Should a High School Adopt Advanced Placement or a Concurrent Enrollment Program? An Expected Benefit Approach

Abstract

This article provides an explicit framework for evaluating the expected benefit to college-bound students of courses offered by Advanced Placement (AP) versus concurrent enrollment programs (CEP). District personnel can use it to assess the relative merits of these programs, given the characteristics of their students, in deciding which model to implement or maintain. Simulations reveal that CEP generally provides a higher expected benefit for districts where students who take the course attend private colleges or universities (including public institutions out of state) and perform on the AP exam around national norms. AP favors high schools where students taking the course either face inexpensive costs for study at institutions of higher education or perform exceptionally well on the AP exam. Information from a sample of 240 colleges and universities reveals that few explicitly reject AP or CEP for credit if the student meets a minimum criterion, although more information is provided for AP.

The Impact of Dual Enrollment on College Degree Attainment

“…Others favor dual enrollment in that these programs provide a better college experience for students and students are more likely to earn college credit through dual enrollment than through AP exams (Klopfenstein, 2010;Speroni, 2011). Dutkowsky et al's (2009) recommendation may be useful when deciding which program to implement in that they do not suggest a "onesize-fits-all" approach. Instead, Dutkowsky et al suggest that schools choose accelerated programs based on their clientele.…”

“…After accounting for baseline differences, there was little difference in the effects of these accelerated programs on degree attainment, which is consistent mainly with findings from previous research (Speroni, 2011). One question researchers and educators are beginning to ask is the type of accelerated program high schools should choose (Dutkowsky, Evensky, & Edmonds, 2009;Klopfenstein, 2010;Speroni, 2011). AP courses follow a standardized curriculum with possible training support and materials from the College Board whereas dual enrollment courses are the same as offered at a college but may vary across programs (D. Allen, 2010;Santoli, 2002).…”

Advanced Placement and Concurrent Enrollment Substitution Effects

“…Advanced placement (AP) and concurrent enrollment (CE) are two widely used academic programs designed to provide rigorous postsecondary preparation and potential university course credit for high school students. Frequently, AP and CE coursework serve as a signal to postsecondary institutions and can result in special consideration during the admission process (Dutkowsky et al, 2009; Geiser & Santelices, 2004). Furthermore, high schools often incentivize course taking by assigning an additional point value to AP and CE classes when calculating grade point average (Klopfenstein & Lively, 2012; Sadler & Tai, 2007).…”

“…Universities independently develop credit policies for AP by subjects (College Board, 2019a; Dutkowsky et al, 2009; Evans, 2019; Lerner & Brand, 2008). For instance, state flagship institutions such as the University of Colorado do not offer students credit for AP English Language and Composition scores of 3 or lower while the University of Colorado Denver accepts scores of 3 for credit (Colorado Department of Higher Education [CDHE], 2019a).…”

“…Grading and course quality are governed by the community college system and applicable statutes. Transfer course credits are similarly governed by statute and are frequently more consistent across 4-year institutions (Dutkowsky et al, 2009). Unlike AP, many states pay for CE courses up to the community college rate.…”