The Effect of Capstone Cooperative Education Experiences, and Related Factors, on Career and Technical Education Secondary Student Summative Assessment Scores

Overview & Synopsis

Research has discussed the benefits of cooperative education experiences for secondary career and technical education students. Yet, in this era of high stakes testing and program accountability, the amount of time that students are permitted to participate in cooperative education has diminished, fearing that time spent out of the classroom would result in lower test scores. Unfortunately, there is little empirical evidence to suggest a relationship between cooperative education and performance on summative assessments. This baseline study of secondary career and technical education students in Pennsylvania indicated that students who participated in capstone cooperative education experiences scored significantly higher on summative assessments, as measured by NOCTI scores, than those students who did not participate. Additionally, this study determined that student GPA, IEP status, length of time on co-op or quality of Training Plan could not significantly account for any established mean differences.