This report is the summary of key aspects of Tech Prep in Illinois over the five year period of 2001-2005 during which all Tech Prep consortia provided annual data based on federal legislative requirements and state-determined essential elements of successful programs. These annual Tech Prep reports enable local educators to monitor student participation and program activities within their own consortium over time, and they can compare their consortium results with aggregate results for the entire state. Tech Prep programs are intended to provide students with academic preparation that involves nonduplicative, sequential programs of study that begin as early as the 9th grade and enable students' transition to postsecondary education and training. Tech Prep curricula involve integrated academic and technical content, developed in partnership with business and industry. The purpose of these programs is to provide individuals with the academic and technical skills needed to succeed in a knowledge- and skills-based economy. This Tech Prep report submits the following findings: (1) The number of high school Tech Prep programs fluctuated from 13.0 to 17.5 between FY01 and FY05; (2) The number of high school students and graduates who participated in Tech Prep programs increased from FY01 to FY03, declined in FY04, and rebounded in FY05; (3) The percentage of Tech Prep students who earned articulated and dual credits increased from about 50% to 75% from FY01 to FY03 before stabilizing in FY04 and declining in FY05; (4) The average number of Tech Prep students who matriculated to community college in a related Tech Prep program was stable from FY01 to FY03, increased from FY03 to FY04, and declined slightly in FY05; (5) The mean percentage of first-year college Tech Prep students who took at least one remedial course was relatively stable from FY01 to FY05; (6) Persistence in college Tech Prep programs has fluctuated from a low of 55.5% to a high of 64.7% between FY01 and FY05; (7) The incidence of high school involvement in all eight curriculum reform categories exceeds community college involvement, though reform activities have progressed at both levels; (8) High school faculty dominated the attendance in professional development activities related to Tech Prep over the five-year period; (9) High school personnel consistently accounted for about 75% of the participants in Tech Prep professional development activities; and (10) Each year, local consortium directors are asked to indicate the level of impact of 20 barriers on implementation of Tech Prep using a scale of 1 (none) to 6 (very major). In FY05, seven barriers were identified by at least 20% of consortium directors as having a major or very major impact on implementation during all five fiscal years. In conclusion, Tech Prep's early emphasis on credits in escrow, articulated credits, and recently dual credit and dual enrollment offers students the opportunity to earn college credit while enrolled in high school, an accelerated learning approach that can move students closer to their educational and career goals. This and other forms of accelerated learning continue to grow as increasing attention is paid to effective strategies that promote transition and access to higher education. As this report documents, progress has been made in the state of Illinois, but opportunities for growth and improvement remain. (Contains 8 endnotes.)