Identifier

etd-11162010-100024

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Theory, Policy, and Practice

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Postsecondary career and technical institutions are required to follow a set list of performance indicators in order to receive federal Carl Perkins funding (Perkins IV Accountability, 2009). Within those indicators includes measuring technical skills attainment, which the state of Mississippi chooses to utilize program-specific standardized assessments known as the MS- CPAS2 assessment. The purpose of this multi-site program evaluation was to determine which programs are meeting the assessment passing requirements and to determine how they are achieving success. The rationale for this study was to evaluate the components inherent in successful programs in order to aid other programs who may not be performing as well in the assessment reach the minimum requirements in order to secure federal funding. Qualitative and quantitative methods were utilized for both raw data provided by the RCU and survey data collected by the researcher from the faculty and administrator participants of the selected programs. Results of this study indicated components of successful programs, perceptions of the assessment by the participants, and student factors that influence the assessment scores. Components included small class sizes, having necessary equipment, program-specific software, computers, providing a well-rounded instructional environment, aligning materials with curriculum, the use of hands-on activities, participation in clubs/organizations, and integrating program-specific certifications. Perceptions included a need for instructor participation in the update process of the MS-CPAS2 assessment, student accountability by offering student preparatory courses, and student recognition for outstanding scores. Student factors that affected assessment scores included ethnicity and student rating. Recommendations were made by the researcher from the results of the analysis that included multiple program improvement plans that can be utilized as a how-to guide by faculty and administrators, and assessment improvement plans for the RCU as provided by the participants’ responses from the survey data.

Date

2010

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

MacGregor, S. Kim

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.3159

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