State Policies and Dual Enrollment Program Variation

# Introduction

An increasing national focus on the need for high academic standards,
coupled with the growing importance of obtaining a postsecondary degree,
has led to the expansion of programs that allow high school students to
take college-level classes and earn college credit while still in high
school. These initiatives, known as credit-based transition programs,
include Tech Prep, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and
middle college high schools.

This brief presents what is known about the state policies that shape
and promote one kind of credit-based transition program, dual
enrollment. It is one of several reports that will be produced for the
Accelerating Student Success Project, which seeks to explore a number of
the areas in which we lack knowledge about credit-based transition
programs. In particular, the project will yield a better understanding
of the current policy mechanisms that promote or limit program expansion
and the ways in which programs support the transition into and success
in postsecondary education of a broad range of students.

Dual enrollment is part of a set of efforts to create smoother and more
successful transitions from high school to college. Advocates believe
that students in dual enrollment programs are likely to remain engaged
in and challenged by their coursework. Advocates also believe that dual
enrollment programs may also help eliminate the fragmentation that
currently exists between the secondary and postsecondary systems of
education. Researchers have found, for example, that high school exit
requirements are not aligned with college entry requirements---meaning
that many high school students successfully complete high school but are
not ready for college-level work (Venezia, Kirst, and Antonio, 2003).
Proponents of dual enrollment argue that the programs can also:

-   Prepare students for the academic rigors of college by exposing them
    to the type of intense high school curriculum that research has
    found to promote bachelor's degree attainment (Adelman, 1999).

-   Increase communication and collaboration among education systems,
    helping high schools convey to students the things they need to know
    and be able to do to achieve their educational goals (Orr, 1998;
    1999).

-   Make the senior year of high school more meaningful by offering
    interesting, challenging and college credit-bearing courses to
    students who might otherwise "slack off" (National Commission on the
    High School Senior Year, 2001).

-   Lower the cost of postsecondary education for students by enabling
    them to earn free college credit and shorten their time to degree
    completion (Orr, 2002).

-   Provide more realistic information to students about the skills that
    they will need to succeed in college through their participation in
    actual college courses (Orr, 1998; 1999).

-   Provide curricular options for students, particularly in schools
    that, due to their size or limited resources, are unable to offer
    interesting and exciting electives (Adelman,1999).

In this brief, we define dual enrollment programs, investigate the range
of program options, and examine the influence of state policies on
program structure. For a full review, including information on
participation rates and the research on program effectives, please
consult Bailey and Karp (2003), Promoting college access and success: A
review of credit-based transition programs.

# What is Dual Enrollment

Dual enrollment programs allow high school students to "become"---even
if for only one course---a college student. In this way, high school
students are exposed to the demands of college-level academics. At the
same time, they often begin to experience, in a modified form, the
social and behavioral expectations required of successful college
students.

If dual enrollment programs operate the way that they are intended to,
postsecondary institutions work closely with high schools to ensure that
dual enrollment courses are identical to those offered on a college
campus. Thus, dual enrollment programs might be considered more
"authentic" college-level experiences than other credit-based
initiatives such as Advanced Placement (AP) or International
Baccalaureate (IB) programs, which use specially created college-level
curricula. Dual enrollment programs also require more collaboration and
communication between the secondary and postsecondary education sectors.

Additionally, dual enrollment students receive a transcript from the
sponsoring postsecondary institution. Therefore, assuming students pass
the course, they are eligible to receive college credit upon
matriculation at a postsecondary institution.1 In contrast, AP and IB
students must take and score well on an end-of-course exam to be
eligible for college credit, even if they successfully pass the course
itself. Scores on AP and IB examinations may be used to grant college
credit, but postsecondary institutions may also decide to exempt
students with strong test scores from introductory courses instead of
granting them credit towards graduation.

## Variation within Dual Enrollment Programs

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ### Program                                                           |
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| -   Financing                                                         |
|                                                                       |
| -   Entrance criteria                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| -   Location                                                          |
|                                                                       |
| -   Instruction                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| -   Student Mix                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| -   Intensity                                                         |
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Dual enrollment programs can vary along a wide array of features. Some
programs require students to pay their own tuition and fees, while
others ensure that participation is free. Some dual enrollment programs
have extensive eligibility requirements, often requiring students to
gain admission to the postsecondary institution in order to participate.
But others, in an attempt to expand participation beyond the most
academically successful students, have less stringent rules.

