Fair Access?

Advanced Placement (AP) and dual enrollment represent two solutions to the same issue – the overlap of advanced high school and college freshman level academic work. However, the two systems have had different histories and serve different constituencies. Data on the relative equity of AP and dual enrollment programs reveal that both types of programs can lead to unrepresentative populations of students taking advantage of these options relative to the overall high school populations. Dual enrollment programs that are developed with a goal of developing teacher capacity and communication between high school and college instructors can result in long-term professional and leadership development that can build long-term capacity at the school level.