Dual Credit
In Washington, dual credit refers to opportunities that allow students to earn both high school and college credit via college coursework, examinations and articulation agreements. There are six dual credit programs available in the state:
- College in the High School
- Running Start
- Advanced Placement (AP)
- International Baccalaureate (IB)
- Cambridge International (CI)
- Tech Prep (CTE)
Why Focus on Dual Credit?
Throughout the state and in the Puget Sound Region, there is a strong focus on improving access and reducing disparities in completion in dual credit coursework, particularly for low income and other underrepresented students, because dual credit has been shown to improve both high school and college outcomes for participating students. Improved outcomes include:
- Overall engagement in high school
- High school graduation
- College enrollment
- College persistence
- Time to degree completion
PSCCN supports dual credit collaboration between K–12, higher education and educational agencies in order to improve communication and consistency in information about dual credit opportunities, increase cross-system professional learning, and leverage dual-credit resources and data to better understand and support students to access, complete and utilize their dual credit.
Resources
- OSPI Dual Credit System Improvement Guide (July 2018)
- OSPI Dual Credit Resources Page
- Washington Student Achievement Council Dual Credit Report (October 2016)
- Washington Student Achievement Council Advanced Placement and College Credit Policy Brief (2014)
- Washington State Auditor’s Office Workforce Development Performance Audit: Identifying CTE Student Outcomes (2016)
- Pierce County Dual Credit Convening Presentations (April 27. 2017)