Press Release

CONTACT: Debra Humphreys
(202) 387-3760 (ext. 422)
E-mail: dh@aacu.org

National Report Provides Analysis and New Research on
College-Level Learning in High School

Hundreds of Thousands of Students Involved; Higher Education Policies and College Leaders' Views Vary Widely Across Sectors

Washington, DC—November 16, 2001—The Association of American Colleges and Universities announces the release of a report that analyses and provides new research about college-level learning in high school-a phenomenon that now involves hundreds of thousands of high school students each year. A practice that is growing rapidly with little regulation, college-level learning in high school is a remarkably little-studied phenomenon. The rapid growth in Advanced Placement (AP) courses-the most common form of college-level learning in high school-as well as many other new opportunities for high school students to earn college credit are raising critical questions about assessment and standards, education cost containment, and the distinctiveness of the college experience. Through the AP program alone, more than 700,000 high school students take well over a million exams in eighteen different subjects each year.

While some students have always taken the opportunity to earn college credits in high school since 1956 when the College Board first began its program of Advanced Placement examinations, as this report suggests, "At the start of the 21st Century, college-level learning is big business....AP has been joined by 'dual enrollment' programs, wherein colleges and universities give their credits on their transcripts for their courses-but courses taught in the high school to high school students by high school teachers."

This report explores the potential advantages and disadvantages of offering college-level learning in high schools to more and more students. Does the growth of college-level learning in high school lead to improvements in high school curricula? Are traditionally underserved students helped or further disadvantaged by this trend? Do all students have equal access to these opportunities? Will this trend result in reduced costs for higher education? College-Level Learning in High School provides important background data and analysis to begin a dialogue about these critical questions. It will be of interest to anyone working to improve quality and greater access to higher education-from secondary and post-secondary educators to state education officials to educational policy leaders.

In addition to an overview of this trend, this publication also reports on new research that suggests a wide array of attitudes among academic leaders toward this trend. This survey research reveals important differences in these attitudes across different sectors of higher education. While a significant majority of those surveyed encouraged the use of AP credits, not all institutions will give credit for AP courses to fulfill requirements. The research reveals that the degree of suspicion with which high-school based college-level learning is viewed is highly correlated with the selectivity of the receiving college.

"This report raises important questions and provides critical data and thoughtful analysis to guide the development of policies as more and more students aspire to the opportunities that a college degree provides," notes AAC&U president Carol Geary Schneider. "As national dialogues about education standards and access and equity in higher education proceed, the implications of this trend toward more college-level learning in high school need to be carefully considered. Underlying this report are the critical questions: What actually ought to constitute the basis for college credit? What should a college degree represent beyond just a collection of credits accumulated at many institutions, both secondary and post-secondary?" she concludes.

To see an Executive Summary of the report, visit http://www.aacu.org/publications/execsummary.cfm. To obtain copies of the report, contact the Association of American Colleges and Universities, pub_desk@aacu.org; 800/287-3775.

AAC&U is the leading national association devoted to advancing and strengthening liberal learning for all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Since its founding in 1915, AAC&U's membership has grown to more than 1000 accredited public and private colleges and universities of every type and size.

AAC&U functions as a catalyst and facilitator, forging links among presidents, administrators, and faculty members who are engaged in institutional and curricular planning. Its mission is to reinforce the collective commitment to liberal education at both the national and local levels and to help individual institutions keep the quality of student learning at the core of their work as they evolve to meet new economic and social challenges.

For additional information about AAC&U programs and publications, visit www.aacu.org.