The Empirical Foundation for ACT's Commitment to Dual Enrollment

  

Dual enrollment programs have shown great promise in improving student success in postsecondary education and progress toward a postsecondary credential.6 ACT research shows that high school graduates who enter college with credits from dual enrollment are more likely to be successful in college, including completing a bachelor’s degree in less time, than are students who enter college without such credits.7

In addition, findings from ACT’s most recent Condition of College and Career Readiness report8 suggest that a sizable population exists of students eligible for dual enrollment programs. According to the report, 42 percent of the most recent cohort of high school graduates who took the ACT test were ready for college-level mathematics and 38 percent were ready for college-level science. Overall, 28 percent were college ready in all four subject areas (English, reading, mathematics, and science).9

Dual enrollment programs can also help advance a more rigorous high school curriculum, potentially reducing the gap between high school teachers’ perceptions of the college readiness of their high school graduates and college instructors’ perceptions of the readiness of their incoming first-year students for college-level coursework. Large majorities of the high school teachers surveyed periodically by ACT report that their students are “well” or “very well” prepared for college-level work in their content area, but only about one-fourth of the college instructors surveyed report this about their incoming students.10

ACT also believes that there are benefits beyond improved academic preparation for students who participate in dual enrollment programs. While research supports the value of test scores in predicting postsecondary academic success, other factors are crucial determinants of both college and workplace success, including crosscutting capabilities such as critical thinking; collaborative problem solving; behavioral skills such as persistence and self-regulation; and education and career navigation skills.11 Participation in dual enrollment programs exposes students to experiences that have the potential to strengthen their familiarity with these factors as well. 

According to ACT’s Condition of College and Career Readiness report, a sizable population of students are eligible for dual enrollment programs

Chart Table
Of the most recent cohort of high school SENIORS taking the act test, 42% were ready for college-level math, 38% were ready for college-level science, and 28% were ready in all four subject areas
Of the most recent cohort of high school SENIORS taking the act test, 42% were ready for college-level math, 38% were ready for college-level science, and 28% were ready in all four subject areas
Ready for College-Level Mathmatics 42%
Ready for College-Level Science 38%
Ready in All Four Subject Areas 28%