Greetings CTE Teachers!
The 2015-16 school year is upon us!
This jump drive contains information and resources outlining the Tech Prep College Connections dual
credit program and what you can do to help your students earn college credit for your high school class.
What is Tech Prep?
Students enrolled in Tech Prep can earn college credit in high school courses that are formally aligned –
articulated – with college courses. Most of the ‘Tech Prep’ high school classes articulated are part of a
Career and Technical Education (CTE) program and they connect with a professional/technical certificate
or degree.
In case you didn’t know…our consortium partners with four local colleges, nine school districts and one skills center:
* Bellevue College * Cascadia Community College * Lake Washington Institute of Technology * Shoreline Community
College * Bellevue School District * Edmonds School District * Issaquah School District * Lake Washington School
District * Mercer Island School District * Northshore School District * Riverview School District * Shoreline School
District * Snoqualmie Valley School District * Washington Network of Innovative Careers
Advantages of Tech Prep:
Students can...
 Explore a career and earn college credits while still in high school, at high school
 Save hundreds (or thousands) of dollars on tuition, books & transportation!
 Learn challenging material taught with a realistic hands on approach
To earn college credit students must follow a few simple steps:
1. Register for the Tech Prep program while they are in the high school class (www.techprepcc.org)Registration is open December 1st to June 15th each school year
2. Pay the non-refundable $46 annual consortium fee (http://pay.techprepcc.org)
3. Receive a grade of “B” or higher in the class.
There are two folders on your jump drive, “Marketing” and “Students”. I have included the marketing
materials for you to use in your classes and in your communication with students/parents. Please feel
free to use them as you wish! The Students folder has just the essentials for getting your kids signed up
and answering questions they may have about the program.
I have also included your districts credit sheet which shows all courses available for credit – please note
these do change and if/when it does you will be sent a new one from your CTE director. Current copies
are always available on our website under the “Students” tab.
If you are a new teacher, please contact me so that I can set up your account in the enrollment and
reporting system (http://sers.techprepwa.org) and answer any questions you may have regarding the
program.
Be sure to visit our website www.TechPrepCC.org as the “Educators” and “Resources” sections are
designed for you!
Our high school teachers are vital to our success and we are grateful for your involvement in the program.
We look forward to working with you this school year. Please let us know if you have any questions or
need further information.
Thanks very much,
Amy West, Program Specialist
Tanya Rettinger, Director
Tech Prep College Connections
techprep@bellevuecollege.edu
TEACHER LETTER 2015 |
2015-2016 School Year
WELCOME NEW TEACHERS!!!
Bellevue
Edmonds
Issaquah
Lake Washington
Mercer Island
Northshore
Riverview
Shoreline
Snoqualmie Valley
WaNIC
www.techprepcc.org
techprep@bellevuecollege.edu
Amy 425-564-6158
or
Tanya 425-564-2774
UNIQUE FEATURES OF TECH PREP
 College credit for CTE
 Programs of Study
 All students can participate
 (grades 9-12)
 B grade (3.0) Required
 Direct Transcription
 Student receives official college
transcript for college course articulated
Tech Prep Allows HS Students to
earn DUAL CREDIT.
High school credit
+
College credit
at the same time
For CTE courses they take AT
your high school
TECH PREP Articulations
 Create course to course agreements:
 High school CTE course(s)
 Partner college course(s)
 Match course competencies/skills learned
Find more information on our
website at:
 College Course must lead into a cert/degree
www.techprepcc.org and look
under EDUCATORS or
RESOURCES tabs
 Credit does transfer to all WA State 2 years
and may transfer to universities
 Inquiry from either college/high school
 Request Form:
http://www.techprepcc.org/educators.html
 Course Overview
 Specific Competencies
 Assessment Criteria
 Curriculum Meetings
 College Faculty & High School Instructors
 Discuss courses
 Ways to improve
 How can we learn from each other
NEW Tech Prep articulations are
reviewed during two batches – the
first due date is November, the
second due date is April.
This allows time for us to work
with our college partners toward
an agreement and then
notify/register for first and/or
second semester students.
 Current competencies/frameworks on file
 Let us know if course changes!
