Students are flocking to dual-enrollment programs, hoping they’ll get a bigger academic challenge and maybe sock away some college credits, too. But the superintendents overseeing those programs aren’t universally convinced that earning college credit means students are ready for college.
That’s one of the findings of a new survey of school superintendents. Released last week, the survey was conducted in March by Hobsons, which makes the Naviance career-and-college-exploration program, and AASA, the School Superintendents Association. Its aim was to find out how superintendents are using dual-enrollment programs in their districts.
While nearly three-quarters of the 424 superintendents who responded to the survey “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that successful completion of a dual-credit course signifies college readiness, almost one quarter said they “disagreed” or were “neutral” on that statement.
Source: Hobsons and AASA, the School Superintendents Association
Among those who answered neutral, some respondents made the point that while completing a course for college credit might signify intellectual readiness for college, it doesn’t necessarily mean students have the emotional maturity necessary for college, according to a summary of the survey.
Another section of the survey explores the challenges and barriers to implementing dual-credit programs. Many superintendents cited costs for districts, colleges, students, or families as a problem. But they said the biggest challenge was finding qualified teachers for the courses, a struggle that’s cast shadows over some programs.
Eighty-four percent of the superintendents reported that dual-enrollment programs were part of their strategic plans, and 95 percent reported that their districts offer the programs.
