High School Indicators of Postsecondary Success

This report examines to what extent having high school students participate in career cluster programs, participate in workplace learning experiences, and earn a credential impacts their college readiness.

Standardized test scores do not always accurately indicate if a student will succeed after high school. Administrators need other indicators to assess student readiness to succeed in college or in the labor market.

This report reviews research on the connection between high school students who participate in career cluster programs, those who participate in workplace learning experiences, and those who earn a credential and postsecondary success.

Encourage students to concentrate in a career cluster

Students who concentrate (i.e., take three or more credits in one career cluster) increase the odds they will enter the labor market after high school. If career cluster concentrators do choose to attend a postsecondary educational institution, they are more likely to major in their career cluster concentration.

Students who take three or more classes in the same topic area and enter the labor market after high school instead of pursuing secondary education earn, on average, 34 cents more an hour than all non-college-bound high school graduates.

By offering career clusters, administrators allow students to test potential majors and careers in high school, where the cost of changing one’s mind is relatively low. Additionally, career cluster concentrators who enter the labor market after high school instead of pursuing postsecondary education earn, on average, 34 cents more an hour than all non-college-bound high school graduates.

Help students improve academic and non-academic skills with work

0-20

Hours working increases student academic performance (mean GPA)

Students who work up to 20 hours in workplace learning experiences that are relevant to their academic coursework experience slight increases in high school academic performance and college readiness. While these students only slightly increase their high school GPAs, they also achieve non-academic benefits when working moderate hours, including improved time management skills, increased resilience, and increased access to potential jobs through professional networks.

Administrators should direct students towards quality workplace learning experiences (i.e., experiences in which supervisors support students and students can take control of their own work) to maximize the academic and non-academic benefits of workplace learning experiences.

Encourage students to earn a credential

12%

Higher wages for workers in Florida with certifications than workers without a certification

Students who earn a credential in high school increase the probability they graduate on time and the probability that they enroll in a community college. That said, students who earn a credential decrease their probability of earning a bachelor’s degree, as their credential may qualify them to perform jobs without pursuing additional schooling.

To maximize potential earnings for students who wish to enter the labor market directly from high school, administrators should guide students to earn long-term certificates or certifications. Workers (i.e., employed 24-year-olds) in Florida with certifications earn 12 percent more in wages than workers without a certification or with other forms of credentials (e.g., licenses, software credentials).