 Class name, Content, Teacher
 Teacher Verification forms
 signed annually
 Syllabus to INCLUDE Tech Prep information
 Marketing -- students & parents
 Grading your roster in SERS system
 Attend curriculum reviews as needed
As part of the articulation
agreement, as a teacher you must
provide information about the
program to your students.
If no students take advantage of
the opportunity, we will
discontinue the agreement.
HOW TO REGISTER:
Enroll in an eligible TECH PREP course at
your high school
Register for TECH PREP online
http://sers.techprepwa.org
Pay the $46 consortium fee at:
http://pay.techprepcc.org
Complete your TECH PREP course with a
grade of ‘B’ or higher!
 ALL Registration materials are available on our website
including a PowerPoint, a video and a printable
worksheet with Step-by-Step instructions that you can
share with students.
It’s fast, it’s easy, and we are here
to help walk you and your
students through the process!
 Annual fee =$46
 Students are required to pay each year that they register for a
Tech Prep course.
 Covers all classes a student takes during one school year regardless of the number of credits
 This fee is NON-REFUNDABLE
 Year long classes – students pay the first year but do not have
to pay the second year unless they take a new course the
second year.
 How to pay:
 Online with a credit/debit card: http://pay.techprepcc.org
 There is a link from our consortium website
www.techprepcc.org to the pay site
 Reminder & link on
 Registration confirmation page
 Student registration email confirmation
NOTE: FEE SCHOLARSHIPS are
available to students on
Free/Reduced lunch.
Please have students contact us
directly or their Career Specialist
to complete the waiver.
 Create New Agreements
 Classroom Presentations for new teachers
 College Connection
 Bring college faculty to your classes
 Bring students to tour college programs
 Provide Advising sessions at our colleges
 Students or Parents
 Send us their questions
 techprep@bellevuecollege.edu
 Information on how your CTE course/program
connects with our college partners
Unduplicated count of
Tech Prep Students
earning dual credit by
district and high
school within our
consortium.
LARGE increase in
many districts due to
emails sent home to
parents/students
directly from the
school district.
Teachers are the
biggest key to
encouraging and
informing students of
the opportunity – you
are on the front lines!
Feel free to contact us – anytime!
 Amy West, Program Specialist
 amy.west@bellevuecollege.edu
 425-564-6158
 Tanya Rettinger, Director
 tanya.rettinger@bellevuecollege.edu
 425-564-2774
 General student and parent inquires?
 techprep@bellevuecollege.edu
 425-564-6158
 MANY Resources are available at our website:
 www.techprepcc.org
SERS – Statewide Enrollment and Reporting System for Tech Prep
Teacher Module
Overview
Tech Prep is a national educational initiative. It includes a rigorous and focused course of study which provides
students with essential academic and technical foundations which prepare students with necessary workplace skills.
Under Carl Perkins Title II legislation, Tech Prep must:
Lead to an associate degree, two-year certificate, or apprenticeship.
Provide technical preparation in at least one field of engineering technology; applied science; mechanical,
industrial, or practical art or trade; or agriculture, health, or business.
Build student competencies in mathematics, science, technology, and communications through a sequential
course of study.
Lead to employment or further education.
The Statewide Enrollment and Reporting System (SERS) is used to collect and report Tech Prep student enrollments
at high schools throughout Washington State.
SERS Home Page
The SERS home page URL is http://sers.techprepwa.org/
The SERS home page is accessible to the public and is the starting point for students, teachers, registrars, consortium
staff, and the general public. It provides log-in functions as well as access to other information.
Logging into SERS
To log in to SERS:
1. From the SERS home page, click on Teacher Log In, the Log In screen appears.
2. Log in using the user name and password provided to you by Tech Prep staff.
If you don’t have or have forgotten this information, enter your email into the Forgot Your Log In
Information field and click the Submit button. The information will be sent to the email address in your User
Profile. Note that your user name is generated by SERS and cannot be changed; however, you can change
your password at any time. If you need help, email us at techprep@bellevuecollege.edu.
3. Click the Login button.
The Tech Prep Teacher Home Page appears. The navigation menu on the left lists the SERS functions.
Using Maintain My Account
The Maintain My Account screen allows you to update your contact information and change your password.
