1. How many states are collecting data on student credential attainment, and what data collection methods are they using?
The data collected from the 30 states on K-12 student credential attainment includes 1,320,212 credentials earned.
Most states (20) who collect quantitative attainment data rely on self-reported data rather than collecting data directly from vendors.
2. Which credentials are currently being earned by students, and how do those credentials align with employer demand?
Six of the top ten credentials earned are very over-supplied.
General Career Readiness credentials make up over a quarter of all credentials earned in our research, but they often carry little weight in the labor market.
Of the 30 states where data were available and analyzed, no state is highly aligned in terms of supply for credentials earned by high school students and the demand for those credentials in the job market.
3. How do states support credential attainment through policy and funding, including financial investments and incentives, graduation requirements, and accountability or outcomes-based funding where applicable?
While most states maintain an approved credential list, not all states update the list annually, and not all states develop the list in partnership with employers.
About half of states with federal or state funds available for credential exam fees still provide these funds even if the credential being earned is low-wage, not in demand, or low-skill.
Postsecondary Summary
1. How many states are collecting data on student credential attainment, and what data collection methods are they using?
Most postsecondary systems are not currently collecting or aggregating credential attainment data: only four states were able to submit postsecondary data.
2. Which credentials are currently being earned by students, and how do those credentials align with employer demand?
Almost all (95%) of the postsecondary credentials earned in the four states that submitted data were Licenses or Certifications, types that are most directly aligned to occupations.
The top credentials earned in postsecondary generally are demanded in the labor market in occupations that command a living wage, although there are still some earned in low-wage occupations.
Not all credentials earned by postsecondary students are in-demand in occupations that command a living wage, despite the wider range of credentials available to postsecondary students, such as credentials that require a high school degree or being at least age 18.
3. How do states support postsecondary credential attainment through policy and funding?
Only 11 states maintain a postsecondary list of approved credentials.
In most states, state and federal funds and financial incentives are not directed toward postsecondary credential attainment.
