Date of Award

12-15-2014

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Educational Leadership and Policies

First Advisor

Peter Moyi

Abstract

American high school students are afforded a wide array of opportunities to earn college credits. Industrious secondary students are enrolling in early credit options in steadily growing numbers, and are expecting the benefit of entering the university of their choice with several college credits already completed. However, an unmistakable lack of standardization and predictability exists regarding the transferability of college credits earned by secondary students. The purpose of this research is to determine the relationship between the selectivity level of a university and that university’s willingness to accept either an associate degree or the transfer credits from an early credit provider – particularly that of intensive dual enrollment programs. Intensive Dual Enrollment programs are designed to allow high school students to simultaneously complete their first two years of college and their last two years of high school. The results of the study provide evidence that more selective colleges are less apt to recognize an associate degree earned through an IDE program. The study also showed that higher levels of college selectivity correlate with lower transfer rates of dual credits. The detail of these results can prove instructive for school leaders who are interested in growing a dual enrollment platform at their school. The outcomes can also be informative for school guidance counselors, parents of high school students and the students themselves, as they map academic pathways from high school through college completion. Finally, the research can prove quite helpful for policymakers as they consider ways to increase college accessibility and greatly decrease college costs.

Rights

© 2014, Brian J. Modarelli

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