CTE & High School Reform

1. CTE & High School Reform Making the Case James R. Stone III Director james.stone@louisville.edu

2. The work reported herein was supported under the National Dissemination for Career and Technical Education, PR/Award (No. VO51A990004) and /or under the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, PR/Award (No. VO51A990006) as administered by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U. S. Department of Education.However, the contents do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education or the U. S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Disclaimer:

3. CTE in High School Today • CTE programs in over 11,000 comprehensive high schools, several hundred technical high schools, 1,400 area vo-tech centers, and 900 Voc/Tech HS • 98% of high school students take at least one CTE course • More than 40% invest in 3 or more SLMP courses • 1 in 4 students “major” in CTE by taking 3 or more courses in a single SLMP Source: 2000 Transcript Studies

4. What are the real school problems? • A high and rising drop out rate • Students who graduate are lacking in basic math and science skills • Most students think they are going to college but do not prepare for it or any other possible future

5. The Holy Trinity of HS Reform • Engagement – attending school and completing (graduating) high school • Achievement – academic (and technical) course taking; grades, test scores • Transition – to postsecondary education without the need for remediation; and to the workplace

6. Engagement

7. % of 9th Graders who complete High School 68% Source: One-Third of a Nation (ETS, 2005)

8. National Graduation Rates for the Class of 2001 Urban Institute, 2002

9. National Graduation Rates 1998 and 2001The problem of engagement

10. Carnegie Grows!

11. When do they leave? 9th grade 10th grade 11th grade 12th grade 5th year From Plank, forthcoming

12. Why they leave Source: The silent epidemic: Perspectives of high school drop outs (2006) by Civic Enterprises at www.civicenterprises.net

13. CTE and School Engagement

14. A later study

15. The overage problem For older students, however, we are inclined to speculate that the social stigma or awkwardness of a potential role inconsistency troubles them in a way that swamps or overwhelms potential effects of many other aspects of the educational experience—including the CTE-to-academic ratio. Quite likely, to be older than is normal as one enters and proceeds through high school is to be attracted or called to certain behaviors or involvements that are at odds with the life and allegiances of a typical high school student. As we make this speculation, we recall that an older student’s standardized test performance was not among the significant predictors of dropping out. We strongly suspect that social roles and feelings of fit and contentment are more relevant to the social psychology of these adolescents than are assessments of one’s academic competence. Steven Plank, 2005

16. Graduation: School and CTE Effects * * * * From Castellano, Stringfield & Stone, Forthcoming

17. CTE Structures and Pedagogies and Dropping Out • Students in or Career Majors are 16% more likely to graduate from high school. • Students in Tech Prep are 30% more likely to complete high school. • Students who participated in specific STW activities are 18% more likely to complete high school. Stone & Aliaga, in press

18. Achievement

19. Here is part of the problem:Reading Performance17 year olds A Nation At Risk NAEP Scores cited in Stringfield, Castellano, & Stone, 2001

20. More Problems:Science Performance17 Year Olds A Nation At Risk

21. CTE Students are Improving: Adding more rigor to the school day and the results: NAVE 2004

22. NAVE Conclusions • Students who take both a strong academic curriculum and a vocational program of study—still only 13 percent of high school graduates—may have better outcomes than those who pursue one or the other.

23. A study of Arizona high school students’ Stanford-9 scores, Elliot and Knight (2002) found that when they statistically controlled for extraneous variables (e.g., disproportionately large numbers of students from special population groups in CTE programs), apparent test score deficits for CTE students were negligible. But wait, there’s more . . .

24. CTSOs: The Test General Student Population Class (same school) CTE Class with CTSO B A General Student Population Class (same school) CTE Class-No CTSO

25. CTSOs: Early Findings Note: Leadership positions in the CTSO had no effect on any outcomes

26. No WBL; 2.99 college GPA No community service; 3.02 college GPA 58% with NO HS WBL; college GPA above 3.0 HS WBL; 3.08 college GPA Community service; 3.11 college GPA 64% of with HS WBL; college GPA above 3.0 CTE-WBL and Achievement: Relationships Swail, Watson S., and Kampits, Eva (2004). Work-Based Learning and Higher Education: A Research Perspective. Washington, DC: Educational Policy Institute, Inc.

