Career academy students' perceptions of school effect, engagement, attendance, and academic achievement as determining factors in the acquisition of high school core credits, 2017

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there is a statistically significant relationship between the school effectiveness of students in the Business and Entrepreneurship Academy and the acquisition by these students of core subject credits within the four-year cohort timeline. This study sought to determine: (a) if there is a statistically significant relationship between the perception of engagement of students in the Business and Entrepreneurship Academy and the acquisition by these students of core subject credits within the four-year cohort timeline; (b) if there is a statistically significant relationship between the attendance of students in the Business and Entrepreneurship Academy and the acquisition by these students of core subject credits within the four-year cohort timeline; (c) if there is a statistically significant relationship between the results of the core subject Georgia End-of-Course Tests for students in the Business and Entrepreneurship Academy and the acquisition by these students of core subject credits within the four-year cohort timeline; and (d) if there is a statistically significant difference between students in the Business and Entrepreneurship Academy and students in the other Career Academies (Health and Human Services, Media and Arts Communication, and Public Service, Law and Leadership) who acquire core subject credits within the four-year cohort timeline on the variables of credit earned, grade conversion, attendance, and perception of engagement. Spearman correlation coefficients revealed that the average grade earned in the End-of-Course Tests was the only variable that was significantly correlated with credits earned. In addition, the study found a significant difference in the average grade earned in the End-of-Course Tests among the five academies at the school examined, with the STEM academy students receiving the highest scores among the five academies. KEY TERMS: High, School, Academies, Career, Vocational, Credits, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Administration and Supervision, Secondary Education, Vocational Educatio