The performance of Tech Prep and non-Tech Prep students in two-year postsecondary institutions in South Texas

Tech Prep is one programmatic option that students have to begin earning college credit while still enrolled in high school and prepare for a successful transition to postsecondary education. Tech Prep programs combine academic courses that are needed for success in college with technical courses that begin to prepare students for a career (Hull & Parnell, 1991).;The results of this study seem to suggest that participation in a secondary Tech Prep program may have a positive effect on college performance. The findings show that Tech Prep students outperformed non-Tech Prep students in several critical measures of collegiate success.;The purpose of this study was to compare the academic performance of Tech Prep students and non-Tech Prep students enrolled in two-year postsecondary institutions in South Texas. The independent variable was participation or non-participation in a secondary Tech Prep program. The dependent variables were the academic performances of the postsecondary students and included college placement exam passing rates, college grade point average at the time of graduation, length of time for graduation, and graduation rates.