Taking College Courses in High School: A Strategy Guide for College Readiness--The College Outcomes of Dual Enrollment in Texas
Struhl, Ben; Vargas, Joel (2012). Jobs for the Future. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED537253
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examining32,908Students, grades11-12
Practice Guide
Review Details
Reviewed: May 2024
- Practice Guide (findings for Dual enrollment—Struhl & Vargas 2012)
- Quasi-Experimental Design
- Does not meet WWC standards because the analysis does not provide a credible measure of the effectiveness of the intervention.
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
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
Study sample characteristics were not reported.Dual Enrollment Programs Intervention Report - Transition to College
Review Details
Reviewed: February 2017
- Quasi-Experimental Design
- Meets WWC standards with reservations because it uses a quasi-experimental design in which the analytic intervention and comparison groups satisfy the baseline equivalence requirement.
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.
Please see the WWC summary of evidence for Dual Enrollment Programs.
Findings
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Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Enrollment in postsecondary education |
Dual Enrollment Programs vs. Business as usual |
6 Years |
Full sample;
|
N/A |
N/A |
Yes |
|
|
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
College completion |
Dual Enrollment Programs vs. Business as usual |
6 Years |
Full sample;
|
N/A |
N/A |
Yes |
|
|
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Persistence |
Dual Enrollment Programs vs. Business as usual |
6 Years |
Full sample;
|
N/A |
N/A |
Yes |
|
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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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Texas
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Race Black 7% Other or unknown 28% White 66%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in the state of Texas. The study used data from the entire 2004 graduating cohort of students from the state. Students came from multiple high schools and districts and were tracked for 6 years post-high school.
Study sample
The majority of students in both the intervention and comparison groups were White, with 66% in both groups. Only 6% of intervention and 7% of comparison students were Black. Roughly 18% of students in each group were considered low-income. Less than 1% in each group were limited English proficient students.
Intervention Group
Students in the intervention group participated in dual enrollment courses during their eleventh- and twelfth-grade school years. These students earned college credit while still in high school.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group did not earn college credit while in high school. They participated in regular high school courses and curricula.
Support for implementation
The state of Texas passed a bill in 2006 that directed all districts to offer students the opportunity to earn up to 12 college credits before graduating high school. This bill allocated $275 per-student funding that could be used for this purpose. The bill allowed high schools and postsecondary institutions to form partnerships in order to meet these requirements. In 2007, the legislature passed another bill which provided funding for innovative high school design models, including early college high schools. These new bills resulted in an increase in the number of dual enrollment participants in the state of Texas.
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.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
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.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
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.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).