Dual Credit & Student Success: The Effect of High School Dual Credit on Educational Outcomes at KCTCS

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. 1024 Capital Center Drive Suite 320, Frankfort, KY 40601. Tel: 502-573-1555; Fax: 502-573-1535; Web site: http://www.cpe.ky.gov/

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52

Dual Enrollment; College Credits; High School Students; Student Participation; Incidence; Outcomes of Education; Grade Point Average; Certification; Associate Degrees; Academic Achievement; Gender Differences; Racial Differences; Income

Dual credit programs are collaborations between secondary and postsecondary institutions that enable high school students to enroll in college courses and receive simultaneous academic or technical credit that counts toward high school and college completion. Nationally and in Kentucky, dual credit participation is on the rise. The total number of high school students taking dual credit grew from 23,307 in 2014-15, to 40,821 students in 2019-20, an increase of 75%. The majority of dual credit courses are offered by Kentucky Community and majority of dual credit courses are offered by Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) institutions. Last year, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education published a report assessing the effects of high school dual credit participation on first-year GPA and persistence to a second year at Kentucky public universities (see ED608256). This report uses the same methodology to investigate the effects of dual credit on first-year GPA and credential completion at KCTCS. It analyzes the effects on students enrolled in a technical pathway (i.e., pursuing certificates or applied associate degrees) as well as in an academic pathway (i.e., pursuing associate degrees or transferring to a public university).

ERIC

2021

ED615243