Tech Prep and Student Success

CTE & Student Success 1

CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION

AND STUDENT SUCCESS

A paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course

MEDUC 6000

WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY Ogden, Utah

Dr. Kristin Hadley CTE & Student Success 2 CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND STUDENT SUCCESS

Introduction

At the end of the 19th century, the U.S. was behind the Europeans in training programs that would help advancements in the industrial world. The training programs that were in place were inadequate. Therefore, a new concept emerged to meet the demands of manufacturing in the United States. This new concept was known as vocational education (Zirkle, 1999).

Because of the early success of the vocational education training programs, the

Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 was passed, which provided federal aid for states to offer free public vocational education including industrial, agricultural, and home economics education in the secondary schools. Today, vocational education still exists in our secondary schools with a different name, career and technical education. Career and technical education is currently funded by the Carl Perkins Act (Zirkle, 1999).

There has been much debate over the validity of career and technical education.

For many decades, students either prepared for entry-level jobs or postsecondary education. Students that were going on to college took fewer vocational education classes than those who were preparing for jobs immediately out of high school (Plank, 2001).

According to Plank (2001), during the 1980s and 1990s, vocational course offerings were decreased and core academic offerings were increased due to higher graduation requirements. In the mid to late 1990s, there was a new shift that occurred that gave vocational education classes a “solid academic grounding” (p. 281). CTE & Student Success 3 Plank (2001) stated the following:

If high-quality preparation in core academic subjects can be coupled with a strong

foundation in work skills and applications, it is hoped that upon high school

graduation individuals will have attractive options available in multiple arenas: in

two-or four-year colleges, within the paid labor force, or in pursuing

postsecondary education and paid employment simultaneously. (p. 281)

This literature review will answer three questions concerning student success in secondary and postsecondary career and technical educational programs. The first question will address student achievement and graduation rates in high school. The second question will focus on students being prepared to enter college. The third question will concentrate on college retention rates of students who have been, or are currently enrolled, in vocational education classes or tech prep programs. Excellent intro

Student Achievement and High School Graduation Rates

Student Achievement

In a study conducted by Plank (2001), four categories of students were compared academically to see if career and technical education played an important role in student achievement. The four categories included; (a) students in an academic concentration only, (b) students in career and technical education concentration only, (c) students in both an academic and career and technical education concentration, and (d) students not in an academic or a career and technical education concentration. It was found that students in an academic concentration only scored the highest on the cognitive tests administered. Students in both an academic and career and technical education concentration scored slightly below those in an academic concentration only. Students CTE & Student Success 4 not in a concentration area scored the next highest followed by those students enrolled in a career and technical education concentration only.

Enrolling in more career and technical education classes may account for the lower cognitive test scores in students who were in the duael concentration (both an academic concentration and career and technical education concentration). These lower test scores “may be partly attributable to the additional coursework in advanced subjects”

(Plank, 2001, p. 318). Students enrolled in both concentrations would not have enough room in their schedules to take as many advanced courses as those in the academic concentration only.

In a study conducted by Shimony, Russo, Ciaccio, Sanders, Rimpici, and

Takvorian (2002), overall academic achievement at both the high school and college levels of those students who participated in the New York City Board of Education-City

University of New York Tech-Prep Medical Laboratory Technology (Med-Tech model) was measured. This study focused on the middle two quarters of the students—those students who were defined as the underserved population and whose prior academic records suggest that they may have difficulty succeeding in college without remediation.

The control group consisted of students of like gender and prior academic success. More than 300 students, including the control group, were tested using the City

University of New York Skills Assessment Tests. The Med-Tech and control groups were followed for five years. English, mathematics, and science grades, as well as overall

GPAs were compared between the two groups. It was found that those students enrolled in the NYC Board of Education/CUNY Med-Tech model had “achieved greater academic success than their counterparts in the control group” (Shimony et al., 2002). CTE & Student Success 5 High School Graduation Rates

Plank (2001) found that students enrolled in a middle-range mix of career and technical education and academic courses can have a lower risk of dropping out. He also established that students that had course sequences that were heavy in either academics or career and technical education were associated with relatively high rates of drop-out.

