Moving the Needle on Access and Success

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Moving the Needle on Access and Success

• Presentation to
• 2006 SHEEO/NCES
• Network Conference and IPEDS Workshop
• May 9, 2006
• Washington, DC

Cheryl D. BlancoSenior Program Director, Policy
Analysis ResearchBrian T. PrescottResearch
AssociateWestern Interstate Commission for
Higher Education (WICHE)
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Accelerated Learning Options

• Definition Activities that provide high school
  students with a more rigorous, college-level
  curriculum and possibly the opportunity to earn
  college credit while still in high school.
• Why Policymakers, Students Families Want Them
• Provide a more rigorous curriculum.
• Enhance students chances of succeeding in
  college.
• Give some a competitive edge in admissions
  process.
• Allow students to test the water with college.
• Decrease time to degree.
• Lower cost of degree.
• Serve as a recruiting tools for institutions.
• Serve as a screening mechanism for institutions.

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A National Snapshot of Accelerated Learning
Options

• Breadth and scope of some Accelerated Learning
  Options
• Most high schools offer dual credit and/or
  exam-based courses.
• 57 of all Title IV degree-granting institutions
  had high school students taking courses for
  college credit in 2002-03.
• Estimated enrollments 1.2 million in dual credit
  courses, 1.8 million in AP, and 165,000 in IB.
• Accessibility of programs varies by type and
  school size and location
• 82 of large schools offer dual credit courses
  vs. 63 of small schools.
• 97 of large schools offered AP vs. 40 of small
  schools.
• Schools in towns or urban fringe areas were more
  likely to offer dual credit courses than were
  schools in cities or rural areas.
• Schools in urban fringe areas were far more
  likely to offer AP than schools in cities, towns,
  or rural areas.
• Schools with the highest minority enrollment are
  the least likely to offer dual credit courses
  when compared to schools with lower minority
  enrollment.
• Schools with higher minority enrollment are more
  likely to offer AP courses than schools with the
  lowest minority enrollment.
• Source NCES, Dual Credit and Exam-Based Courses
  in U.S. Public High Schools 2002-03.

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Moving the Needle

• Purpose To provide recommendations on how four
  major accelerated learning programs (Advanced
  Placement, dual/concurrent enrollment,
  International Baccalaureate diploma, and
  Tech-Prep) might be better utilized to increase
  access and success of low-income and
  underrepresented students in higher education.
• Major activities
• Examined state policies through an extensive
  inventory of legislation and board rules.
• Surveyed public and private, two- and four-year
  colleges and universities on institutional
  policies and practices.
• Conducted focus group interviews with students at
  two high schools and two postsecondary
  institutions.
• Prepared a review of the literature.
• Conducted a transcript analysis of Florida high
  school graduates between 1997 and 2003 (734,467
  records).
• Examined financial data for a few states.

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Institutional Survey

• Online survey developed at WICHE and sent
  electronically to 2,232 chief academic officers
  in public and private, 2- and 4-year institutions
  in the U.S.
• 60 public and 40 private
• 225 research universities
• 549 masters
• 516 baccalaureates
• 921 2-year
• 21 tribal colleges
• Enrollments ranged from 12 to 58,490 median size
  of 2,987.

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Institutional Survey

• Response rate 25.6
• 65 pubic and 35 private
• Research/doctoral 10 surveyed and 11 responded
• masters/baccalaureate 48 surveyed and 46
  responded
• Associates/tribal colleges 42 surveyed and 42
  responded.

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Institutional Survey

• Points of analysis for descriptive statistics
• Control (public/private)
• Type by Carnegie classification
  research/doctoral/ masters/baccalaureate, and
  associates/tribal
• Size small (2,000 or less), medium
  (2,001-5,500), large (5,501 or more)
• Region Midwest, Northeast, South, West

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Does the institution consider any accelerated
learning option for purposes of admission and/or
credit requirements?
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Does the institution have an outreach program to
notify students, particularly low-income,
disadvantaged students, about opportunities for
accelerated learning options?
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Transcript Analysis Overview

• Floridas K-20 Education Data Warehouse
• Public high schools and public postsecondary
  institutions in Florida
• High school graduating classes 1997-2003
• Postsecondary enrollments 1997-2005
• Data elements (not exhaustive)
• Accelerated credits obtained in high school
  through AP, dual/ concurrent enrollment, IB
• High school attended
• Courses taken at community colleges, including
  remedial courses
• Postsecondary enrollment institution(s) and
  credits attempted and earned by term
• Postsecondary degree(s) and date(s) of graduation
• Postsecondary credits awarded for accelerated
  learning, CLEP, life experience, etc.
• Demographic info, esp. race/ethnicity
• Proxies for low-income free or reduced price
  lunch, Pell receipt
• Total of 734,467 high school graduates

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Participation During High School

• In just six years, almost 14,000 more Florida
  students earned AP credit, an increase of 72
  percent.
• Increases in dual/concurrent enrollment and IB
  were also evident and large in relative terms.

