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One trend in contemporary secondary education is to offer dual enrollment classes in the high school setting instead of the Advanced Placement curricula. Dual enrollment classes allow a student to take a community college class at his or her high school and receive college credit as well as a high school grade if he or she passes the course. The AP courses require not only syllabi approved by the College Board but require students to pass national exams which include essays in order to receive college credit.
John Paul II High School opted to focus on the Advanced Placement curriculum. The major reason is that dual enrollment credits and grades from community colleges often transfer only to public state universities in the state where the class was offered. Generally, dual enrollment credit will not transfer to out of state post-secondary schools nor is it generally accepted by private universities and colleges. On the other hand, Advanced Placement is accepted by all colleges and universities in the US, follows the student from school to school if he or she transfers, is accepted by major universities in France, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Korea, and Japan, and is often used in determining the student’s potential for earning scholarships.
The recent University of Texas in Austin study by Doctors Keng-Dodd reported in the Washington Post that students who took dual enrollment courses in high school did not do as well in college as those who took AP courses. Critically, the AP curricular requirements in all courses are set by a nationally recognized board of college professors, master teachers, and experts within the specific field. These curricula demand a specific level of expertise with set criteria and content; whereas at community colleges there is no standardization of content or assessment.
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