According to Orr (2002), dual enrollment programs can also be
distinguished along the following features:

-   Location: Courses can be offered on a college campus or at the high
    school.

-   Instructors: Courses can be taught by regular college faculty or by
    specially certfied high school teachers. High school teachers are
    usually required to have the same credentials as adjunct professors
    at the sponsoring postsecondary institution.

-   Student Mix: Some dual enrollment programs teach high school
    students separately, in their own classes, while others combine high
    school students and college students in the same course.

Dual enrollment programs can also vary in their intensity (Bailey and
Karp, 2003). Some programs could be categorized as "singletons," meaning
that they are only a small part of students' high school experiences.
Students take one or two dual enrollment courses at a time, spending the
rest of their school day in regular high school classes. Other programs
adhere to a "comprehensive" model and encompass most of students' junior
and/or senior years. Students in these dual enrollment programs take
virtually all of their courses through dual enrollment, sometimes even
leaving their high school for full-time study on a college campus.
Generally, dual enrollment programs do not adhere to the third form of
credit-based transition program, the enhanced comprehensive program.
Enhanced comprehensive programs include intense counseling, college
preparation activities, and close teacher-student relationships; dual
enrollment programs usually do not address the non-academic aspects of
the secondary-postsecondary transition.

## State Policies That Shape and Promote Dual Enrollment Programs

Given the potential benefits to dual enrollment participation, many
states hope to encourage the program's growth. According to the
Education Commission of the States (2001), all but three states have
some form of dual enrollment. Some states merely ensure that students
are allowed to enroll in college courses, while others mandate that all
schools provide dual enrollment opportunities. Likewise, some states
have rigorous dual enrollment guidelines, with requirements specifying
eligibility, teacher qualifications, credit transfer, or even
pre-enrollment student counseling. Other states offer programs very
little guidance.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ### State policy can vary along five major dimensions:                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| -   Eligibility requirements                                          |
|                                                                       |
| -   Program structures                                                |
|                                                                       |
| -   Funding mechanisms                                                |
|                                                                       |
| -   Accountability measures                                           |
|                                                                       |
| -   Presence or absence of additional policy requirements             |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

The Education Commission of the States (2001) classifies state policies
as either "comprehensive" or "limited." Comprehensive policies ensure
that students pay minimal or no fees, have few course restrictions, and
have liberal credit-granting policies; twenty-one state policies could
be categorized as such. Twenty-six states have limited policies, which
do not provide funding for student tuition and have more restrictions on
credit and student access.

The impact of policy decisions on dual enrollment participation and
growth has not been explored, in part because of the wide variation
among state policies. However, it appears that state policy plays a role
in dual enrollment expansion. Funding decisions, for example, seem to
have important ramifications. In Illinois, a policy change allowing both
high schools and colleges to receive average daily attendance (ADA)
funding went into effect for the 1997-1998 school year (Andrews, 2001).
In the two school years following the change, the number of
participating high schools grew by 240 percent. Likewise, interviews
conducted by the Community College Research Center in Washington State
indicate that the policy requiring high schools to lose funding when
students participate in Running Start has led some high schools to
downplay the option.

## Two state policies: Minnesota and Texas

Two examples of state policies can be found in Minnesota and Texas.
While both states have policies supporting dual enrollment, the degree
of support and regulation varies. Minnesota's policy can be categorized
as "comprehensive" while Texas' is "limited" (ECS, 2001). Perhaps the
biggest difference between the two lies in the degree to which various
program features are mandated: Minnesota's statutes require school
participation and state funding, while Texas' leaves many more program
decisions up to the schools themselves.

