Pennsylvania SOAR Programs Provide Secondary Students Increased Postsecondary Success

Students Occupationally and Academically Ready, or SOAR, is a BCTE initiative ensuring that every Pennsylvania approved program of study is aligned to a postsecondary program. Through SOAR, high school students may be eligible to articulate some of their technical education coursework to postsecondary credits, thus reducing the need to duplicate coursework already successfully taken at the CTC. College credits earned through SOAR articulation agreements are tuition-free.

SOAR is built on programs of study which incorporate elements of secondary and postsecondary education and include coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant career and technical content. These career and technical programs of study includes a statewide articulation agreement partnership between secondary schools and postsecondary institutions.

Benefits of SOAR:

• Saving Money on College Tuition
• Saving Time by Shortening College Attendance
• Getting on the Right Career Pathway
• Entering the Job Market Ready
• Getting a Consistent Education (“Programs of Study [POS]

Students, school personnel and parents may access College Transfer (http://www.collegetransfer.net), a free website that provides detailed information regarding the program of study and the postsecondary institutions that have partnered with the state’s SOAR initiative.  At over 85+ career and technology centers (CTCs) and over 135+ school districts offering Pennsylvania Department of Education approved career and technical education throughout the Commonwealth, career and technical education programs are built around high expectations for student learning.  

PA Soar

Update on Progress:  According to the Final Report of the Select Subcommittee on Technical Education and Career Readiness, approximately 65,000 students in grades 9 through 12 are currently enrolled in SOAR CTE programs, representing  12% of the student population in those grades.   State lawmakers aim to improve Career & Technical education in Pennsylvania.   A package of bills is the result of hearings held and data gathered from 2015 to 2016 by the former Select Subcommittee on Technical Education and Career Readiness.  In the 2018 Pennsylvania State Budget, if approved, will be getting an additional $10M to continue outreach and improvements.

Details:   AcademyOne provides Pennsylvania Program to Program Articulation tools and views from CollegeTransfer.Net. The portal includes institutional publishing tools, credit estimator and equivalency searchs linked back to individual schools and districts. 

Resources:  Case Study ♦ Transfer and Articulation Tools ♦ CollegeTransfer.Net Membership

SOAR Programs Search