Indicators

Evidence suggests that earning college credit prior to postsecondary enrollment is a predictor of college success. States are now being asked to consider including measures related to students earning college credit during high school in their accountability systems. This paper offers research-based guidance and recommendations to states for incorporating these indicators into their accountability systems.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes a number of key provisions related to career readiness. It includes an updated definition of a “well-rounded” education and requires schools to add, at minimum, one indicator of school quality or student success to their accountability system. This brief details considerations for using these indicators and offers appendices highlighting how states define these indicators in their accountability systems.      

For more than a decade, Achieve has reported on all 50 states’ policies concerning college and career readiness, such as state standards, graduation requirements, assessments, and accountability systems. However, policies alone do not guarantee that students will graduate prepared for college and careers. This latest report from Achieve looks to examine measures and indicators of college and career readiness from each state, including students’ performance on college and career ready assessments, completion of a rigorous course of study, and earning college credit while in high school.



Using data from the University of Missouri, the researchers of this study investigate whether students who enter college with dual-enrollment credit and/or advanced placement (AP) credit achieve higher first-year grade point averages (GPAs) and demonstrate higher rates of retention; and, if so, whether those effects differ by the type of dual credit courses taken.