IHEsreportedworkingwithmultiplepartnerstoensurethatcoursesfordualcreditarealignedwiththe statestandards,theTexasEssentialKnowledgeandSkills(TEKS).AsshowninTable23,thevastmajority ofIHEs(73%)workedwithLEAstoaligncourseswiththeTEKS.IHEsalsomentionedthattheyensure thatcoursesarealignedwiththeTEKSbyworkingwithsyllabifromothercollegecourses.Similarly,88% ofhighschooladministratorsreportedthatinordertoensurethatcoursesavailablefordualcredit provideadvancedacademicinstructionbeyond,oringreaterdepththan,theTEKS,theymonitorthe collegecoursesyllabiandrelyonorworkwiththeirhighereducationpartner.
Table23.IHEDualCreditCourseTEKSAlignmentStrategies Whichofthefollowingdoesyourschooldotoensurethat
thedualcreditcoursesitoffersmeetorexceedtheTexas EssentialKnowledgeandSkills(TEKS)?(N=15)
Percentage
Workswithschooldistrict(LEA)toaligncourseswithTEKS 73.3% IHEalignscurriculumwithTEKS 26.7% WorkswithTEAtoaligncourseswithTEKS 13.3%
Other 60.0%
Source:HigherEducationAdministratorTelephoneSurvey,ResearchStudyofTexasDual CreditProgramsandCourses(TexasEducationAgency,2011)
Note.Respondentswereinstructedtoselectallthatapply;therefore,percentagesexceed100%.
Eachsurveyaskedrespondentshowtheyensurethequalityandrigorofcoursesofferedtostudentsfor dualcredit.ThedatasuggestthattheeffortsmadebyIHEstoensurequalityandrigorareconsistentand universallyappliedacrossallcourses.Highschoolrespondentsmostfrequently(27%)statedthatthe qualityandrigorofcoursesfordualcreditareensuredbymonitoringteacherquality,thecurriculum, andpedagogyintheclassroom.LEArespondentsmostfrequently(39%)reportedthatthequalityand rigorofcoursesfordualcreditareensuredbyreviewingtheIHE’scurriculumandsyllabiandmonitoring thecoursesforalignmentwiththeTEKS.
Overall,mostIHEs(73%)reportedthatcoursesfordualcreditdeliveredbytheircollege/universityare consistentlyrigorousacrosscourses,and87%ofIHErespondentsreportedthatcoursesfordualcredit taughtatthecollegecampusareequallyasrigorousascoursesfordualcredittaughtatthehighschool campus.Similarly,mosthighschooladministratorsreportedthatcoursesfordualcreditareconsistently rigorousacrosscourses(44%),orthatthereisonlyasmalldegreeofdifferenceinthelevelofrigor amongcourses(50%).AccordingtoallIHEs,highschoolstudentsmustmeetthesameattendance requirementsascollegestudentstoreceivecredit.
Highschooladministratorsalsoreportedonthreecommonprogramsorpracticesusedtoprepare studentsforcollege:coursesfordualcredit,APcourses,andIBprograms.AsshowninTable24,thevast majorityofrespondentsstatedthateachoftheseprogramsorpracticesiseffectiveorveryeffectivein preparingstudentsforcollege.
Table24.EffectivenessofAdvancedCourseOfferingsinAidingCollegeEnrollment Howeffectivearethese
programs/practicesinhelping studentsenrollincollege?
N Very
Ineffective Ineffective Effective
Very
Effective Missing
Coursesfordualcredit 34 11.8% 0.0% 20.6% 67.6% ‐
APclasses 27 7.4% 11.1% 33.3% 44.4% 3.7%
IBprograms 4 ‐ ‐ 25.0% 50.0% 25.0%
Source:HighSchoolAdministratorTelephoneSurvey,ResearchStudyofTexasDualCreditProgramsandCourses (TexasEducationAgency,2011)
Note.Thisquestionwasaskedonlyofthoserespondentswhoreportedthattheirhighschoolofferedthese courses.Inaddition,amongthoserespondentswhoreportedthattheirhighschoolofferedAPorIBcourses,some didnotanswerthisquestion(thosecodedas“Missing”).
InresponsetoaquestionabouttheextenttowhichAPcourses,IBcourses,andcoursesfordualcredit wereoffered,thegreatestpercentageofrespondents(74%)fromthehighschoolsurveysaidtheir schoolwidelyofferedcoursesfordualcredit(orhadcontractualarrangementswithanIHEtooffersuch courses),followedbyabouthalfofrespondents(53%)reportingwidelyofferingAPcourses.Only12%of highschooladministratorsreportedofferinganyIBcoursesattheirschool.
Whenaskedtocomparecoursesfordualcredittoothertypesofadvancedcourses(SeeTables25and 26),45%ofrespondentstothehighschoolsurveywhoprovidedratingssaidAPcoursesweremore rigorousthandualcreditcourses(9%ofrespondentsdidnotanswerthisquestionsorsaid“Idon’t know”),38%ofrespondentswhoprovidedratingssaidIBcoursesweremorerigorous(53%of respondentsdidnotanswerthisquestionorsaid“Idon’tknow”).Another42%ofrespondentsstated thatAPcourseswereequallyasrigorousascoursesfordualcredit,and50%ofrespondentsstatedthat IBcourseswere.Mostifnotallrespondentsreportedgivingadditionalweightinthecalculationofhigh schoolgradepointaveragesforacademiccoursesfordualcredit(79%),APcourses(96%)whenoffered, andIBcourses(100%)whenoffered.
Table25.ComparativeRigorofAPandCoursesforDualCredit Inyouropinion,APcoursestypicallyare:(N=31) Percentage
Morerigorousthancoursesfordualcredit 45.2% Equallyasrigorousascoursesfordualcredit 41.9% Lessrigorousthancoursesfordualcredit 12.9%
Source:HighSchoolAdministratorTelephoneSurvey,ResearchStudyofTexas DualCreditProgramsandCourses(TexasEducationAgency,2011)
Note. 9%ofthesampleresponded‘Idon’tknow’ordidnotrespond.Onlyrespondents whoreportedonthecomparativerigorof APcoursesareincludedinthetable.
Table26.ComparativeRigorofIBandCoursesforDualCredit Inyouropinion,IBcoursestypicallyare:(N=16) Percentage
Morerigorousthancoursesfordualcredit 37.5% Equallyasrigorousascoursesfordualcredit 50.0% Lessrigorousthancoursesfordualcredit 12.5%
Source:HighSchoolAdministratorTelephoneSurvey,ResearchStudyofTexas DualCreditProgramsandCourses(TexasEducationAgency,2011)
Note. 53%ofthesampleresponded“Idon’tknow”ordidnotrespond.Only respondentswhoreportedonthecomparativerigorofIBcoursesarerepresented inthetable.