Archived Information

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##### PROJECT SUMMARY

**STUDY OVERVIEW**

Expanding credit-based transition programs that blend secondary and
postsecondary education is now at the top of the agenda of many
educators and policymakers who are working to improve the nation's high
schools. These programs support the transition process through a variety
of components, including dual enrollment opportunities that allow high
school students to take college courses in academic and technical
subjects and to earn college credit prior to graduation.

Supported by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) and
the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) at the U.S.
Department of Education, the *Bridging the Divide: Blending Secondary
and Postsecondary Curricula into a Coherent Course of Study* project is
being conducted by SRI International in partnership with Jobs for the
Future. The study builds on a previous OVAE project---*Accelerating
Student Success Initiative---*and focuses on the state and local
policies that facilitate or hinder the implementation of a range of
credit-based transition options.[^1] These options vary in intensity:
enhanced comprehensive, comprehensive, and singleton. Comprehensive and
enhanced comprehensive programs provide students with intensive exposure
to college demands and constitute a significant portion of their high
school experience. Enhanced comprehensives provide additional academic
supports and counseling. Singleton refers to individual,
student-directed dual enrollment options.

Findings from the *Bridging the Divide* project will highlight why
credit-based transition programs are not widely implemented. In
addition, the final report will outline policy changes that might
facilitate the development and spread of these programs as part of state
and district high school reform initiatives.

###### PURPOSES OF THE STUDY

-   To understand the policy and regulatory environments that govern the
    development and sustainability of credit-based transition programs
    in selected states and districts.

-   To examine the impact of state, district, and postsecondary
    institutional policies and regulations on the implementation,
    structure, and management of programs.

-   To identify promising policy options for states and localities to
    consider as they address educational attainment and transition
    issues through the expansion of credit-based transition programs.

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###### METHODS

his This 20-month study uses document reviews, focus groups, and
interviews to gather information. The investigation begins with a policy
review to identify the multiple state policies that govern credit-based
transition programs. Such policies include dual credit, teacher
certification, and high school graduation, among others. The next phase
includes site visits to collect information on how state policies guide
program operations at the district level and how state and district
policies impact local program development.

###### Work will proceed in three phases:

###### Phase I: Site Selection 

Specific criteria will guide site selection at the state, district, and
program levels, and will be developed based on policy and literature
reviews. To understand variation among states, the selected states will
represent a range of policy environments, from those with highly
coordinated K-16 systems to those with little coordination between the
K-12 and higher education systems. Similarly, the programs will be
selected to vary in intensity and focus---academic or career/technical.

###### Phase II: Data Collection 

In addition to the policy reviews, the project team will conduct
multi-day field visits to three states. For each state, information will
be collected from state agencies, two districts, and four programs
within each district. Data collection for these case studies will
consist of interviews and focus groups with state policymakers, district
administrators, and secondary and postsecondary program directors.

###### Phase III: Data Analysis

Data analysis will trace the effects of state and district policies on
the secondary and postsecondary partnership arrangements that

direct the credit-based transition program. Cross-state comparisons will
examine the prevalence of specific implementation issues and how these
implementation challenges impact program development and expansion.

###### PRODUCTS

1)  **One-Page Briefs** will describe the set of policies that govern
    credit-based transition programs for each state selected for
    in-depth study.

2)  **Individual State Profiles** will build upon the briefs by
    presenting a fuller description of the policy environment guiding
    program development. The profiles will also summarize how specific
    state and local policies impact the development of credit-based
    transition programs.

3)  The **Final Report**---targeting a general policy audience---will
    identify a range of policy options that can be implemented by
    policymakers to facilitate and promote the expansion of credit-based
    transition programs. The report will also outline multiple solutions
    to resolve particular policy impediments and, whenever feasible,
    outline the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

For further information on this project, visit the Office of Vocational
and Adult Education Web site at: www.ed.gov/OVAE or contact Ivonne
Jaime, Program Manager, at <ivonne.jaime@ed.gov>.

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#### Bridging the Divide

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height="0.7180555555555556in"}

[^1]: There are two primary types of credit-based transition programs.
    Programs can have either a dual enrollment or an exam-based feature.
    Programs that offer courses for dual enrollment allow high school
    students to take college courses and possibly earn both high school
    and college credit for the same course. In programs that include an
    exam component, students take an exam and must receive a certain
    score in order to receive college credit. In some instances,
    students are only awarded credit after being admitted into a
    postsecondary institution. This study focuses primarily on those
    credit-based transition programs that have a dual enrollment
    component.