ACTE PACE Summit 2024

This study analyzes CTE students’ transition to postsecondary education using a three-prong approach. First, it distinguishes four levels of CTE credit-taking during high school to capture any difference in school CTE offerings. Second, it focuses on occupational programs rather than taking CTE as a general and overarching category. Third, it differentiates the transition to subbacalaureate (Associate’s degree) from enrolling in Bachelor’s degree. The purpose is to show that credit-taking choices differ depending on the type of degree students will pursue, and that the impact of CTE credit-taking, along with other variables, impacts transitions to postsecondary differently, depending on the degree sought. We used two sets of logistic regression models for our analysis. The first model analyzes enrollment in postsecondary education at the Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree levels. The second set of logistic models examine whether students enroll in a similar major to the occupational program they participate in while in high school—i.e., school-to-major alignment.