TY  - JOUR
AB  - 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.
AU  - Giani, Matt S.
AU. - Andrews, Madison E.
AU  - Sultana, Tasneem
AU  - Medrano, Fortunato
PY  - 2025
ST  - Curricular-Credential Decoupling: How Schools Respond to Career and Technical Education Policy
TI  - Curricular-Credential Decoupling: How Schools Respond to Career and Technical Education Policy
UR  - http://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai25-1128
ER  -