Debra Bragg & Jane Loeb University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Lisa Pletcher

1. Webcast on Improving Secondary and Postsecondary Career and Technical Education TransitionOctober 20, 2005 Debra Bragg & Jane Loeb University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Lisa Pletcher Clark College, Vancouver, WA

2. Key Components • Formal partnership structure • Common career pathways • Articulation agreements, competency based • Annual meetings of HS and college faculty • Annual faculty sharing sessions • Joint marketing and promotion

3. Key Components (cont.) • College follow-up • Annual teacher verification forms • Interaction between college and HS advisors supporting Running Start • Regular reporting of student participation

4. Purpose of the Study • The CTE Transition Programs study examined policies, practices, and student outcomes associated with two selected career pathway programs: • Information Technology/Computer Information Sciences • Health Alliances

5. Research Goals • Understand and assess the relationships that exist among secondary, postsecondary, and relevant community institutions that partner to deliver CTE transition programming • Identify and examine practices implemented to support student transition from high school to college and from college to career • Document the impact of CTE transition programming through a quantitative examination of student outcomes.

6. Qualitative Research Questions The central research questions of this qualitative study: • How do selected postsecondary institutions and partners implement CTE transition pathway programs? • What core practices are associated with the implementation of CTE transition pathway programs by the selected postsecondary institutions and partners? • How are CTE transition pathway programs and related practices thought to influence student outcomes?

7. Quantitative Research Questions The central research questions of this quantitative study: • How does the college performance of participants in the CTE pathway programs compare to that of students in other high school programs? • Are there differences in the postsecondary academic performance of students who participated in highly engaged secondary programs compared to those who participated in less engaged secondary programs?

8. Qualitative Findings • Wide range of AAS degree majors: application programming, database developer, web developer, digital media, and network administrator. • Dual enrollment BS, based on 2+2+2 degree agreements • PCCC - creates “a culture of confidence”, “cog in the wheel” • Pierce College - standards and expectations for college-level learning

9. Qualitative Findings (cont.) • Accountability mechanisms associated with articulation agreements • Strong interpersonal relationships among faculty and administrators • Other noteworthy practices: • Running Start • CTE dual credit / Tech Prep • Placement testing of high school juniors and seniors • Work-based learning • First-year programming for women and students of color.

10. Quantitative Research – College Participation and Readiness • Of CIS DC students who attended PC after high school, 55% continued in their CIS pathway by taking at least one CIS course. • With other factors controlled, the CIS DC students were more likely to be college ready than the non-participants in communication but not in math or in general.

11. Quantitative Research – College Participation and Readiness (cont.) • CIS DC students started at a higher level, on the average, in mathematics than did the non-participant group.

12. Quantitative Research – Academic Performance, Persistence and Credential Attainment • In terms of GPAs, IT/CIS DC students did as well as the more select group of RS students, who, unlike the CTE DC participants, had to pass placement tests before enrolling in DC courses. • Both DC groups earned substantially more college credit than did non-participants—36 credit hours for the RS group, and 22 for the CIS DC group. • Both DC programs appeared to offer opportunities for students to amass substantial credit and accelerate toward a degree.

13. Quantitative Research – Academic Performance, Persistence and Credential Attainment (cont.) • The comparison of number of post high school terms to a transfer associate degree showed the RS group was substantially faster than the CIS DC or non-participant group. • Both DC groups were more likely to earn a degree or certificate than non-participants. • Engagement of the high school in the CIS DC program had very little effect on college outcomes.

14. Contact information— • Dr. Debra Bragg, University of Illinois, Professor, dbragg@uiuc.edu • Dr. Jane Loeb, University of Illinois, Professor, jloeb@uiuc.edu • Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) – 217-244-9390, http://occrl.ed.uiuc.edu