CTE programs in need of data system
Published on
Arizona Education News reported that in a series of meetings, Career and Technical Education administrators grappled with how to grade the state’s CTE programs. Disagreement prompted legislation to require each campus providing CTE be given its own letter grade, but more debate and lobbying ensued, resulting in a strike-everything amendment that never made it out of committee.
Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University published what many considered to be the first comprehensive look at CTE in the Grand Canyon state. The study identified a number of challenges, including the absence of data to measure outcomes.
Sapna Gupta, a senior policy analyst at Morrison Institute expressed frustration that while individual schools have their own data systems, there still is not one system for all schools in Arizona.
In the “On the Rise” report, Gupta recommended that Arizona consider measuring and incentivizing the attainment of industry-recognized credentials which could motivate more students to stay in school, provide a measureable outcome and send a strong message to existing employers and those considering locating to Arizona that the state is serious about investing in its workforce.
She noted that Kansas passed legislation in 2012 that provides monetary incentives for high schools to increase the number of students who earn a credential in a high need industry such as manufacturing. Similar legislation was proposed in Arizona in January.