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.
Curricular-Credential Decoupling: How Schools Respond to Career and Technical Education Policy
Keywords
Career and Technical Education (CTE), Industry-Based Certifications (IBCs), Industry-Recognized Certifications (IRCs), Policy Implementation, Accountability, Decoupling
Education level
Document Object Identifier (DOI)
10.26300/he7x-3a63
EdWorkingPaper suggested citation:
Giani, Matt S., Madison E. Andrews, Tasneem Sultana, and Fortunato Medrano. (). Curricular-Credential Decoupling: How Schools Respond to Career and Technical Education Policy. (EdWorkingPaper: -1128). Retrieved from
Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/he7x-3a63Related Resources from the EdExchange
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