StatewideEnrollmentPatterns.Overall,thefindingsfromthestatewidedataonenrollmentincourses fordualcreditindicategrowthinenrollmentsovertime.Totalstateenrollmentincoursesfordualcredit rosefrom71,803in2007–08to94,232in2009–10,anincreaseof31%.Anexaminationofenrollmentin coursesfordualcreditbystudentcharacteristicsrevealeddifferentpatternsofparticipationamong studentsubgroups.Forexample,malestudentswereunderrepresentedamongstudentswhowere enrolledincoursesfordualcreditrelativetotheirrepresentationwithinthehighschoolpopulationasa whole;whitestudentswereoverrepresented,andotherracial/ethnicgroups,particularlyAfrican‐
Americanstudents,wereunderrepresentedrelativetotheirrepresentationwithinthehighschool populationasawhole;economicallydisadvantagedstudentsalsowereunderrepresented.Ananalysisof schoolcharacteristicsthatwerepredictiveofenrollmentincoursesfordualcreditalsorevealed
differencesinparticipationratesamongschoolswithstudentswhowereenrolledincoursesfordual credit. Forexample,schoolslocatedinruralareasandschoolsthathadhigherpercentagesofAfrican‐
Americanstudents,LEPstudents,andstudentstakingAP/IBexamshadlowerenrollmentratesin coursesfordualcredit,controllingforschoolsizeandotherschoolcharacteristicsincludedinthe analysis.
Differencesinparticipationratesincoursesfordualcreditmayreflectdifferencesinacademic achievementamongvarioussubgroups(e.g.,betweenmaleandfemalestudentsorbetween
economicallydisadvantagedstudentsandstudentswhoarenoteconomicallydisadvantaged).Because studentsmustmeetacademiceligibilityrequirementstoenrollincoursesfordualcredit,student subgroupsthathaveloweraverageachievementarelikelytobeunderrepresentedamongstudentswho enrollincoursesfordualcredit.Someofthesedifferences,suchaslowerenrollmentratesamong African‐AmericanstudentsandschoolswithhighpercentagesofAfrican‐Americanstudents,maybea causeforconcern. Others,suchaslowerenrollmentratesatschoolswithhighpercentagesofstudents
takingAP/IBexams,arenotsurprisingbecauseAP/IBcoursesareanalternativemeansforhighschool studentstoearncollegecredit.
CourseAvailabilityandCourse‐TakingPatterns. Withinthestateasawhole,awidevarietyofcourses fordualcreditisavailabletostudentsinbothacademicandcareerortechnicalareas.Ananalysisof enrollmentincoursesfordualcreditbysubjectarearevealedthatapproximately70%ofcoursestaken byhighstudentswereincoreacademicsubjectareassuchassocialstudies/history(31%),English languagearts(26%),mathematics(8%),andscience(4%);20%ofcourseswereincareerortechnical educationandcomputerscience.Approximately6%ofthecoursesfellintothecategoryof“other.”
Anexaminationofenrollmentinspecifictypesofdualenrollmentcoursesbystudentcharacteristics revealeddifferentpatternsofcourseenrollmentbystudentsubgroups.Forexample,African‐American andHispanicstudentstookgreaterconcentrationsofcourseworkfordualcreditincareerortechnical educationandcomputerscienceandlowerconcentrationsincoreacademicsubjectssuchassocial studies/historyandEnglishlanguageartscomparedwithwhiteandAsianstudents.Economically disadvantagedstudentsalsotookgreaterconcentrationsofcourseworkincareerortechnicaleducation andcomputersciencethanstudentswhowerenoteconomicallydisadvantaged.Suchdifferencesmay reflectlong‐standingachievementgapsamongstudentsinthesesubgroups.Thestudenteligibility requirementsforcareerortechnicaleducationcoursesarelowerthanthoseforcoreacademiccourses. Toqualifytoenrollincareerortechnicaleducationcoursesorcomputersciencecourses,studentsonly havetomeetthepassingstandardonTAKS;toqualifytoenrollinacademiccourses,studentsmust satisfythestandardforthehighereducationreadinesscomponentormeetTSIrequirements.
StudentPerformance.Thefindingsregardingstudentperformanceincoursesfordualcreditwere generallypositive.Virtuallyallstudents(99.9%)whoenrolledincoursesfordualcreditcompletedthese courses,andmost(94%ormoreacrossdifferentsubjectareas)alsoreceivedpassinggradesforthe affiliatedhighschoolcourse.Atleast95%ofstudentswhowereenrolledincoursesfordualcreditin 2009–10alsometbasicTAKSproficiencystandardsinallsubjectareasonthe2010TAKS.
Thepercentageofstudentswhowereenrolledincoursesfordualcreditin2009–10andwere commendedonthe2010TAKSvariedbothbycoursetypeandTAKSsubjectarea. Overall,asmaller percentageofstudentswhowereenrolledincomputersciencecoursesandcareerortechnicalcourses fordualcreditreceivedacommendedratingonTAKSsubjectareaassessmentscomparedwithstudents whowereenrolledinothercourses.Forexample,amongstudentswhowereenrolledincareeror technicaleducationcourses,29%werecommendedinreading,27%werecommendedinmath,18% werecommendedinscience,and54%werecommendedinsocialstudies.Incontrast,amongstudents whowereenrolledinmathematicscourses,67%werecommendedinreading,70%werecommendedin math,48%werecommendedinscience,and85%werecommendedinsocialstudies.Thesedifferences againreflectdifferencesinstudenteligibilityrequirementsbetweenacademiccoursesandcareeror technicalcoursesandcomputercourses.
Thepercentageofstudentswhowereenrolledincoursesfordualcreditandwhometthedualcredit eligibilitystandardsorTSIexemptionstandardsinEnglishlanguageartsandmathematicsalsovariedby
coursetypeandTAKSsubjectarea.Thesestandardsaredefinedinrelationtostudentperformanceon theTAKS.Inparticular,tomeetdualcrediteligibilitystandardsorTSIexemptionstandardsinEnglish languagearts,studentsneedtoscoreatleast2200onTAKS‐EnglishLanguageArtsandreceiveascore ofatleast3ontheirwrittenessay.Inmathematics,studentsneedtoscoreatleast2200onTAKS‐Math. Overall,thepercentageofstudentswhometdualcrediteligibilitystandardsforacademiccourseswas higherforstudentswhowereenrolledincoreacademiccourses(Englishlanguagearts,mathematics, science,andsocialstudents/history)thanforstudentswhowereenrolledincareerortechnical educationcoursesandcomputersciencecourses.Forexample,amongstudentswhowereenrolledin careerortechnicalcourses,60%meteligibilitystandardsforacademiccoursesonTAKS‐English LanguageArts,and66%metTSIstandardsforacademiccoursesonTAKS‐Math.Incontrast,among studentswhowereenrolledinmathematicscourses,86%meteligibilitystandardsinEnglishlanguage artsand97%meteligibilitystandardsinmathematics.Again,differencesinthepercentageofstudents meetingeligibilitystandardsreflectdifferencesinrequirementsbetweenacademiccoursesandcareer ortechnicalcoursesandcomputersciencecourses.
Itshouldbenotedthatbeginninginthe2011–12academicyear,TEAwillbeginimplementationofthe StateofTexasAssessmentsofAcademicReadiness(STAAR)inplaceofthecurrentTAKSassessment. Thisshiftwillnecessitateareformulationofthecurrentbenchmarksfordeterminingcollegereadiness anddualcrediteligibilitystandards.Therefore,theseimpendingchangesshouldbeconsideredbefore anypolicychangesareimplementedbasedonstudentperformancefindings.