Technical Skill Assessments as a Predictor or Agriculture Students' Success after High School

Abstract

This study was conducted using quantitative methods to determine if a relationship exists between former Agriculture Career and Technical Education (CTE) concentrators’ Technical Skills Assessment (TSA) performance and their attaining related placement after high school. The study included data from 13,581 agriculture students who graduated during the years 2015-2019. To investigate the relationship between TSA assessment performance and attaining related placement, multiple descriptive models were run and disaggregated by gender, race/ethnicity, Individuals Education Plan (IEP) status, and Socioeconomic Status (SES). The data revealed students who pass their TSA assessment are more likely to attain related placement compared to those not passing their assessment. Agriculture students’ rates of passing the TSA assessment and attaining related placement were high. Additional analysis to determine the relationship between TSA assessment performance and attaining related placement involved multiple binary logistic regression models. The logistic regression models helped determine how passing the TSA assessment and student demographics interacted and influenced students attaining related placement. Statistically significant findings were determined for TSA assessment, Black students, and those not disadvantaged in the SES category. The findings from this study may add merit to the numerous secondary CTE agriculture education programs in the United States. Keywords: Agriculture education, technical skill assessment, CTE accountability measures, industry-recognized credential