The purpose of this study was to determine change in enrollment and completions in vocational programs in a phase-elective, non-graded, flexibly scheduled curriculum in Maury High School, Norfolk, Virginia, through comparison with the enrollment and completions in vocational education in a traditionally organized and scheduled curriculum in the same high school. The time period of the study was five years. The time series design was utilized to analyze data.

The population consisted of 11,002 students who were enrolled at Maury High School from September, 1970, through June, 1975. The population ranged from a low of 1,920 students in 1974-75 to a high of 2,450 students in 1972-73. Students assigned to Maury High School who elected to pursue a vocational program at the Norfolk Technical Vocational Center (NTVC) were included in the study.

Conclusions reached included: (1) initial implementation of a phase-elective, non-graded curriculum increased enrollment in vocational programs, (2) enrollment in vocational programs tended to decline after the initial implementation of a phase-elective, non-graded curriculum, (3) completions tended to decrease with the implementation of a phase-elective, non-graded curriculum, (4) enrollment and completion patterns seemed to be less stabilized in the phase-elective, non-graded curriculum program, and (5) the number of students selecting multi-period vocational courses tended to decrease.

Recommendations included: (1) follow-up studies should be conducted by Norfolk Public Schools to develop patterns of student enrollment and completions of vocational programs in the phase-elective, non-graded curriculum, (2) this study should be replicated in other areas with comparable school size and student population in order to ascertain more explicitly the effects of a phase-elective, non-graded curriculum on the enrollment and completions in vocational programs, (3) a study should be made of student competencies developed in a phase-elective, non-graded curriculum as compared with a traditional curriculum, (4) further investigation should be undertaken to ascertain if the location of vocational courses away from the home school in a separate technical-vocational center has an effect on student enrollment, (5) corrective action should be taken by the Norfolk Public Schools to offset the decline in enrollment and completions at the Norfolk Technical Vocational Center from Maury High School, (6) emphasis should be placed on exploration and tryout of vocational programs early in the student's secondary program of studies, (7) intensified courses compatible with the phase-elective, non-graded curriculum organization would be developed, (8) changes in curriculum organization should enhance the enrollment and completions in vocational programs to reflect the current emphasis on job-entry skills, and (9) completion criteria should be reviewed by the Virginia State Department of of Education to permit more flexibility in vocational programming.