Dual Credit and Advanced Placement:

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Dual Credit and Advanced Placement Do They Help
Prepare Students for Success in College? Mardy
Eimers, Director of Institutional Research
Planning Robert Mullen, Assistant Director of
Institutional Research Planning 43rd Annual
Association for Institutional Research
Forum Tampa, Florida Tuesday, May 20, 2003 100
PM
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Scope and Magnitude Survey
Participating Institutions
Number of Institutions
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Scope and Magnitude Survey
Areas of Instruction
4
Scope and Magnitude Survey
Duplicated Headcount
Headcount
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Scope and Magnitude Survey
Credit Hours Generated
Number of Credit Hours
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Research Questions

• Is there a difference in first-year college grade
  point average (GPA) between students who had no
  prior advanced placement (AP) or dual credit in
  contrast to students who did receive credit in AP
  or dual-credit courses?
• Is there a difference in first-year college
  retention between students who entered college
  with no college credit in contrast to students
  who entered college with dual credit or AP
  credits?
• Does the source of dual credit courses have any
  relationship with the first-year college grade
  point average or first-year retention?

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University of Missouri System

• Large residential campus
• Engineering residential campus
• Two urban campuses
• Characteristics
• 43,000 undergraduates
• 2,700 professional students
• 10,800 graduate students

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Research Design

• Study Population 7,913 first-time, full-time
  degree-seeking students, Fall 1999 Fall 2000
• Missouri residents
• Recent high school graduates
• Measures of academic ability ACT, high school
  percent rank, CBHE high school core
• Success
• 1st year GPA
• Return the following fall
• Dual credit removed from 1st year GPA
• Dual credit versus dual enrollment

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Research Question 1 Is there a difference in
the first-year GPA among students who enter
college with different types of college credit?
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Results of Regression Analysis
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Predicting First-Year GPA
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Research Question 1 Summary of Results

• When holding Academic Ability Constant
• Students with AP Credit Only and students with AP
  and Dual Credit tend to get higher 1st year GPA
  than other students
• Dual Credit Only students do not appear to get
  significantly higher 1st year GPAs than students
  entering with No College Credit

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Research Question 2 Does completion of AP,
Dual, both AP and Dual, have an effect on whether
or not the student comes back the following fall
term?
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Logistic Regression Results

• Predicting a Students Return the following
• Fall Term
• Significant Positive Variables
• ACT
• HS Rank
• Dual Credit Only
• AP Credit Only
• Both Dual AP

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Research Question 2 Summary of Results

• When holding Academic Ability Constant
• Students entering college with Dual Credit Only,
  AP Only, or Dual and AP had an increased
  likelihood of returning the following fall in
  contrast to students who entered college with No
  College Credit

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Research Question 3 Does the source of the dual
credit have any impact on academic performance or
retention?
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Results of Regression Analysis
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Predicting First-Year GPAby Source of Dual
Credit Hours
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Predicting Retention based on Source of Dual
Credit

• The overall logistic regression model was
  statistically significant ACT and HS Rank
• All sources of dual credit were positively
  related with returning for the second year

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Research Question 3 Summary of Results

• Controlling for Academic Ability
• Students who entered the University of Missouri
  with dual credit from two-year institutions
  tended to have lower 1st year GPAs than students
  getting their dual credit at other types of
  institutions.
• All sources of dual credit were positively
  related with returning for the second year

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Limitations

• University of Missouri
• Number of entering credit hours or grades in
  those courses
• Time-lag Fall term GPA
• Time-lag 1st year retention
• Strength of model

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Summary of Findings

• Dual Credit is an increasing source of
  pre-college work in Missouri.
• Findings tend to indicate that dual credit,
  earned in the high school, does not help or
  hinder student success as measured by the 1st
  year GPA.
• Dual credit, AP, or a combination of the two
  appears to positively affect a students return
  the following fall.
• Source of dual credit plays some role in
  explaining 1st year GPA.

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Implications Further Research

• Legislators and the Missouri CBHE continue to be
  concerned about dual credit offerings
• University of Missouri has decided not to include
  the grades received in dual credit courses in the
  students official University GPA
• The positive relationship between AP and/or dual
  credit and 2nd year retention is noteworthy
• Further research How are students who enter
  college with college credit using their advanced
  standing to enhance their college experience?

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Additional Information

• Office of Institutional Research Planning
• 721 Lewis Hall
• University of Missouri System
• Columbia, Missouri 65211
• [phone]
• [phone] (fax)
• URL http//www.system.missouri.edu/planning/
• under Research Reports
• Mardy T. Eimers eimersm_at_umsystem.edu
• Robert Mullen mullenrw_at_umsystem.edu