Plank asked two questions about this issue. First, “is it true that, for students who are already at relatively high risk of dropping out, a high school experience that is purely academic offers courses that do not seem highly relevant to their goals or worldviews”

(p. 319)?. Second, “is it the case that a high school experience that is purely academic but aimed at students with low or middle-range achievement is often characterized by unengaging, diluted versions of more challenging and inspiring courses offered to higher academic students” (p. 320).?

Two other questions were asked by Plank (2001) about the other extreme. First,

“what characteristics of a high school experience that focuses too exclusively on career and technical education seem to increase the risk of dropping out” (p. 320)?. Second, “is such a career and technical education-intensive experience convincing students that they should join the world of full-time paid employment as soon as possible, even if this entails leaving high school prior to graduation” (p. 320).? These questions were not answered by this study, but were prompted by this study and should be studied. This is a circular question – start the paragraph with something like – The results of the study raised further questions. – then go into the questions and you can delete the last sentence

In a study conducted by Brown (2000), a comparative analysis was conducted and annual attendance rates, annual dropout rates, as well as high school graduation rates by CTE & Student Success 6 type of high school graduation plan were measured. The three cohorts included; (1) a group that was identified as tech prep (students following a career and technical education training pathway), (2) a group that was identified as career and technical education program participants (non-tech prep), and (3) a group that consisted of the general population. It was found that the school attendance rates for students participating in the tech prep programs were stable for the five-year period. The average annual dropout data showed that there was an overall decline in dropout rates for all student groups over the five-year period. Senior graduation rates for tech prep participants and non-participants illustrated that there was a higher percentage of tech prep participants that graduated than the other two classifications of students who did not participate in tech prep. Those students that were classified as career and technical education students

(taking a series of career and technical education classes) were within 2% of the graduation rate of tech prep students. Those students that were non-career and technical education had the lowest graduation rates, nearly 3% lower than the career and technical education students (Brown, 2000).

According to Jurgens and Ruhland (2004), students who participated in certain career and technical education activities increased graduation rates. Career and Technical

Student Organizations (CTSOs) were listed as the number one experience to increase graduation rates followed by college visits, and career planning.

College Preparation

Reese (2003), defined college readiness as “students having earned a regular high school diploma, having completed the minimum coursework necessary to apply to college, and having performed at least at the basic level on the NAEP reading test.” Many CTE & Student Success 7 students are not prepared for the rigors of college. In a position paper developed by New

York State’s Network of Tech Prep Directors (2005), college instructors and employers were surveyed and it was determined that college instructors found that 42% of public high school graduates were not prepared for college. On the same note, employers found that 45% of public high school graduates were not prepared with skills to advance beyond entry-level jobs. It has been shown that career and technical education classes help bridge the gap between the high school and college transition years.

Castellano, Stringfield, and Stone (2002) found that students of average reading ability who attended freestanding career and technical education magnet courses earned more credits and increased their reading skills. In addition, students who were organized along clusters of occupations with similar interests and strengths had an increased rate of public college attendance.

In a study by Visher, Bhandari, and Medrich (2004), the researchers examined the participation and its effects for seven types of career exploration programs. One question that was asked in this study was “did participation affect students’ high school completion rates and their preparation for college” (p. 136)? It was determined that

“students who participate in career exploration programs are more likely than non- participants to take college entrance and Advanced Placement exams” (p. 137).

College Retention Rates

Along with college preparation, it is just as important for students to return for their sophomore year of college. According to a position paper by the New York State’s

Network of Tech Prep Directors (2005), only 74% of students that finished their freshman year at a 4-year college, returned for their sophomore year. In 2-year colleges, CTE & Student Success 8 55% returned for their sophomore year. Central Southern Tier Tech Prep Consortium has implemented a regional 4+2 model (four years of high school and two years of technical program) for grades 9-14, featuring 24 articulated sequential programs of study in four career clusters. It was found that students who participated in this program, 90% of the tech prep students in the study cohort, returned for their sophomore year.

