Dual enrollment classes are on the rise in recent years, with more and more high schools offering more and more of them, giving students a chance to earn an ever-higher array of college credits. This proliferation is piecemeal, however, and some are concerned that these courses are not doing what they are intended to.
In this article, we’re going to examine what dual enrollment courses are, why they work, and when they don’t. As with so many things in high school, it’s hard to make any universal statements about the benefits of dual enrollment courses. Let’s explore the nuances then, and see if these are a good option for you to pursue.
The Unstoppable Growth of Dual Enrollment Classes
Dual enrollment classes are becoming increasingly popular for any number of reasons, but it is primarily due to a growth in demand. These courses have been available in some limited form for quite some time, but were previously fairly exceptional. When I was in high school (longer ago than it seems), dual annulment courses were only available to those students who were so accelerated in math that they ran out of other coursework to pursue in the building. These students could either switch to computer science, or participate in a dual enrollment course.
That was the original purpose of these courses, and a sensible one; to give students options for coursework that went beyond what high schools had the need or resources to offer, usually in math and languages alone. As with other advanced coursework, however, a confluence of pressures have caused both high schools and students to want more, and more access, to these courses.
The primary drivers of this phenomenon are:
- A desire by students to take the best courses possible. This is something colleges care about a lot, and as admissions gets more competitive, any perceived advantage is reached for.
- The growing cost of college. College costs a lot, so earning a bunch of credits in high school, theoretically shortening your time to degree, can be very appealing.
- Perceived student benefits. High schools chase trends like everyone else, and the more schools that adopt this, the more their peers look into doing the same.
Each school district has its own reasons for doing it of course, but these are the deeper trends driving the spread of dual enrollment courses across the country. We support students having more options, and these are well-intentioned, but the rapid spread is revealing some issues with the system that weren’t apparent (or indeed much of a problem), when it was rarer.
Growing Issues With Dual Enrollment Courses
The alarm has been raised primarily by the accrediting body for dual enrollment programs, which published a report on how gaps and differences in policy between states have made a patchwork of programs, some of which are far less effective at their state goals than others.
This is a growing problem, but not necessarily a surprising one. When things grow before regulation can catch up, there are always growing pains, periods of adjustment. This is especially true when each state is in charge of its own educational policy, and must set its own standards.
While eighteen states do have holistic guidelines, ten have no guidance or regulation at all, and the remaining states only have patchwork policies in place, with no overarching framework. The experience students have, and what they get out of courses, is then dependent on local resources, policies, and procedures.
This is a problem because it means the main benefit of these courses, the increased rigor and material, isn’t universally applied or ensured. Colleges thus have a patchwork of guessing and questions when it comes to evaluating what students have done in their dual enrollment courses, and whether or not students actually gain any benefits, in admissions or in learning, is highly variable.
The Preparation Issue
There is another problem, though more anecdotal, which can be found if you browse forums frequented by university professors and other educators. This si that many of the high school students who enroll in these dual enrollment offerings are unprepared for the material, the rigor, or the structure of college courses.
Now, these are anecdotal complaints, and these forums (like all online spaces) primarily attract those who are already looking to complain. That said, the frequency of these complaints, and the consistency of substance in them is a cause for concern, especially for students who are considering dual enrollment courses.
The professors have the following common complaints to make:
- Students are not prepared for college-level and college style courses, expecting them to instead be just like the courses they have in high school.
- Students often receive insufficient support from their high schools, and founder with the college material.
- Students do not behave well in class, but treat it the same way they do high school courses.
- As the number of dual enrollment students increases, including younger students, their overall ability to handle college coursework goes down.
Now, some of these students fail the courses, some withdraw. There are sadly no good national statistics for how students perform when they take part in dual enrollment courses. The problems, however, are clear to see, from both the district and the local level.
As more students are interested, and schools push more students into these programs answering demand, the reality on the ground outstrips any oversight or standardization of these programs. At the same time, students who may not be ready feel like taking these classes is expected of them, and so they sign up, even though they aren’t prepared for college coursework. This leads professors to either have to water down the courses (which many are loath to do) or fail many of these students who simply can’t handle the jump in expectations.
Is Dual Enrollment Worth it for You?
This then leads to the core question: are dual enrollment courses worth enrolling in for you? This, of course, depends. What the report demonstrates, more than anything, is that how good dual enrollment courses are, how much benefit they provide, is fully dependent on where you are, and how your particular school district approaches offering these courses to students. We recommend evaluating the following:
- Your school’s dual enrollment practices and culture
- Your personal readiness for courses at this level
Your School’s Courses
For college admissions, you are judged in the context of your school, and that you have taken the most advanced courses available to you. From what we have heard from admissions officers, however, they do not particularly prize dual enrollment over other advanced coursework that’s available, including AP courses and IB courses. How you engage with advanced material is less important than your desire to do it.
It can be hard to determine how functional your school’s dual enrollment program is, but talking with other students, especially older ones, is a great source of information. How were their experiences? Did the program add anything meaningful, or was the material much the same as what they found in an AP course? What were the course expectations like, and how much support does your high school provide?
While college credit from these courses is nice, most colleges (especially top colleges) put hard caps on how much credit you can bring in. If you are planning on attending a local school and want to come in with as much credit as possible, however, this can be a useful consideration.
Your Preparation for College Work
The other important thing to consider is that dual enrollment courses, in many places, have you go to the community college in question and take the course amongst college students. The professors change little, and generally do not extend extra grace just because you are a high school student. Their thinking is that you signed up for the course, so you must deal with it on the course’s terms.
This is very different from high school generally, even the advanced courses you take. Not necessarily in how difficult the material itself is, but the expectations placed on you. These courses rarely offer extra credit, or makeup work, or chances to redo tests if things go wrong. Some might, but these are by far the exception, rather than the norm.
There’s no shame in being more comfortable with the pace and expectations of high school work; you are a high schooler after all. You can still grapple with advanced topics in high school courses, but these often have more breathing room than their dual enrollment counterparts. That said, if you are confident in your maturity to handle it, this shift in expectations is a great way to begin preparing for the rigors of college courses, where professors tend to have far less leeway.
Final Thoughts
High schools try to set students up for college as best they can, but they too are often caught by trends, ones which they may join without proper planning or statewide support. In many ways, the rise of dual enrollment classes is quite beneficial for high school students, but this does not mean they are the right choice in every case, nor that they should be seen as a perfect solution. Like all other tools, they have a time and a palace where they are useful.
We hope that this article has helped you better understand dual enrollment courses, their strengths and shortcomings, and whether or not they’re the right choice for you to pursue. If you are looking for advice on planning out your high school courses, or aren’t sure which courses to take to maximize your shot at a top college, then Ivy Scholars can help. We work with students of all backgrounds, and have a keen understanding of what colleges want to see from students. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more. We’re always happy to speak with you.
