Graduation Rates and Contributing Factors in CTE Students

Graduation Rates of CTE Students The study informed the following questions: 1. What was the calculated 4-year graduation rate for Mississippi’s CTE students in the 20072008 cohort, and how did it compare to the State-reported graduation rate for all students, including both academic and CTE students?

2. What was the 4-year graduation rate by Career Cluster and Pathway for Mississippi’s CTE students in the 2007-2008 cohort?

3. Which Clusters and Pathways in Mississippi had 4-year graduation rates for CTE students in the 2007-2008 cohort that met or exceeded the national AFGR for 2007-2008 programs?

4. Which CTE Pathways for students in the 2007-2008 cohort defied typically observed achievement gaps for female and racial minority students?

5. What were the influences of sex, race, socioeconomic status, and family situation on 4-year graduation rates for CTE students?

Literature Review CTE’s Impact on Secondary Graduation: Three States Rumberger (2011) noted that in 2004 the average high school graduate earned 3.5 CTE credits though only two states required CTE courses of their secondary students as of 2007, suggesting widespread participation in CTE. This finding may indicate that state-defined CTE courses are not limited to courses in the 16 nationally recognized CTE Career Clusters, meaning states may have a broader definition of which courses are designated as CTE (such as general health courses) than those officially defined as Career Pathway courses by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education; nevertheless, interest in CTE, or at least