Opinion: Dual credit is an opportunity for success

Earlier this month, the Senate Joint Committees of Education and Higher Education held hearings in Austin on the subject of dual credit. There have been several studies researching the topic and two researchers were asked to speak during the hearing.

I was asked to testify at the hearing by Higher Education Committee Chair Kel Seliger to discuss the success our program has had and the opportunities it has provided to our students. Dual credit is where qualified high school students take college level courses and receive both high school and college credit. Much has been said about the “rigor” of dual credit courses, the qualifications of the teacher providing the class, whether these classes actually increase students’ graduation rates, and the financial savings for the students who take dual credit classes.

Dual credit has seen significant increases in enrollment during the past ten years. At the hearing, TACC President Jacob Fraire showed that the enrollment of dual credit students has increased 57 percent from fall 2007 to 2017. During the same time, Clarendon College’s dual credit enrollment has increased from 272 to 739 students this fall – a 272 percent increase. The majority of this increase has occurred in the past five years, going from a spring 2014 total of 338 to our current enrollment. During the past five years the number of semester credit hours has also increased from 1,689 to this semester’s total of 4,353.

During the aforementioned hearing, much of the debate of rigor was finally settled. I can only answer to the rigor here at Clarendon College, but our course offerings are identical to the ones offered down the halls of this building and at our other centers. There is not a watered-down syllabus or course requirements, it is the same class. I make no apologies for our rigor and expectations – if you want the college credit, then you do the college level work.

Some institutions have a different interpretation of the requirements of our accreditor, SACSCOC. SACSCOC visited Clarendon College in the spring of 2015 and spoke highly of our dual credit program. The instructors of our dual credit courses are predominantly our full-time faculty. Some of our high schools have asked about using their respective faculty; and if they can meet the standards set for by SACSCOC, then that is something we will consider.

Do dual credit students graduate at a higher rate than students without dual credit? Again, all I will comment on is the College’s own data. The latest data is from the 2012 cohort and it shows that 39 percent of our dual credit students finish a four-year degree in four years or less. When you look at the five-year rate, the percentage jumps to 49 percent. I can only imagine what the percentages will look like when this recent group of students begins to finish their four-year degrees.

An amazing point from two studies conducted by RAND the UT System was neither could confirm a financial savings to the student or their families from having dual credit hours. Senators Bettencourt and West had a very hard time understanding why the study could not provide any meaningful information on financial savings for families. During my testimony I was able to provide some anecdotal data concerning my children and the savings provided to us. A recent Clarendon High School graduate finished her senior year with more than 40 hours of dual credit and completed her Associate’s Degree at the College in one semester. Maybe someone should ask her what the savings meant to her and her family.

Some other concerns have been voiced regarding advising of dual credit students. These students receive the same advising our traditional students receive, usually by the same individuals. Our advising is driven by our Core Curriculum, a set of 48 semester credit hours that can transfer in a block to a state institution. After being core complete a student needs an additional 18 credit hours to complete their associate’s degree. I told the Committees that Clarendon College was recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in April for our increase in our graduation rate for the past three years. During that time the College’s graduation rate has climbed from 28 percent to 42 percent, indicating that our students are receiving proper advising and performing in the classroom.

Anyone that has heard me speak since I have been president has heard me state that I don’t think everyone needs a four-year degree, but everyone needs something past high school. Dual credit is not simply General Education courses, but it is Career and Technical Education (Workforce Development) as well. We have worked diligently to push our CTE courses into the high schools to allow students to complete certificates while they are still in high school. Since the passage of House Bill 505, 84th Legislative Session, Clarendon College has issued 57 CTE certificates to high school students in the last two years. We have also had several high school students graduate from Clarendon College with their associate’s degrees prior to finishing high school.

The College has worked closely with multiple local Foundations to fund all or part of the dual credit tuition and fees for students identified as low socio-economic. This enables students who are first-generation students to have access to college courses and support services to help them build a foundation to believe that they can also be successful in college.

In Clarendon specifically, the PEAK Scholarship has been expanded to include supporting Clarendon High School students with their dual credit tuition and fees. This has been done in partnership with the Clarendon College Foundation.

I have been told, that this is “not the way we used to do things.” Texas law requires high schools provide access to dual credit courses for their students. If we at Clarendon College do not provide it, someone else will, and I am not very keen on other colleges being in our service area.
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