Minnesota was the first state to develop a dual enrollment program,
called the Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) Program (Minnesota
State Colleges and Universities, 2001). It has explicit state policies
guiding the development and administration of dual enrollment programs.
State statutes mandate that schools provide students with dual
enrollment opportunities, and that school districts make students aware
of the program. Minnesota state policy sets forth some participation
guidelines: Students may not take more than the equivalent of two years
of coursework through the PSEO program, and students may not participate
in the program once they have graduated from high school. Additionally,
colleges may not offer students developmental or remedial coursework
through the PSEO program.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ### Policy features -- Minnesota                                      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| -   Mandated program                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| -   Students may not pay tuition or fees                              |
|                                                                       |
| -   Course requirements                                               |
|                                                                       |
| -   Implementation flexibility                                        |
|                                                                       |
| -   Guaranteed credit transfer                                        |
|                                                                       |
| -                                                                     |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

State policy allows for two different funding mechanisms. Typically, the
Department of Education withholds aid from school districts in
proportion to PSEO participation, redirecting that funding to the
postsecondary institutions. Alternatively, districts may contract and
pay colleges directly for PSEO students. This second funding stream
offers more flexibility to local partnerships and typically is more
financially favorable to high schools. No matter the financial
arrangement between the secondary and postsecondary institutions,
students enrolled in a postsecondary institution through the PSEO
program may not be charged tuition, fees or for books.

Despite these mandates, the state offers flexibility in implementation
of the PSEO program. State statutes permit postsecondary institutions
and high schools to enter into an agreement to offer college courses at
the high school, but such agreements are not required. The state also
allows high school teachers to teach high school-based PSEO courses. The
result is that dual enrollment is offered through a variety of program
models.

An important component of the state policy addresses the transfer of
credit earned through PSEO. State statute mandates that colleges accept
all PSEO credit that they award to dually enrolled students. In other
words, students are guaranteed that college credit earned through PSEO
will transfer if they matriculate in the institution through which they
attended the PSEO program. Colleges are not, however, required to accept
credit earned through PSEO participation at another institution, meaning
that students who attend college elsewhere in the state are not
guaranteed transfer credit.

Texas, on the other hand, has voluntary dual enrollment. Schools are not
mandated by the state to provide students with dual enrollment
opportunities, though they are permitted by the law to do so if they
desire. Likewise, although colleges or high schools may choose to waive
and/or reimburse students for tuition and fees, they are not required to
do so. Since high school students are not eligible for federal financial
aid until they graduate from high school or get a General Education
Diploma, institutional decisions requiring students to pay their own
tuition may have important ramifications. Students without the financial
means to pay tuition may not be able to participate in dual enrollment.

The state does, however, offer strict eligibility requirements for
participation in dual enrollment. Students must achieve a cut-off score
on the state's exit assessment, SAT or ACT test, or pass a diagnostic
test at the college. They must also meet the college's admissions
requirements. Unless they receive special permission, students are
unable to enroll in more than two dual enrollment courses per semester.

Like Minnesota, Texas state statutes do not specify where dual
enrollment courses must be offered or who may teach them. Schools can
choose whether to offer courses at the high school or at the college,
and may allow high school teachers to teach dual enrollment. However,
the state does require any high school teacher teaching a dual
enrollment course to have the same credentials as regular professors
hired by the college.

In an effort to encourage dual enrollment opportunities, both high
schools and colleges are reimbursed the average daily rate for dually
enrolled students. The exception is for students who are not enrolled in
the high school credit courses full time; secondary schools do lose
funding for these students.

## Policy Implementation: Two Dual Enrollment Programs in Texas

Despite functioning within the same policy guidelines, programs can look
very different. An example of this can be found in Texas, where dual
enrollment guidelines offer schools a large degree of program
flexibility. The result is that "dual enrollment" programs look very
different in different parts of the state. We offer two examples by way
of illustration.

"Suburban High School" is on the outskirts of a large city. It serves a
rapidly-growing, affluent student population. It partners with a local
community college to provide dual enrollment courses to its students.
Dual enrollment courses are offered on the college campus. College
professors teach all dual enrollment courses, but the student mix
varies. In some courses, all students are dually enrolled high school
students; in others, high school students are mixed with regularly
matriculated college students. To compensate for the extra time required
to communicate with the high school, professors are offered a small
stipend by the college for teaching dually enrolled students.

