A new Community College Research Center (CCRC) report examining accelerated coursework at Texas high schools is calling for the expansion of dual enrollment to career and technical education (CTE) programs.
CCRC studied the crossover between students taking dual enrollment (DE) and other accelerated programs, such as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and Early College High School. The findings show that students who combine DE with these programs tend to graduate at higher rates and earn more by age 24 than students who took only AP/IB courses.
With only one in five Texas high school students taking DE, the report says there’s an opportunity to “broaden the benefits of accelerated coursework to more students.”
Opportunities, challenges
Researchers also looked at DE among high school CTE programs, finding that less than 5% of students combine a CTE focus (10 or more CTE courses) with dual enrollment — but those who did had significantly higher earnings and postsecondary enrollment and attainment rates than those who took just CTE courses.
“Given the growing interest in career-focused postsecondary education among students and policymakers, college and K-12 leaders should explore ways to expand DE offerings to CTE students,” says the report released this week, adding: “The fact that DE takers with a CTE focus not only show sustained earning gains throughout their mid-20s but are also more like than students with a CTE focus to earn a bachelor’s degree suggests a promising pathway for expanding the advantages of CTE.”
The report observes that students who focus only on CTE generally experience stronger earnings gains compared to their high school peers in the first three years after graduation. However, this trend takes a turn by the sixth year, when these students report lower earnings than students in other accelerated programs. Combining with DE could help these students increase their earnings, as DE courses are aligned with CTE programs of study, providing advising and guidance related to postsecondary degrees and careers.
The report notes the opportunities and challenges in developing combined CTE and DE programs. Participation in CTE-focused courses, either alone or in combination with DE, increased among Texas high school students from 19% among students who graduated in 2015 and 2016, to 25% in the 2022 cohort, the report says. However, less than 5% of these students combined CTE and DE, with lower numbers doing so among low-income, male and Black students. CCRC notes the disparity that exists among students taking accelerated courses and DE programs based on race, ethnicity, gender and income. This has also been a challenge among dual-enrollment programs, in general.
Learning from ECHS
Researchers found that Early High School College (ECHS) students are more diverse than other students taking accelerated courses. They complete associate degrees at higher rates and earn more than other Texas students overall by age 21, but they comprise only 5% of high school students statewide, the report says.
CCRC also notes that expanding access to DE is not enough, especially for lower-income students.
“DE partnerships need to invest in extensive supports to help some DE students acclimate to college-level coursework and explore and plan postsecondary pathways with college advisors,” the report says, adding that it’s an approach used in the ECHS programs in Texas that other programs could learn from.
