ADVANCED PLACEMENT VERSUS DUAL ENROLLMENT: MAKING THE BEST CHOICE FOR COLLEGE SELECTION, PERSISTENCE, EARLY SUCCESS, AND TIME TO COMPLETION

Abstract

A substantial amount of research examines the benefits of high school college-credit attainment programs against non-participation. The growth in popularity of these programs, particularly Advanced Placement (AP) and dual enrollment (DE), has them competing against one another for student attention. However, students, schools, and policymakers do not have all the information they need to make an educated decision because few independent studies compare college-credit attainment programs with each other. This study examines the college level outcomes of students who enroll in a college preparatory course of study among those who pursue college credit through participation in AP, DE, Both, or Neither. Several questions are addressed: (1) What are the characteristics of students who choose AP, DE, Both, or Neither as part of their high school coursework? (2) Is there a relationship between whether students chose a two-year or four-year college, and whether students took high school coursework for AP, DE, Both, or Neither? (3) Among the students who attend the University of Kansas immediately following high school graduation, controlling for background variables (i.e. gender, race, ACT score, high school GPA, and family income level), what is the relationship between second year college persistence and whether students took high school coursework for AP, DE, Both, or Neither? (4) Among the students who attend the University of Kansas immediately following high school graduation, controlling for background variables (i.e. gender, race, ACT score, high school GPA, and family income level), what is the relationship between time to degree completion and whether students took high school coursework for AP, DE, Both, or Neither? (5) Among the students who attend the University of Kansas immediately following high school graduation, controlling for background variables (i.e. gender, race, ACT score, high school GPA, and family income level), what is the relationship between freshman-year GPA, and whether students took high school coursework for AP, DE, Both, or Neither? This study drew from a population of more than 4,700 students from the Shawnee Mission School District in Kansas who graduated with the classes of 2005 through 2009, completed college preparatory courses, and attended college immediately after high school. Chi-Square analyses and analyses of variance found statistically significant differences in the populations of students who participated in AP, DE, Both, or Neither by race, gender, academic ability, and family income level. Subsequent logistic and linear regressions found that, after controlling for academic ability, participation in AP, DE, Both, or Neither yielded significant differences in some situations and not others: (1) Students who participated in some combination of AP and DE completed a four-year degree earlier than students who chose only AP, only DE, or Neither. (2) Students who participated in DE English or both AP and DE English completed a four-year degree earlier than students who chose only AP, or Neither. (3) In general, the evidence does not support a blanket policy of promoting AP at the expense of DE or visa verse. Freshman GPA at KU, likelihood for persistence to a third semester of college, and time to degree completion were not determined by whether students participated in only AP, only DE, or Neither. The results suggest to families, schools, and policymakers to avoid indiscriminately promoting one program at the expense of the other. The advantages provided to students through participation in AP, DE, or Both may depend on students' goals and course of study.