Students in Suburban High School's dual enrollment program pay their own
tuition (waivers are available for those students unable to afford the
program). In the past, the high school paid for students' textbooks, but
it has stopped doing so, effective the 2003-2004 school year. The cost
was prohibitive for the school.

As required by state law, all dual enrollment students at Suburban must
pass the state college placement test or score very well on the high
school exit exam. The school works with students individually, as well,
in order to ensure that dual enrollment students are prepared both
academically and emotionally for college-level work. Students in all
grades are eligible to participate. During the 2002-2003 school year,
Suburban High School had approximately 275 students enrolled in four
dual enrollment courses, out of a student body of 2100.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ### Policy features -- Texas                                          |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| -   Voluntary program                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| -   Students may pay tuition and fees                                 |
|                                                                       |
| -   Students eligibility requirements                                 |
|                                                                       |
| -   Implementation flexibility                                        |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

In contrast, "Rural High School" is a small school on the outskirts of a
major metropolitan area. Like Suburban, it partners with a community
college to offer dual enrollment to its students. All dual enrollment
courses are offered at the high school, taught by teachers approved by
the partnering college. Some dual enrollment teachers are high school
teachers, but one course (in government) is taught by an attorney.
Because of the location of the program, dually enrolled students do not
have regular college students in their classes.

The high school pays students' tuition, but the students pay for their
own books. All students must pass the college placement exam or the high
school exit exam, and are not required to receive any guidance from the
school prior to enrollment in the program. Rural High School's dual
enrollment program is, however, limited to students in the Twelfth
Grade. In the 2002-2003 school year, approximately 15 students at Rural
High School were enrolled in four dual enrollment courses, out of a
student body of 600.

# Conclusion: Challenges and Policy Implications

Dual enrollment programs have the potential to help students enter and
succeed in postsecondary education, and to bridge the
secondary-postsecondary divide. Yet there is much that we do not know.
First, it is important to gather information about how many---and what
types---of students currently participate in dual enrollment, and what
program features are most common. Rigorous evaluation research is needed
to ensure that programs are living up to their potential. A clearer
sense of existing state policies and their impact on participation is
also necessary.

In addition to the lack of good information regarding the prevalence and
efficacy of dual enrollment, policy-makers face a number of other
challenges:

-   Ensuring that all students have equal access to dual enrollment
    courses. There is some evidence that schools continue to track some
    students, particularly members of minority groups, out of advanced
    course work (Viadero, 2001) and that rural and disadvantaged
    students have fewer opportunities to participate in dual enrollment
    (MN State Legislative Auditor, 1996).

-   Ensuring that, despite differences in implementation, dual
    enrollment courses maintain the rigor of regular college courses. A
    number of authors have expressed concerns about the quality of dual
    enrollment programs particularly with regards to school-based
    programs (Clark, 2001; Johnstone and Del Genio, 2001). Some fear
    that the rigor of the curriculum is compromised by virtue of the
    fact that it is high school students who are enrolled in the course.
    Others fear that some models of dual enrollment, particularly models
    that do not involve courses on a college campus, differ little from
    traditional high school coursework.

-   Creating mechanisms that promote and sustain successful
    secondary-postsecondary collaborations. Because dual enrollment
    programs are dependent upon inter-sector cooperation, partnerships
    between high schools and colleges are key (England, 2001). Creating
    clear and sustainable linkages between these two systems is
    difficult and requires a re-thinking of the role of high school and
    postsecondary school.

-   Addressing criticisms of dual enrollment. Although there is much
    enthusiasm about dual enrollment, some state- and district-level
    officials and legislators are skeptical. This resistance generally
    stems from two concerns: if both the colleges and the high schools
    receive funding, the state is paying twice for dually enrolled
    students, and that the quality of dual enrollment courses is often
    questionable. In some states, a "backlash" against dual enrollment
    is developing, and dual enrollment's funding, support, or
    participation has been threatened.

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attendance patterns, and bachelor's degree attainment. Washington, DC:
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Venezia, A., Kirst, M.W., and Antonio, A.L. (2003). Betraying the
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