– With the exception of multi-race students, the authors found that Florida’s STEM-capable students had lower persistence in rigorous mathematics and science course taking than students in the national cohort from ninth to eleventh grade.
– The authors also found that participation in STEM career academies did not support persistence in
rigorous mathematics and science courses, a prerequisite for success in postsecondary STEM education and careers.
– Female students in Florida entered the ninth grade with lower probabilities of persistence in rigorous course taking than their male counterparts, but completed the eleventh grade with higher probabilities of persistence. This finding suggests that female students have similar capabilities as male students to excel in rigorous mathematics and science courses upon entry into Florida’s high schools, but their experiences in these courses may negatively impact their persistence and related academic achievements.
– Asian and Multi-race students had the highest probabilities of persistence in the national sample of STEM-capable students, but Asian and White students had the highest probabilities of persistence in Florida.
2016 - STEM Pathways: Examining Persistence in Rigorous Math and Science Course Taking
From 2006 to 2012, Florida required middle school students to complete electronic personal education planners (ePEPs) before promotion to ninth grade. The ePEP helped them identify programs of study and required high school coursework to accomplish their postsecondary education and career goals. During the same period Florida required completion of the ePEP, Florida’s Career and Professional Education Act stimulated a rapid increase in the number of statewide high school career academies. Students with interests in STEM careers created STEM-focused ePEPs and may have enrolled in STEM career academies, which offered a unique opportunity to improve their preparedness for the STEM workforce through the integration of rigorous academic and career and technical education courses.
This study examined persistence of STEM-interested (i.e., those with expressed interest in STEM careers) and STEM-capable (i.e., those who completed at least Algebra 1 in eighth grade) students (n = 11,248), including those enrolled in STEM career academies, in rigorous mathematics and science course taking in Florida public high schools in comparison with the national cohort of STEM-interested students to measure the influence of K-12 STEM education efforts in Florida.
This study investigated the rigorous mathematics and science course taking patterns of Florida’s STEM-interested high school students who created STEM-focused ePEPs in eighth grade during the 2009-2010 academic year. In particular, they examined their persistence in rigorous mathematics and science course taking from ninth to eleventh grade while enrolled in public high schools and STEM career academies, which are intended to provide rigorous coursework and career guidance for students at all achievement levels, regardless of race or gender.
To compare outcomes of Florida’s STEM-interested students with national student outcomes, the authors utilized both national and statewide secondary data sources. The High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) and the Florida Department of Education Data Warehouse (EDW) were used. In HSLS, Ninth graders enrolled in public high schools (weighted n=12,299) were selected for the analysis. HSLS STEM-capable students in public high schools at baseline were identified by enrollment in rigorous eighth-grade math courses with a grade of C or better and intent to enroll in rigorous ninth grade math courses or enrollment in rigorous eighth-grade science courses with a grade of C or better.
Using EDW, student demographic and transcript files were used to develop a description of the ePEP sample to identify their STEM and non-STEM attributes (n=11,238). The baseline sample for propensity score analysis consisted of STEM-capable students (n=4913) who were identified by rigorous math and science course taking in eighth grade. For the outcome measures of STEM-capable persistence in ninth, tenth, and eleventh grades, they used the successful completion of rigorous mathematics and science courses (with a grade of C or better) compatible with grade level.
For the Florida EDW data, they used the propensity score method to compare students’ persistence in STEM course taking from grades eight to 11 between STEM career academy students (treatment group) and regular STEM high school students (control group). The propensity score estimated the probability of being a STEM career academy student. For the HSLS data, they used the propensity score method to compare students’ persistence in STEM course taking from grades nine to 11 between STEM high school students (treatment group) and non-STEM high school students (control group). The propensity score estimated the probability of being a STEM high school student.