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Expanding Horizons: Implementation, Access, and Understanding the Dual Credit Course Landscape in Kentucky

Robin Hebert

Senior Fellow, K12 Policies & Programs

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

Trinity Walsh

Coordinator of Early Postsecondary Opportunities

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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True or False - place your response in the CHAT

When a student completes a dual credit course, they receive credit from BOTH the institution of higher education AND the high school.
Students are eligible for dual credit coursework only during their senior year of high school.
Fewer than 25% of Kentucky’s current graduates have completed a dual credit class.

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Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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What is Dual Credit?

KRS 158.007(8) defines dual credit as:

"...a college-level course of study developed in accordance with KRS 164.098 in which a high school student receives credit from both the high school and postsecondary institution in which the student is enrolled upon completion of a single class or designated program of study."

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Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Why take dual credit? What does the research say?

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Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. (August 2020). Dual credit & student success: The effect of high school dual credit on educational outcomes at Kentucky public universities. https://cpe.ky.gov/data/reports/dualcreditreport.pdf

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Why take dual credit? What does the research say?

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Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. (August 2020). Dual credit & student success: The effect of high school dual credit on educational outcomes at Kentucky public universities. https://cpe.ky.gov/data/reports/dualcreditreport.pdf

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Collaboration: the Key to Student Success

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K-12 Students/Families/

Educators

Community/

Business Partners

Postsecondary Institutions

Thoughtful

Researched

Intentional

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Who is taking dual credit

75%

Source: CPE Data, Research and Advanced Analytics Unit.

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Dual credit access

Dual credit programs are less likely to be found in schools:

Having large percentages of low-income students
With overall small student populations
Located in urban areas

Instead, programs are more likely to be found in school that:

Are predominantly middle- or upper-income
Are located in suburban or rural areas
Have overall large student populations

Source: Rand Corporation.

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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CPE Dual Credit Attainment Goal

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By 2030, 50% of Kentucky high school students should graduate high school having completed at least one dual credit course with a qualifying grade of a C or higher. As Kentucky increases rates of student success in dual credit, the state is working to ensure that the economic, demographic, and geographic makeup of students participating in dual credit matches the economic, demographic, and geographic makeup of Kentucky’s high school population as a whole.

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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This Goal is Highly Attainable

These gaps are not insurmountable. We estimate that in order to close access gaps entirely Kentucky’s dual credit programs statewide would need to add approximately 500 new underrepresented students each year who complete a dual credit course with a qualifying grade above the levels they are participating at right now.

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With 443 public high schools in the state of Kentucky, that amounts to dual credit programs needing to add approximately ONE or TWO new underrepresented students per high school who complete one dual credit course with a qualifying grade each year between now and 2030. We can do this.

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Dual Credit Attainment Strategies

The Strategies

Kentucky’s Dual Credit Attainment goal will be accomplished by:

Supporting Student Success in Dual Credit - Students should have access to a robust set of support services, including high-quality counseling and advising on how dual credit will serve students’ onward college and career goals.
Strengthening Partnerships Between High Schools and Colleges, and Engaging Employer Partners - Strong, authentic partnerships between high schools and colleges that engage employer partners in industries with workforce needs in the state as appropriate are essential to building and sustaining sound policies and practices, including expanding student access and growing the number of HS teachers credentialed to teach dual credit in Kentucky.
Expanding Access to Early Postsecondary Opportunities (EPSOs) as a Whole - Increasing the number of students should not come at the expense of reallocating student coursetaking between EPSOs, but from expanding the pool of EPSO opportunities available for students as a whole.

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Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Access & Attainment Audit

There are a variety of resources that you can use to start analyzing your Dual Credit Program.

https://bit.ly/3J5AZRh

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Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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CTE & Dual Credit

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Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Dual Credit Enrollment & CTE Dual Credit Enrollment Trends

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School Year	Approximate % of CTE Dual Credit Enrollment
18-19	25.81%
19-20	27.29%
20-21	26.90%
21-22	30.00%

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Let the Data Shape Your Partnership

How many dual credit courses are you currently offering?

General Education

Do you have an English & math option?

Career & Technical Education

Can current CTE courses be eligible for dual credit?�

Are there areas where you would like to offer advanced level courses that currently don’t exist?

How do you survey your students for their future career interests?

Are your courses limited in these areas?�

Are you targeting your regional economic/workforce needs?

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Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Let the Data Shape Your Partnership

Do you have faculty members who could be credentialed?

Are there institutions that have pathways built for major/career exploration?

Why reinvent the wheel?
Even if these partner universities are not nearby, are there online options?

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http://bit.ly/3kZJuDK	http://bit.ly/3ZJ65TQ	https://bit.ly/3YDzw8F

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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How Are You Engaging All of the Partners?

Are ALL students aware of dual credit opportunities?

If not, why?

Are dual credit opportunities limited to certain student groups?
Just need better communication ideas?

If so, how are you communicating with students about these opportunities?

Are you starting that communication early enough?

Ideas for Consideration & Collaboration:

What are other school districts policies and procedures?
Do they have any innovative ways that they are communicating with families and students?
How can you share your ideas with other school districts/postsecondary institutions?
Have a great idea that you would be willing to share? Enter your email in the chat!�

�

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Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Let the Data Shape Your Partnership

How are you advising students AND families?

Dual Credit Policies & Procedures, Easily Accessible
Advising course choices
Opening up future possibilities

Double major in the future?
New careers/majors on the horizon

How to send transcript/materials�

How do you engage your families and community in understanding the dual credit process and programming?

Family nights/meetings
Pamphlets/Flyers
Social Media, Logos & Branding

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Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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KY SCHOOL REPORT CARD https://www.kyschoolreportcard.com/

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#1

#2

#3

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Let the Data Shape Your Financing

How many students do you have that take dual credit courses beyond the allocated KHEAA scholarships numbers?

Do you have some innovative ways to finance dual credit costs (beyond KHEAA scholarships)?

How can you showcase your programming?
How can you collaborate with your community to make this a community investment in their economic future?

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Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Where Does the Money Come From?

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Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Why Dual Credit?

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Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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EPSO Toolkit & Webinars

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EPSO Toolkit

https://bit.ly/EPSO-Toolkit

EPSO Webinar Series

https://bit.ly/CPE-EPSO-ToolkitPD

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Data Center: cpe.ky.gov/data

Newsletter: cpe.ky.gov/news/subscribe

Stay Connected

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

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Robin Hebert

Senior Fellow, K12 Policies & Programs

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

robin.hebert@ky.gov

Trinity Walsh

Coordinator of Early Postsecondary Opportunities

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

trinity.walsh@ky.gov

Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education