In a study conducted by Krile and Parmer (2002), the researchers looked at college performance and retention of those who participated in a high school tech prep program, and compared the tech prep students to a group of students who did not participate in any tech prep programs. They found that tech prep students were over 12% more likely to return for a sophomore year of college. Students enrolled in the Allied

Health programs were less likely to return than those enrolled in the Business or

Engineering programs, but overall 60.7% of tech prep students, compared to 48.4% of the non-tech prep comparison group were retained.

Conclusion

Education as we know it is changing. A high school diploma does not guarantee a job and a four-year college degree cannot assure one of wealth and success. Because of the changing dynamics, education must change for the new generation. Educators must address the changes in the classroom and adapt for increased student success.

It has been shown that vocational education, in particular career and technical education and tech prep, increases student achievement in secondary schools and increases high school graduation rates especially for the at-risk or underserved student.

Students enrolled in tech prep programs and/or career and technical education classes are more prepared to enter college because these classes give them a solid academic CTE & Student Success 9 foundation and add relevance to core academics. Students enrolled in tech prep programs in their post-secondary years and those who enrolled in tech prep classes in high school, showed increased college retention rates compared to those students who did not take vocational education classes. Therefore, career and technical education classes can be an important gateway for students who wish to graduate from high school and continue their post-secondary education. CTE & Student Success 10 References

Brown, C.H. (2000). A comparison of selected outcomes of secondary tech prep

participants and non-participants in texas. Journal of Vocational Education

Research, 25. Retrieved October 15, 2006, from

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JVER/v25n3/brown.html

Castellano M., Stringfield S., & Stone J.R., III, (with Lewis, M.V.). (2002). Career and

technical education reforms and comprehensive school reforms in high schools:

Their impact on education outcomes for at-risk youth. Columbus: National

Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education, Ohio State University.

(National Dissemination Center for Career and Technical Education Research

Report No. VO51A 990004).

Jurgens, C., & Ruhland, S. (2003). Tech prep survey in response to a blueprint for

preparing America’s future. Retrieved October 18, 2006, from

http://emsc32.nysed.gov/cte/techprep/docs/dtrs/statesTPresults-

blueprint_survey.doc

Krile, D. J., & Parmer, P. (2002, June). Tech prep: Pathways to success? The

performance of tech prep and non-tech prep students at a midwestern community

college. Paper presented at the 42nd Annual AIR Forum, Toronto, Canada.

New York State’s Network of Tech Prep Directors. (2005, May). Ensuring and charting

the future of tech prep in New York state. Retrieved October 25, 2006, from

http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/cte/techprep/tp2006/tp2005/position-

papaer/Tech_Prep_Position_Paper_AF_Finalfinalfinal2.pdf CTE & Student Success 11 Plank, S.B. (2001). A question of balance: CTE, academic courses, high school

persistence, and student achievement. Journal of Vocational Education Research,

26, 279-327.

Reese, S. (2003). Making the case for tech prep. Techniques: Connecting Education &

Careers, 78, 23-27.

Shimony, R., Russo, J. W., Ciaccio, L., Sanders, J. W., Rimpici, R., & Takvorian, P. M.

(2002). Medical laboratory technology: A New York state tech-prep model that

improves academic skills. Journal of Educational Research, 95, 300-308.

Visher, M.G., Bhandari, R. & Medrich, E. (2004). High school career exploration

programs: Do they work? Phi Delta Kappan, 86, 135-138.

Zirkle, C. (1998). Perceptions of vocational educators and human resource/training and

development professionals regarding skill dimensions of school-to-work

transition programs. Journal of Vocational Education Research, 15. Retrieved

October 25, 2006, from

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