Curricular-Credential Decoupling: How Schools Respond to Career and Technical Education Policy

January 2025

This study examines College and Career Readiness (CCR) policy implementation through the lens of decoupling. We investigate how high schools have jointly implemented Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Industry-Based Certifications (IBCs), and whether there is evidence of curricular-credential decoupling via misalignment between the subject-areas of students’ CTE course and IBC completion. Descriptive analyses of Texas’s statewide longitudinal dataset (n=2,119,750) demonstrate the rapid rise in certification rates with a concomitant decline in the rate of alignment to CTE, suggesting schools may be using IBCs as a superficial way to meet CCR policy requirements. Regression analyses show student characteristics minimally relate to IBC receipt and (mis)alignment, but schools explain substantial variation. We then develop a typology to categorize schools based on these school-level rates, which may be a useful tool for understanding CTE & IBC implementation across different state policy contexts. Finally, by comparing school characteristics across typology categories, we highlight factors that may contribute to misalignment and inform future policy.

Keywords

Career and Technical Education (CTE), Industry-Based Certifications (IBCs), Industry-Recognized Certifications (IRCs), Policy Implementation, Accountability, Decoupling

Education level

K-12 Education

Topics

Policy, Politics, and Governance