The Value of Articulated College Credit for Secondary CTE Students: Evidence from Nevada

• In Event: Shaping CTE Pathways: Evidence on Policy Levers from High School to College

Abstract

A core goal of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) is to prepare students for postsecondary education and high-skill, high-wage occupations, with postsecondary credit attainment included as an optional but increasingly adopted program quality indicator. States use different mechanisms to connect secondary CTE to college credit, including dual enrollment, articulation agreements, credit-by-exam, and industry credentials. While several studies now tie CTE participation to positive academic and employment outcomes, causal evidence on whether these credit pathways improve student outcomes remains limited. 

Nevada has adopted postsecondary credit attainment as a Perkins V program quality target, with goals rising from 2.5 to 17.5 percent of CTE students by 2027-28. A key vehicle for meeting this target is the Nevada Department of Education's Certificate of Skill, earned by students who complete a CTE pathway with a 3.0 GPA and pass an end-of-program assessment. The Certificate of Skill confers eligibility for articulated college credit at most Nevada community colleges — the primary hypothesized mechanism through which it may improve postsecondary outcomes — and may also signal skills to employers. 

We estimate the impact of the Certificate of Skill on postsecondary and labor market outcomes using a regression discontinuity design leveraging the 3.0 GPA threshold. Students who barely meet this threshold earn the Certificate of Skill and become eligible for articulated college credit; students just below the threshold do not. Preliminary evidence of a roughly 20 percentage point jump in certificate receipt at the threshold supports the validity of this approach. We use linked administrative data from Nevada's P-20 to Workforce Research Data System, combining K-12, Nevada System of Higher Education, and unemployment insurance records for five ninth-grade cohorts (2015-16 to 2019-20). Primary outcomes are college enrollment within one year of high school graduation and real annual wages up to six years post-graduation; exploratory outcomes include degree attainment, college persistence, field of study alignment, and employment in aligned industries. 

Findings will provide causal evidence to inform Nevada's Perkins V postsecondary credit attainment targets and to guide decisions in other states regarding program design and approaches to awarding college credit to secondary CTE students.

Author

• LeeAnn Stevens, RAND School of Public Policy
  Presenting Author