News

Dual-credit programs more popular in local school districts

December 29, 2009

South Carolina schools continued their across-the-board improvement on Advanced Placement tests according to a recently released report, but many students in high schools across The Times and Democrat Region are opting to enroll in dual-credit programs instead.

DOCUMENT: October 2009 College Board report

AP courses – and the accompanying College Board exams that demonstrate mastery of the course material – let students earn college credit while still in high school. The state Department of Education reported an all-time high of 14,970 tests received at least a 3 on a 5-point scale, earning college credit. That’s up 11 percent from last year. The total tests taken also increased by 23,901 exams to 26,453. Some students take more than one test.

The report also included test results from the state’s International Baccalaureate Organization’s Diploma Programme, a high school program offered to students in grades 11 and 12. Each student taking an IB subject-area test must receive a 4 on a 7-point scale.

Lisa Woodard, an education associate at the state DOE, said the 2009 AP report contains no performance data for schools that had less than five tests with a score high enough to earn AP credit.

No performance data was given for Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Blackville-Hilda, Edisto, Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, Bethune-Bowman or Orangeburg-Wilkinson high schools. Lake Marion High in Orangeburg Consolidated School District 3 had a 21 percent passage rate, with 11 of 52 AP examination tests taken receiving a passing score.

Calhoun County and Denmark-Olar high schools were not included in the report. Officials in those districts said students are instead enrolled in dual-credit course programs, where they take college credit courses through area universities or colleges, including Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College and Denmark Technical College.

“We don’t do the AP exams. Our students are dually enrolled and go to OCtech through a Middle College program in cooperation with the college. It’s an initiative our school district has to receive college credit,” Calhoun County High School Principal Charlene Johnson said.

“AP courses are very expensive, and when you’re at a small, rural school, we want to make sure we provide all the opportunities for our students. The Middle College program gives us the best option for our students ... and they get the experience of actually being on a college campus,” Johnson added. She said the district has participated in the program for three years.

“We want to ensure our students receive the same thing, except they’re just doing it through the dually-enrolled program. Several small schools are,” she said.

Bamberg School District 2 Superintendent Dr. Jake Sello said his district has also not been offering AP classes, but rather has interested students participating in a dual-enrollment program in cooperation with Denmark Technical College.

“We may offer AP courses in the future. I’d like for students to have the option of doing dual enrollment or AP classes,” he said. Sello said he’s not sure whether the AP program exposes children to a higher academic rigor than the dual-enrollment courses.

“Probably not. It’s probably the same because if you’re taking a college class with a college instructor, you would hope that the rigor is there being taught at the college level. I would think the rigor has to be there,” Sello said.

Dr. Shirlan Jenkins, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning in Orangeburg Consolidated 4, said a lot of students in the district take AP courses as well as enroll in dual-credit courses. There are statistics, however, that point to the rigor of AP courses, she said.

“With the dual credit program, those statistics do not exist for that. The dual credit just guarantees students that they will have those units when they start college. It’s all about the AP rigor that gives you some research over time that allows one to give those statistics. I’m not saying they’re more rigorous than dual credit, but they are very rigorous courses and ... a great foundation for the kids,” Jenkins said.

She said Branchville High School, which was not listed in the report, “probably did not have any students taking advanced placement because some of our students, especially at Branchville High, have opted out to take the dual enrollment courses at OCtech rather than take the AP courses.”

Orangeburg Consolidated 5 spokesman Greg Carson said, “Each one has its upside, but in an economy like this one with college tuition rising annually, we’ve noticed that the worse the economy has gotten, the more kids we’ve got taking dual-credit classes. The parent doesn’t have to worry about paying for classes that the kids have already taken while in high school.”

He said all students in OCSD 5 are provided with options and exposed to both dual-credit programs and the AP placement track. Distance and virtual education methods are both used in making sure schools have with what they need to provide instruction.

With fewer than five IB diplomas awarded among 19 attempted at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High, Carson said the district is working to restructure its AP and IB programs with techniques, including enhanced teaching training and professional development and the creation of a “feeder program” into the district’s IB program among elementary and middle school students.

“The wonderful thing about our IB program is kids who have been there and not even got a diploma have earned big-time scholarships simply by participating. The bottom line is you want kids to be exposed to the rigors of the IB program,” Carson said.

Originally post by the Times and Democrat