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Unequal Participation

• Low-income students participated in accelerated
  learning at much lower rates than wealthier
  students did.

• Black and Hispanic students participated at lower
  rates than White and Asian students did except
  for Hispanic students, who earned AP credit at
  approximately the same rate as White students.

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Enrollment at a State University

• All types of students with any type of
  accelerated credit were more likely to enroll at
  state universities.
• But low-income students enrolled at lower rates
  than their wealthier peers, regardless of type of
  ALO.
• Black and Hispanic students enrolled at lower
  rates than Asian/Pacific Islanders and Whites for
  all ALO types.

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Enrollment at a Community College

• Patterns of college-going were notably different
  for students attending community colleges.
• Dual/concurrent enrollment was associated with
  the highest rates of enrollment at community
  colleges.
• Only among those with no accelerated credit did
  low-income students enroll at lower rates.
• Although less obvious among students with dual
  credit, students who earned accelerated credit
  preferred enrolling at a four-year institution.

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Remediation (One or More Courses)

• Students with accelerated credit were much less
  likely to enroll in remedial courses.
• For each accelerated option, a greater proportion
  of low-income students took remedial courses than
  wealthier students, as did students of color
  compared to White students.
• But the proportion of students with accelerated
  credit who enrolled in remedial courses was still
  high ranging from 11 for White students with
  IB credit and 48 for Hispanic students with AP
  credit.

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Bachelors Degree Completion

• Students with any type of accelerated credit were
  more likely to complete a bachelors degree.
• Students with IB credit were most likely to
  finish.
• For each ALO type (and for those with no
  accelerated credit)
• Low-income students were slightly less likely to
  complete a bachelors degree.
• Asian and White students were more likely to
  complete than Black and Hispanic students.

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Associates Degree Completion

• Students with any type of accelerated credit were
  more likely to complete an associates degree.
• Students with dual credit were most likely to
  finish.
• For each ALO type (and for those with no
  accelerated credit)
• Low-income students were slightly less likely to
  complete an associates degree.
• Asian and White students were more likely to
  complete than Black and Hispanic students.

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Elapsed Time to Bachelors Degree

• Students with accelerated credit were more likely
  to earn a bachelors degree within four years
  than students without accelerated credit.
• Only a small percentage of students were able to
  complete a bachelors degree within 3 years.
• Students with AP or IB credit were more likely
  than those with dual credit to finish within four
  years.

Notes Elapsed time to degree is the number of
years between high school graduation and
bachelors degree completion. Students still
enrolled in Fall 2004 account for the remaining
percent.
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Elapsed Time to Associates Degree

• Students with accelerated credit were more likely
  to earn an associates degree within two years
  than students without accelerated credit.
• Students with dual credit were most likely to
  finish within two or three years.

Notes Elapsed time to degree is the number of
years between high school graduation and
associates degree completion. Students still
enrolled in Fall 2004 account for the remaining
percent. Students who transferred to a four-year
institution are not counted.
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Lessons Learned

• Linking to the National Student Clearinghouse
• Unit record data is complicated and
  time-consuming
• Data management
• Identifying variables
• Swirling is a major challenge to meaningful
  results, e.g., what is the appropriate reference
  group?
• Income

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Sponsored by Western Interstate Commission for
Higher Education and Jobs for the
Future Supported by Lumina Foundation for
Education and The Bill Melinda Gates
Foundation To register, go to www.wiche.edu or
www.jff.org
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Contact us

• Cheryl D. Blanco
• Senior Program Director
• Policy Analysis and Research - WICHE
• 303.541.0221 cblanco_at_wiche.edu
• Brian T. Prescott
• Research Associate
• Policy Analysis and Research - WICHE
• 303.541.0255 bprescott_at_wiche.edu
• www.wiche.edu