Aligning competencies at each education level led to many "ah-ha's" among educators. By following the same curricula format at both education levels, secondary and postsecondary, educational systems began discussions on mastery levels, level readiness, and course duplications and knowledge gaps (see Seamless Curriculum documents on the Downloads page). Implementing seamless curricula lays the groundwork for educational changes. It is a vehicle to provide students with a stronger curricula foundation, increased competence levels, and career opportunities.