Many states are experimenting with mechanisms for making college more affordable while maintaining quality and access. This report examines promising or innovative state programs to improve college affordability and credential attainment. Many of these approaches show innovative thinking and bear watching to see if they result in meaningful…

In the first decade of the 21st century, the nation, the states, and colleges and universities began to grapple with the challenges of globalization, changing demography, the implications of the digital era, and of a less expansive public sector. Although not a transformative period for higher education, the decade saw significant innovations in…

A project was conducted in Virginia to develop a coordinated, articulated, competency-based curriculum for selected industrial arts areas from an identified common core of competencies. The competencies would include a set of performance objectives, a set of criterion-referenced measures, and a set of instructional resource guides in the…

This guide contains course outlines designed to assist teachers with the identification of research-based competencies for courses in business and office education. Outlines are provided for seven courses: typewriting, clerk typist one, clerk typist two, stenography one, stenography two, beginning shorthand, and advanced shorthand. Following a…

This guide contains information and hands-on activities to guide students through the problem-solving process needed in engineering (problem solving, presentation, and impact analysis) and information to help the instructor manage the program or courses in Virginia. Following an introduction, the guide contains a program description that supplies…

This curriculum guide was developed as a model for schools in Virginia to prepare local programs of studies in business education. The Business Program contains 21 courses plus a 4-year sequence of courses for office specialist and a local option for students with disabilities. This guide contains an overview of the Business Program, information…

This curriculum guide was developed as a model for schools in Virginia to prepare local programs of studies for the marketing program. In addition to marketing competencies for developing occupational expertise, this curriculum includes foundational competencies important for successful performance in marketing. These baseline competencies address…

This document is a competency-based curriculum guide for use in marketing/distributive education programs in Virginia high schools. Following a section on the Virginia standards for competency-based education, the guide provides descriptions for all courses in the Virginia curriculum in the marketing/distributive education program. For each…

Developed in Virginia, this publication contains task analysis guides to support selected tech prep programs that prepare students for careers in the health and human services cluster. Occupations profiled are physical therapist aide and physical therapist assistant. Each guide contains the following elements: (1) an occupational task list derived…

Developed in Virginia, this publication contains task analysis guides to support selected tech prep programs that prepare students for careers in radio and television production. This guide contains the following elements: (1) a collection of secondary and postsecondary instructional objectives and performance measures that reflect the…

Developed in Virginia, this publication contains task analysis guides to support selected tech prep programs that prepare students for careers in the business and marketing cluster. Guides are included for accounting systems, legal systems administration, office systems technology, and retail marketing. Each task analyses guide has the following…

Developed in Virginia, this publication contains task analysis guides to support selected tech prep programs that prepare students for careers in the engineering, trade, and technical cluster. Three occupations are profiled: drafting and design technology, precision machining technology, and electronics technology. Each guide contains the…

This guide was developed for use in implementing a secondary or postsecondary program to prepare workers in the field of child care services in Virginia. The program uses the career ladder concept and meets the criteria for tech prep programs in the state. The guide is organized in eight sections. Section 1 contains a career ladder chart, program…