27. What do they know, we don’t? Nations enrolling a large proportion of upper-secondary students in vocational programs that include heavy does of WBL have significantly higher: • school attendance rates • higher upper-secondary completion rates • college attendance Bishop & Mane, 2004

28. Transition

29. Transition to college: The Challenge 31% Leave with 0 Credits 68 Graduate HS in 4 Years 18 Graduate a 4-College in 5 Years 100 Start 9th Grade 40 Start College 27 Start Sophomore Year 31% Source: Education Weekly March 2005

30. Remediation Source: NCES (2003), Remedial Education at Degree Granting PS Institutions in fall 2000

31. Once many of these same students get into college, 40% of four-year students and 63% of two-year students require remediation. (a report from Education Commission of the States) Patrick M. Callan, Joni E. Finney, Michael W. Kirst, Michael D. Usdan and Andrea Venezia, The Governance Divide: A Report on a Four-State Study on Improving College Readiness and Success (San Jose: The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, 2005).

32. College for All – The Reality Percentages by Race and Ethnicity By age 29: • 34% of white • 18% of African Americans • 10% of Hispanic Have bachelor’s degrees Venezia, A., M. W. Kirst, et al. (2003) Hoffman, N. (2003)

33. College readiness* (2005 ACT tested students)

34. College Degree: At What Cost? According to the Public Interest Research Group's Higher Education Project, 39 percent of new graduates with loans carry an "unmanageable debt,"

35. CTE does not increase probability of pursuing PSCTE CTE does not reduce probability of stopping out of PS CTE increases two-year degree choice For CTE students that do continue, CTE increases the likelihood of pursuing a Associate’s degree or certificate CTE does not increase the need for PS remedial education Post Secondary Transition NAVE 2004

36. CTE: What do we know? • CTE keeps kids in school • CTE helps kids focus their PS education plans • CTE is an economic benefit to participants and to states • CTE-based structures can affect achievement and transition of youth to college and work, and

37. Perkins IV requires . . . • Develop challenging academic and technical standards and related challenging, integrated instruction

38. One approach Math-in-CTE: An “evidenced based approach” to improving academic performance of CTE students

39. The Problem: Math PerformanceOf American Youth NAEP Scores for 17 Year olds

40. 12th Grade Math Scores 2005

41. Parents education and student outcomes

42. Taking more math is no guarantee • 43% of ACT-tested Class of 20051 who earned A or B grades in Algebra II did not meet ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in math (75% chance of earning a C or better; 50% chance of earning a B or better in college math) • 25% who took more than 3 years of math did not meet Benchmarks in math (NOTE: these data are only for those who took the ACT tests) ACT, Inc. (2007) Rigor at Risk.

43. The number of 17-year-old students taking advanced math classes has also increased -- with 17 percent studying calculus and 53 percent studying second-year algebra --  it is unclear why that trend has not resulted in higher average math scores over all. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/ltt/results2004/

44. Math-in-CTE A study to test the possibility that enhancing the embedded mathematics in Technical Education coursework will build skills in this critical academic area without reducing technical skill development.

45. A cautionary note • 94% of workers reported using math on the job, but, only1 • 22% reported math “higher” than basic • 19% reported using “Algebra 1” • 9% reported using “Algebra 2” • Among upper level white collar workers1 • 30% reported using math up to Algebra 1 • 14% reported using math up to Algebra 2 • Less than 5% of workers make extensive use of Algebra 2, Trigonometry, Calculus, or Geometry on the job2 • M. J. Handel survey of 2300 employees cited in “What Kind of Math Matters” Education Week, June 12 2007 • Carnevale & Desrochers cited in “What Kind of Math Matters” Education Week, June 12 2007

46. Why Focus on CTE • CTE provides a math-rich context • CTE curriculum/pedagogies do not systematically emphasize math skill development

47. The Experimental Treatment • Professional Development • The Pedagogy

48. What we found • Students in the experimental classes scored significantly higher on Terra Nova and Accuplacer • The effect: 71st percentile & 67th percentile • No negative effect on technical skills • 11% of class time devoted to enhanced math lessons • Five core principles emerged

49. Replicating the Math-in-CTE Model:Core Principles • Develop and sustain a community of practice • Begin with the CTE curriculum and not with the math curriculum • Understand math as essential workplace skill • Maximize the math in CTE curricula • CTE teachers are teachers of “math-in-CTE” NOT math teachers

50. Power of the New Professional Development Model Old Model PD Total Surprise! New Model PD