Early College, Continued Success: Longer-Term Impact of Early College High Schools
Song, Mengli; Zeiser, Kristina; Atchison, Drew; Brodziak de los Reyes, Iliana (2021). Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, v14 n1 p116-142 . Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1293552
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examining2,458Students, grades9-PS
Practice Guide
Review Details
Reviewed: December 2024
- Practice Guide (findings for Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI))
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
ACT or SAT score (in ACT units) |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
0 Years |
Random sample of Cohort 2 and Cohort 3 students;
|
22.70 |
22.40 |
No |
-- | |
|
High School Grade Point Average (GPA) |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Random sample of Cohort 2 and Cohort 3 students;
|
2.98 |
2.98 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Earned any degree between the fifth and tenth year after starting high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
6 Years |
Full sample;
|
36.00 |
34.10 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Earned a Bachelor's Degree after High School |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Full sample;
|
4.50 |
1.20 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Earned any type of postsecondary degree between the fifth and seventh year after starting high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Full sample;
|
4.50 |
1.50 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Earned an associate's degree between the fifth and seventh year after starting high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Full sample;
|
2.00 |
0.70 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Earned a bachelor's degree between the fifth and eighth year after starting high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Full sample;
|
20.70 |
10.90 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Earned a postsecondary degree after high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Full sample;
|
7.80 |
4.70 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Earned an Associate's Degree after High School |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Full sample;
|
2.60 |
2.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Earned a bachelor's degree between the fifth and ninth year after starting high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
5 Years |
Full sample;
|
27.50 |
22.10 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Earned a bachelor's degree between the fifth and tenth year after starting high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
6 Years |
Full sample;
|
30.10 |
24.90 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Earned an associate's degree or certificate between the fifth and tenth year after starting high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
6 Years |
Full sample;
|
7.60 |
11.60 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Enrolled in any college between the fifth and tenth year after starting high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
6 Years |
Full sample;
|
78.00 |
75.00 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Enrolled in a 4-year college between the fifth and seventh year after starting high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Full sample;
|
51.20 |
45.50 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Enrolled in a four-year college after high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Full sample;
|
52.40 |
48.80 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Enrolled in any college after high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Full sample;
|
73.10 |
70.50 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Enrolled in any college between the fifth and seventh year after starting high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Full sample;
|
71.10 |
68.40 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Enrolled in a four-year college between the fifth and tenth year after starting high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
6 Years |
Full sample;
|
56.40 |
55.20 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Enrolled in a two-year college between the fifth and tenth year after starting high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
6 Years |
Full sample;
|
43.40 |
44.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Enrolled in a two-year college after high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
4 Years |
Full sample;
|
35.70 |
37.20 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Enrolled in a 2-year college between the fifth and seventh year after starting high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Full sample;
|
32.80 |
34.80 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Completed College Preparatory Science Sequence |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Random sample of Cohort 2 and Cohort 3 students;
|
50.70 |
41.90 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Applied for financial aid |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Random sample of Cohort 2 and Cohort 3 students;
|
70.80 |
67.70 |
No |
-- | |
|
Applied to college |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Random sample of Cohort 2 and Cohort 3 students;
|
83.10 |
82.90 |
No |
-- | |
|
Completed an Advanced Math Course |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Random sample of Cohort 2 and Cohort 3 students;
|
58.20 |
59.90 |
No |
-- | |
|
Completed College Preparatory Math Sequence |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Random sample of Cohort 2 and Cohort 3 students;
|
75.40 |
78.10 |
No |
-- | |
|
Passed at least one Advanced Placement (AP) exam |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Random sample of Cohort 2 and Cohort 3 students;
|
8.50 |
33.30 |
Yes |
|
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
State standardized tests: English language arts (ELA) |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
-2 Years |
Full sample;
|
0.37 |
0.23 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
State standardized tests - Math |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
-2 Years |
Full sample;
|
0.28 |
0.23 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Graduated high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
86.00 |
80.60 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Withdrawal from initial high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
32.20 |
36.90 |
No |
-- | |
|
Dropped out of high school |
Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
4.90 |
4.80 |
No |
-- |
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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1% English language learners -
Female: 51%
Male: 49% -
Suburban, Town, Urban
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Race Other or unknown 53% White 47% -
Ethnicity Other or unknown 100% -
Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch Free or reduced price lunch (FRPL) 54% No FRPL 46%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in 10 Early College high schools and 272 comparison group high schools. The 10 Early Colleges were located in five states throughout the United States: 5 in urban areas, 2 in mid-sized cities, and 3 in small towns. Eight of the ten early colleges were located on college campus. Seven Early Colleges had partnerships with a 2-year college, two had partnerships with 4-year colleges, and one had partnerships with both 2-year and 4-year colleges. Students in the business-as-usual comparison group schools were also located across the United States.
Study sample
The study sample included three cohorts of students who applied for admissions to 10 Early Colleges, including 1,044 students who received an admission offer and 1,414 comparison students who did not receive an admission offer. Students in the comparison group attended 272 high schools. In an author query, the researchers provided data on the study sample with non-imputed data. Of those students, 49 percent were identified as male and 51 were identified as female, 54 percent were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 1 percent were English learners, and 7 percent had an Individualized Education Plan. Forty-seven percent were identified as White and 53 percent were of other races.
Intervention Group
Early colleges are high schools that partner with local colleges and universities to offer students the opportunity to take college courses, with a goal of increasing college access and enrollment among students who are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary institutions. Early colleges facilitate dual enrollment through established course sequences. Early colleges offered a number of supports to students, including tutoring and college preparatory information. Additionally, some colleges offered personalized advisory meetings with counselors, summer and weekend classes, extended school days, and block scheduling. The college coursework implemented by the early colleges allowed students to earn up to 2 years of college credit.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group were from 272 different high schools across the United States. These schools were, on average, larger than the Early Colleges and had larger racial and ethnic minority and low-income populations. Comparison group schools provided fewer college preparatory supports; however, Advanced Placement coursework was offered as a manner for students to earn college credit.
Support for implementation
No information about the implementation of Early Colleges was provided in the manuscripts.
Additional Sources
In the case of multiple manuscripts that report on one study, the WWC selects one manuscript as the primary citation and lists other manuscripts that describe the study as additional sources.
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Song, Mengli; Zeiser, Kristina L. (2019). Early College, Continued Success: Longer-Term Impact of Early College High Schools. American Institutes for Research.
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Berger, Andrea; Turk-Bicakci, Lori; Garet, Michael; Song, Mengli; Knudson, Joel; Haxton, Clarisse; Zeiser, Kristina; Hoshen, Gur; Ford, Jennifer; Stephan, Jennifer; Keating, Kaeli; Cassidy, Lauren. (2013). Early College, Early Success: Early College High School Initiative Impact Study. American Institutes for Research.
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Haxton, Clarisse; Song, Mengli; Zeiser, Kristina; Berger, Andrea; Turk-Bicakci, Lori; Garet, Michael S.; Knudson, Joel; Hoshen, Gur. (2016). Longitudinal Findings from the Early College High School Initiative Impact Study. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, v38 n2 p410-430.
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Berger, A., Garet, M., Hoshen, G., Knudson, J., & Turk-Bicakci, L. (2014). Early college, continued success: Early college high school initiative impact study. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/ECHSI_Impact_Study_Report_Final1_0.pdf.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
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The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
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The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
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Study findings for this report.
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