College Prep Curriculum

School Administrator, June, 2000

The percentage of high school students completing both vocational and college preparatory work has increased significantly over the last decade.

A new research summary from the National Center for Education Statistics pointed to an increase in students completing a college preparatory curriculum and a decrease in those completing a vocational concentration between 1982 and 1994.

Findings include these:

* Test scores for those students completing both vocational and preparatory curriculum were virtually identical to those of students completing a college preparatory curricula only, while both groups outperformed the students completing a vocational curriculum only.

* Among 1992 high school graduates, those completing both vocational and college preparatory curricula were as likely to enroll in a postsecondary institution as students graduating with a college preparatory curriculum only.

* The academic achievement gains and enrollment in postsecondary education by students completing both vocational and college preparatory curricula were similar to those of students completing only a preparatory curriculum and generally higher than those completing only a vocational curriculum.