Dual enrollment prepares students for college and career, but the challenge is getting more students to enroll.
Through district partnerships with different college institutions, Long Beach Unified students have the opportunity to participate in dual enrollment and take college classes while they are still in high school.
Assistant superintendent of the Office of Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development (OCIPD), Kristi Khal, said that dual enrollment classes are a way to expand educational opportunities, improve economic mobility and boost students’ confidence.
“Whatever path a student in their family chooses, participating in dual enrollment can have a significant part of saving families time and money towards their degree and towards certificates,” Carol Ortega, program administrator for Course Management, said. “The potential for these outcomes is truly impressive.”
LBUSD currently has partnerships with Long Beach City College, the California State Universities of Long Beach and Dominguez Hills as well as Compton college.
According to LBCC data presented at LBUSD’s Jan. 18 board meeting, about 1,800 students took 3,600 dual enrollment courses between the 2020-22 school years. Of those 1,800 students, 793 took one course and 645 took two.
Overall, students had a successful completion rate; 92% passed with an A, B or C. That data, however, does not include those who chose to drop a course.
“When a student does not do well in these dual enrollment courses, those college classes do not go away, they will follow them forever unless they’re remediated.”
Carol Ortega, program administrator for Course Management
Most of the LBUSD high school students taking dual enrollment courses at LBCC come from Woodrow Wilson High School with 766 and Robert A. Millikan High School with 400 students.
However, according to Khal, when looking at the percentage of the specific school population, that only translates to 11% of Wilson students and 6% of Millikan. Sato Academy of Mathematics and Science and the California Academy of Mathematics and Science (CAMS), on the other hand, have 22% and 21%, respectively, of students taking dual enrollment courses at LBCC.
“Although we promote the programs to all of our schools, the knowledge of the impact that these courses can make is not the same across all of [them],” Ortega said. “So we need to do a better job in our research and in our outreach to our schools that are not having the same success rates or enrollment rates so that they understand the full value of these courses”
Equity is one of the main challenges brought up by the data. White and Asian students are participating at higher rates and the majority of students who are taking these courses are also taking Advanced Placement classes. Only about 11% of LBUSD students taking dual enrollment classes overall are not taking AP classes.
“As we think about preparing our students for both college and career, and if we want to expose students to high-skill, high-wage career paths, we would want to see us tapping into students [who] don’t necessarily choose to take AP courses, so they might experience career courses and see themselves as college going students,” Khal said.
According to Ortega, additional dual enrollment challenges are the cost for the district and the cost for students. She said the district is currently paying between $400 to $600 per student for the CSULB ethnic studies program. The CSU Young Scholar courses require students to pay a fee of approximately $100 and for most courses, students are required to buy their own textbook.
College transcripts present another challenge as they can affect the students’ college education if low grades are earned.
“When a student does not do well in these dual enrollment courses, those college classes do not go away, they will follow them forever unless they’re remediated,” Ortega said.
Ortega said OCIPD has plans to work as a team to address some of these challenges such as offering more on-campus courses to eliminate time and transportation constraints. She also mentioned the possibility of LBUSD teachers becoming LBCC adjunct faculty since the courses available for dual enrollment currently depend on the availability of LBCC faculty.
Ideas were presented regarding shortening the time it takes to graduate college. The board considered increasing the number of GE courses that count for both high school and college requirements as well as creating pathways that consist of courses specific to AA degree requirements at LBCC.
An example of what these solutions can look like is the Early College program at Richard D. Browning High School. Starting with the class of 2024, Browning students will be able to complete 12 college credits and according to Ortega, some may even complete their associate degree for transfer (ADT) by the time they graduate from high school.
There are currently two pathways offered by LBCC—the ADT for hospitality and the certificate of achievement for culinary—through taking classes at Browning High School during the regular school day.
“Dual enrollment can be truly transformative for our students and what they’re able to experience,” Ortega said. “It is our hope that students will take part in this opportunity and realize that they are capable of pursuing any dream that they have beyond high school.”
