CTE Programs of Study:
A Postsecondary Perspective

This descriptive study is aimed at learning about the processes‚ policies‚ key players‚ challenges and solutions involved in “mature” Programs of Study. The three sites selected for study had evidence that students were moving through a secondary-postsecondary sequence of CTE courses. The most successful POS at each site are being examined longitudinally.

We use a combination case study and backward mapping approach designed to examine and report on how mature POS were developed and how they are sustained locally. The study includes quantitative and qualitative data collection at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. Interviews and focus groups have been conducted with primary stakeholders (administrators‚ teachers‚ and students)‚ and quantitative (survey and transcript) data are being compiled for three cohorts of students as they transition from secondary to postsecondary to follow their progress in the POS.