Anticipated Date of Graduation

Summer 2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Mathematical Sciences

Department

Mathematical Sciences

First Advisor

Douglas Darbro

Abstract

This study examines the interaction of career technical education and traditional school education and the impact each school type has on students with disabilities. Each school type is being measured on academic performance on ACT Scores taken during the student’s senior year and using Ohio End-of-Course Exams scores as a baseline that are taken during the student’s sophomore year. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to see what the best predictor of ACT Scores was using End-of-Course Exams scores, school type, gender, IEP, 504, and free-reduced lunch status as predictors. The study takes place in Greene County, Ohio where students attend their junior and senior years of High School. The curriculum in both school types is the same, it is only the environment that is different. The population of students with disabilities within Career Technical centers is growing and the graduation rate for this population is 67% nationwide. The combination of these two factors brings added concern to the issue and provides the motive for this study. Career Technical Schools provide more opportunities to meet the requirements of the alternative pathway necessary for graduation and is the leading cause for the increased population of students with disabilities. Therefore, this study measures the impact of career technical school environments and whether that leads to better academic scores with the assumption that the student’s social and emotional needs are being met as they are grouped with students that have similar career interests. Further investigation between the school types was taken in measuring college credits earned by students with disabilities and to see if there is a statistically significant mean difference in college credits earned between each school type. To measure this a two-sample t-test was run. The results found that students who attended a career technical school performed 1.26 points higher on their ACT than students who attended a traditional school. School type was found to be a significant predictor of ACT at the 0.01 level. Further results were found that End-of-Course scores (at 0.001 level) and whether a student was on an IEP or a 504(at the 0.01 level) are significant predictors of ACT Scores as well. Testing the mean difference of college credits earned across school type was statistically significant at the 0.001 level which showed career technical schools to have more students with disabilities earning college credits in High School. These results came from a convenience sample in Greene County, Ohio, and provide insight into how career environments have positive impacts on academic performances.

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