To change your password:
1. From the Home Page, click on Maintain My Account.
The Maintain My Account screen appears.
2. Click the Change Password button.
The Select New Password screen appears.
3. Enter your current and new password.
4. Click the Save Changes button.
Finding Your Class
The two most common functions you will perform in SERS are:
Assigning grades.
Tracking a student’s status in a class.
To perform these functions, you must first find your class. To do so:
1. From the Home Page, click on Class Roster/Assign Grades.
The Search for Classes screen appears. The default Academic Year is the current academic year. The High School
drop-down field includes all the high schools associated with the articulations you are associated with.
2. Select the information you want to search on. To include inactive classes in your search, check the Include
Inactive checkbox.
3. Click the Go Search! button.
The results appear below the search form.
4. To sort your results, click on the column title.
5. To view a class’s details, click on Details for that class. The articulations the class is associated with appear.
To hide the details, click on Close.
6. To view a class roster, click on the class’s name.
The Class Roster screen appears. You can now assign grades and manage class status.
Class Roster and Grading
You can’t modify a student’s grade or status unless the grading window is open. Tech Prep staff will establish the
dates for when a grading window will be open or closed.
From the Search for Classes screen, click on a class name.
The Class Roster screen appears. The grading window’s status appears under the class roster title.
By default, only students needing grades are shown in the list. By clicking on the Include Graded Students check
box, you can see all students registered for that class, graded or not.
When a student registers for your class, the student’s class status appears as “In Progress.” You can manually change
the status. Alternatively, when you assign a grade to the student, the status will automatically change to
“Completed.”
The Transcribed column indicates whether the college registrar has transcribed the student’s completed
articulation. Registrars cannot transcribe a student’s completed articulation until you have entered a grade for the
student, and, if necessary, assigned variable credits.
The printer icon shifts the screen into a printer-friendly display. Click the return link to go back to the screen version.
The icons on the left side of each student row shows if any comments have been entered for that student. If the icon
is blank, there’s no comment, and if it’s populated there is a comment. The comment can be viewed by hovering
over the icon, and can be edited by clicking on the icon. Comments are visible only to the teacher and tech prep
staff.
To record student grades:
1. Select the appropriate grade from the drop down list.
2. If you do not have a grade for the student, leave the Grade field blank and select the appropriate Student
Class Status.
3. When done, click the Save Changes button in the top left navigation bar. No grades are recorded until this
button is clicked.
Assigning Variable Credits
Some consortiums allow students to earn a range of credits for a college course. If your class is in an articulation
with a course that has variable credits, you must indicate how many credits a student earned before the student can
be transcribed at the college.
If your consortium does not use variable credits, you will not see the Assign Variable Credits link on the Home Page.
To assign variable credits:
1. From the Home Page, click on Assign Variable Credits.
The Credits Assignments screen appears.
2. Select the information you want to search on and click the Go Search! button.
The results appear below the search form.
3. Enter a number in the Credits Earned field for a student or students and click the Save Changes button.
Viewing a Student’s Profile and Registration History
To view a student’s profile and registration history:
1. From the Home Page, click on Search For Students.
The Search For Students screen appears.
2. To search for students within only your consortium, leave the Search Statewide checkbox unchecked.
To search for all students, leave the fields blank and check the Search Statewide checkbox.
To narrow your search results, enter information in one or more fields. Note: You will get the best results by
searching for just a first or last name. This function also has a wild card function so if you are not sure of the
spelling of a student’s name, you can simply add the first few letters.
3. Click the Go Search! button.
The results appear below the search form.
4. To sort your results, click on a column title.
5. To see details about the student, click on View next to a student’s last name.
The View Student Profile screen appears, displaying the student’s information and registration history.
6. To view a student’s articulation’s details, click on Details for that articulation. The results appear at the
bottom of the screen. This includes the student’s grade and credits
Resetting a Student’s Password
To reset a student’s password:
1. Search for the student and open his or her profile.
2. Click the Reset Password button.
The password is reset to the student’s birth date in mm/dd/yyyy format and sent to the student’s email address.
The student can change the password the next time he or she logs in.
Searching Articulations
To search for an articulation:
1. From the Home Page, click on Search Articulations.
The Search for Articulations screen appears.
