Why Dual Credit Matters
Want to help young people finish high school? Enroll in college and accumulate credit hours quicker? Finish high school with a certification that helps them start their careers at higher than minimum wage? Earn college degrees faster and with less debt?
Then you should be a HUGE fan of dual credit courses! And those who want to invest our state’s educational resources where they are proven to work, should be, too.
A brand, new summary from the What Works Clearinghouse of the Institute of Education Sciences evaluates the findings from a host of highly reliable studies on the impacts of dual credit. Once again, these studies confirm that this powerful little tool that connects high school students to college course work is worth the investment.
According to the What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report, dual credit or early college programs “were found to have positive effects on students’ degree attainment (college), college access and enrollment, college credit accumulation, completing high school, and general academic achievement (high school),” according to studies that had medium to large extents of evidence.
Students who took dual credit were:
• 25 percentage points more likely to obtain college degrees
• 15 percentage points more likely to enroll in college
• 14 percentage points more likely to accumulate college credit
• 7 percentage points more likely to complete high school
• 7 percentage points more likely to perform well in their high school academics
Frankly, it’s not a surprise that New Mexico’s high school graduation rate has increased to an all-time high, as more and more students are taking advantage of the opportunity to take dual credit courses and earn college credit debt-free.
More than 20,000 New Mexican students took more than 48,000 dual credit courses in the last school year, according to figures from Dual Credit Annual Report AY 2015-2016. Eighty-three percent of those students made a “C” grade or higher, with the majority making “A” grades in their college courses.
Almost 3,000 more students took classes over the previous school year, but there was an increase in courses taken of 10,000, so students are gaining confidence and taking on more and more college-level work while they are in high school. The growth of Early College High Schools across the state also contributes to the rise.
In two of Dona Ana County’s three districts, students taking dual credit courses did, in fact, graduate at much higher rates than the district-wide graduate rate, and just slightly lower in the third:
• 95.5 percent vs. 74.5% in Las Cruces
• 86.8 percent vs. 64.7% in Hatch
• 80.1 percent vs. 80.7% in Gadsden
Among groups of students who took dual credit courses, the largest demographic was among Hispanic students (40 percent). Among genders, more girls take courses than boys (11,000 vs. 9,000).
No matter how you add this up, dual credit works for students. It’s a GREAT investment in the future of not just our young people, but their ability to connect what they learn with what they will one day earn in higher-skilled, higher-paying jobs and businesses of their own.
The only thing about dual credit that doesn’t add up is that we, as a state, have failed to adequately fund our community colleges and universities for the courses they offer. They should be commended for continuing their partnership with schools on behalf of students, especially in an atmosphere of declining resources, but it’s time for us to find a sustainable answer that works for students, schools and the higher education partners.
We, at The Bridge, intend to meet the challenge head-on over the next year. Just like always, we will bring business voice alongside our education partners, rolling up our sleeves and working together to identify a best practice or funding model that expands access to this amazing tool for student success.
We have come too far to turn back now. We’ve seen what young people here can do when we create smooth, clear pathways to support them. Let’s do all we can to make sure nothing stands in their way.
To learn more or get involved, visit www.thebridgeofsnm.org.
