The Effects of Accelerated College Credit Programs on Educational Attainment in Rhode Island (REL 2021–103) (Shields et al., 2021)

The study examined the effects of accelerated college credit programs on high school graduation rates and college enrollment. Accelerated college credit programs allow high school students to earn college credit while continuing their high school education. These program are largely intended to improve the readiness and success of high school students for college-level education. The study examined three main programs in Rhode Island, focusing on the programs implemented in public schools. The programs included in the accelerated college credit category were dual enrollment (attending college courses taught by college faculty from a public or private college), concurrent enrollment (taking approved college courses taught by instructors on staff at the students’ high school), and Advanced Placement (AP) test taking (a high school course that ends in a standardized assessment administered by the College Board).

The study used a nonexperimental design, comparing the outcomes of students in accelerated college credit programs with a matched group of students not participating in these programs. The study sample included 3,916 students from 57 Rhode Island high schools, all of whom were in ninth grade during the 2013-2014 academic year. The majority of participants were men, White, and resided in suburban areas near public college campuses. Students in the treatment group were those enrolled in at least one accelerated college credit program, while the comparison group consisted of students who opted out of these programs. The data sources were administrative data from Rhode Island’s education system and the National Student Clearinghouse. The authors examined the outcomes of both groups using statistical models.