Lax QC in dual enrollment

In a surprise move earlier this year, the Florida council of community college presidents voted to approve a comprehensive overhaul of dual enrollment courses for the entire state. The initiative is unparalled in its breadth and scope.

http://home.earthlink.net/~fheapb...lderfiles/DualEnrollmentOverhaul.rtf

In sharp contrast with the laissez faire attitude of the past, the Council of Presidents, an administrative body made up of community college presidents, has defined an ambitious set of goals for shoring up the lax oversight of the statewide program that allows tens of thousands of high school students to earn both high school and college credit while taking college level courses. These courses are usually given at local high schools by high school instructors for college credit that is transferable to 2 year and 4 year colleges and universities. Community colleges are responsible for the awarding of dual enrollment (called Early College by the Council) college credits.

The central challenge facing the state has been the problem of bridging the organizational and historical gaps between the 28 community colleges and the 68 school districts in the state. Compounding these difficulties, is the fact that over the past decade, dual enrollment programs have sprung up around Florida in great variety and with diverse levels of rigor and quality.

The initiative is comprised of standards covering every aspect of the articulating relationships between the community colleges and local school districts, including standards for admission into dual enrollment courses, faculty credentialing and oversight, curriculum standards, classroom expectations, assessment and program review, and Articulation Agreements.

For example, in prior years, community colleges sometimes did not have written agreements (Articulation Agreements) with school districts in which EC/DE courses were given, and this has resulted in deep concern regarding the quality of these courses.

It remains to be seen, however, how this ambitious initiative will be implemented. The Statement of Standards included no deadlines, and the group promulgating it has no legal standing to enforce it. It is also unclear why the Council of Presidents, a relatively minor body, has taken the lead on this rather than the Office of Articulation or the Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Education, FL DOE.

But by its very nature, dual enrollment / Early College programs inhabit a murky zone that straddles the realms of secondary and postsecondary education. The present initiative, however, seeks to bridge this gap in unprecedented ways that may also have an impact on other states.

Compounding these problems, the regional accrediting association for the South, SACS, has been officially moving away from enforcing faculty standards since 2002, which apply to courses and course credits awarded by community colleges. This has left much confusion in its wake, and makes the provisions in the Florida DE overhaul problematic.

At this time, it is unclear what additional measures will be needed to fill the vacuum created by SACS backing away from faculty standards, thereby leaving it up to the individual institutions themselves to decide who can teach college-level courses. The diversity for which the South is famous makes this problematic, especially with the spotlight now on standards and quality control in higher education.

Glen S. McGhee, Dir., at Florida Higher Education Accountability Project, at 9:55 am EDT on October 17, 2007

As a parent of a student in dual enrollment, I also feel very positive about the program. I think it will make the transition to college much easier and less stressful. She has still maintained nearly the same GPA of 3.6 and has learned some lessons about how a college class is stuctured early on when it almost doesn’t count. I am concerned that there be some bar set rather than opening the program to anyone. There must be a min GPA, or at least ability to pass the college’s assesments or it is a waste of the students time and effort and the tax payers money. I would guess that the reason these students have been so successful is a combination of their desire to succeed and their academic ability. My daughter persued this choice on her own. It would never have worked if I pushed it on her. It takes a great deal of time management and self disapline to succeed in a program like this. It is also not for the student who is heavily involved in the High School community. The student does miss out a lot in the High School experience like schoold spirit type events. All in all I would highly recomend investigating the oportunity to participate in a dual enrollment program if a student is interested.

Linda, Parent, at 9:55 am EDT on October 17, 2007

Concurrent Enrollment

It is important to make a distinction between dual enrollment in general and concurrent enrollment specifically. The latter, a special case of dual enrollment, requires that the college courses are taught on the high school campuses by high school instructors who have been certified as adjunct professors. Professional development is required for instructors, and a close relationship to university faculty and university resources is fostered. UConn Early College Experience serves 5,000 students annually; these students begin their college educations in their familiar environment that allows them to focus on the academic aspects of college as they prepare for a more complete transition. Concurrent enrollment programs are often (and should always be) accredited by national standards developed by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (www.nacep.org).College Now (the CUNY program cited in the article) has a focus on concurrent enrollment; however, the research cited (Hughes) in this article unfortunately did not differentiate between generalized dual enrollment and the more specific concurrent enrollment. The mission and goals of each are different, and both are different from Advanced Placement, which is a high stakes testing program based on performance in a single sitting, and not intended to holistically improve the high school environment. Colleges do NOT universally accept AP scores, nor is their educational value beyond dispute.

Gillian B. Thorne, Director, UConn Early College Experience at University of Connecticut, at 4:45 pm EDT on October 17, 2007

Concurrent Enrollment

I am pleased to see research being conducted on dual enrollment from agencies outside of NACEP that furthers the scholarship on dual and concurrent enrollment. Many of us involved with concurrent enrollment programs (CEP) conduct program specific research and evaluation studies to ensure that the quality and integrity of the courses offered in the high schools matches or exceeds those of the campus sections.

In regards to NACEP definitions, they define concurrent enrollment as follows:

“Through Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships, qualified students can earn college credit prior to high school graduation. CEPs differ from other pre-college credit programs because high school instructors teach the college courses during the normal school day. Such programs provide a direct connection between secondary and post-secondary institutions and an opportunity for collegial collaboration. Although courses in some CEPs may have some elements or characteristics of the programs stated below, CEPs are distinct programs from the following: - Programs in which the high school student travels to the college campus to take courses prior to graduation during the academic year or during the summer. - Programs where college faculty travel to the high school to teach courses to the high school students. — The College Board Advanced Placement Program and the International Baccalaureate Program where standardized tests are used to assess students’ knowledge of a curriculum developed by a committee consisting of both college and high school faculty. “

Source: http://nacep.org/pdfs/NACEP_Standards1.pdf

I think part of the problem we encounter is the different definitions that are used, sometimes interchangeably, to describe dual and concurrent enrollment. The NACEP standards are excellent resources for ensuring quality programs as well as outlining the college/university’s responsibilities toward the participating high schools and students.

Jerry Edmonds, Director at Syracuse University Project Advance, at 2:55 pm EDT on October 18, 2007

CE is high stakes and..

I wanted to comment on the CE parent’s post, when she said that the CE classes were low stakes. One of my major problems with them (and I have plenty!) is that they really aren’t low stakes. They are part of the student’s college transcripts and, in my state at least, are counted as transfer credit. We have students come in with so much CE that some first-time freshmen have 30, 40, even 60 credits and an associate’s degree. Low grades in CE can affect both incoming scholarship status and long-term GPA. We have 250+ “freshmen” who entered on academic probation because of CE classes!

StrumpetwithaTrumpet, at 7:15 pm EDT on October 20, 2007