Earning Industry-Recognized Credentials in High School: Exploring Research and Policy Issues

As states develop accountability systems for their high school career and technical education (CTE) programs, the number of students who earn industry-recognized credentials is being considered as a measure of student success and program quality. Using data from a longitudinal study we explored the value of industry-recognized credentials for high school students, and the utility of these credentials as a measure of secondary CTE program quality. We found that teachers and administrators were concerned about the costs of maintaining these programs, and about the cost to students to take the certification exams. We found that few students were earning industry-recognized credentials at these schools, but those who were tended to have a solid career plan. However, the most important finding was the difficulty collecting data, because high schools were not required to record data on students earning industry-recognized credentials. As such, this study is an initial exploration into issues that arise when conducting research or considering policy on industry certification in high school. Recommendations for future research and for CTE accountability policy are provided.