2. Select the information you want to search on. To view all articulations in your consortium, use the default
settings. To narrow your search, select a School District, High School, College or Career Cluster.
3. Click the Go Search! button.
The results appear below the search form.
4. To sort the columns, click on a column title.
5. To view an articulation’s details, click on Details for that articulation. To hide the details, click on Close. This
feature is useful for advising students about articulations they might consider. If Tech Prep staff entered the
information, the college’s name links to the college’s web site and the courses link to the course descriptions
on the college’s web site.
Questions? Contact us!
425-564-6158
techprep@bellevuecollege.edu
www.techprepcc.org
3000 Landerholm Circle SE
Bellevue, WA 98007-6484
(425) 564-6158
techprep@bellevuecollege.edu
Tech Prep College Connections charges a $46 annual fee to receive college credit
For those of you who work closely with our program, you are likely aware that there were BIG
changes to the Tech Prep program’s state funding. Due to the elimination of Tech Prep funding
from the federal Perkins budget in the spring 2011 legislative session, and the way our state kept
Tech Prep as its own line item, our program lost 2/3 of our resources. In order to maintain
operations, we now must charge a consortium fee to each student who would like to earn DUAL
credit for their Tech Prep high school classes.
The decision to reinstate a fee for earning credit was decided over several meetings with our
consortium school district CTE Directors and college partners. While we understand that dollars are
tight these days and this decision may not be happily accepted, please understand that this fee will
keep our program running and allow Tech Prep College Connections to continue offering services to
students.
Please note: as of September 2011, all dual credit programs in Washington State charge a fee.
Tech Prep is still tuition free, and a very inexpensive way for students to earn dual credit. The
policy regarding the new fee follows:
Fee Policy
•
Annual fee:
o Students are required to pay a non refundable $46 fee each year that they register
for a Tech Prep course.
o Annual Fee will cover all classes a student takes during one school year regardless of
the number of credits, from any of our partner colleges.
o This fee is NON-REFUNDABLE
•
Year Long Classes:
o Students registering for year-long classes will only need to pay once -- when they
first register for the course. They will not need to pay again for the same course if
they complete the course in subsequent years.
•
How to Pay:
o We have created a website where students will pay online with a credit/debit card:
http://pay.techprepcc.org
o There is a link from our consortium website www.techprepcc.org to the pay site
o There is a reminder/link on the student registration confirmation page as well as the
email confirmation that a student receives once they register at sers.techprepwa.org
•
Special Circumstances:
o Financial assistance is available (college scholarships and free/reduced lunch waiver).
o Please contact us if you know of a student who may need a fee waiver.
o There will be no refunds.
•
Registration & Payment Deadlines
o First semester deadline is January 25th.
o Final School Year deadline is June 15th.
Please contact us with any questions or concerns.
Amy West, Program Specialist
Tanya Rettinger, Director
www.techprepcc.org
Tech Prep College Connections
Sample Notice for syllabus:
This course is Tech Prep College Connections approved and articulated with the ________________
(INSERT Name of College and Program Area).
Students who demonstrate proficiency of the college course competencies with a ‘B’ (3.0) grade or
better will be eligible to earn college credit through the Tech Prep program. During the __________
(INSERT semester or year if yearlong class)
all of the college course competencies will be covered in class. (INSERT statement here if your
agreement requires additional independent work by student such as a portfolio or CPR card).
Students must register online using the Statewide Enrollment and Reporting System (SERS):
http://sers.techprepwa.org and are also required to pay a non-refundable $46 consortium fee to earn
college credit through the Tech Prep CC program (http://pay.techprepcc.org). Registration opens
December 1st and Closes June 15th each school year.
Fee waivers are available upon request. Students must register for Tech Prep credit while they are
enrolled in the high school program!
Questions? Contact the Tech Prep College Connections office at: techprep@bellevuecollege.edu or
425-564-6158. Please also visit our website at: www.techprepcc.org
Entire paragraph is NOT required. Most important notes are as follows:
 Class is eligible for college credit through Tech Prep College Connections
 Number of semesters required to earn college credit (if more than one)
 Grade required to earn college credit (B)
 College course they can earn credit for
 College program that college course is a part of
 Consortium contact info