There is very little research data available on students concurrently enrolled in high school and college. This is starting to change as college researchers undertake studies on this cohort. How many students participating in Concurrent Enrollment Programs enroll at the college after high school graduation? And of these, how many are retained the next semester? Dr. Seward examined these two questions and the results are reported in this article.

The “Concurrent Enrollment Program” (CEP) enables students currently attending high school to apply for concurrent enrollment in either day or evening courses at any one of the three Colleges of the San Mateo County Community College District (Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College).

Minimum program participation requirements for high school students are: completion of the sophomore year; a minimum 2.00 grade point average in high school coursework, excluding physical education courses; maintenance of minimum daily attendance at their high school; and prior high school academic performance must indicate a reasonable expectation of success in college coursework. High school freshmen and sophomores may be considered for concurrent enrollment admission with a letter of recommendation from the high school principal. The high school principal and parent/guardian must provide prior written approval of the concurrent student’s selection of college courses.

It is important to note that college courses taken through the CEP are not intended to take the place of equivalent courses offered by the student’s high school of attendance. Rather, the CEP provides an opportunity for qualified high school students to take classes not found in the high school curriculum. In all cases, the final decision to admit any student through the CEP rests with the college. In order to be admitted through the CEP, high students must submit their high school transcripts for review, fulfill college course prerequisites, have a college counselor/advisor review their intended program of study before classes begin, and, where appropriate, take the College Placement Test. CEP students will receive college credit for coursework successfully completed; all grades received become part of the permanent academic record of the student. High schools vary as to how college coursework may be used as part of a student’s high school record.

This study analyzes the subsequent enrollment and persistence of high school participants in the CEP at the College of San Mateo (CSM).

Methodology

The impetus for this report first came from an interest in the number and proportion of high school students who participate in CSM’s concurrent enrollment program. Beyond a simple head-count of students, we were interested in 2 additional questions: How many CEP students enroll at CSM after high school graduation? Of these, how many are retained the next semester?

A study design was created to retrieve information for two populations of high school seniors who participated in the CEP during the following periods of time:

• Summer 1999, Fall 1999, or Spring 2000 (Cohort 1)
  
• Summer 2000, Fall 2000, or Spring 2001 (Cohort 2)

Immediately subsequent to high school graduation, each CEP “cohort” of high school seniors was tracked to determine their enrollment pattern at CSM during the following periods of time:

• Fall 2000 or Spring 2001 (Cohort 1)
  
• Fall 2001 or Spring 2002 (Cohort 2)

In addition, the persistence of the two cohorts of seniors subsequently enrolling as regular college students in either Fall 2000 or Fall 2001 was tracked through Spring 2001 or Spring 2002, respectively.

All data reported are comprised of unduplicated counts of individual students. For example, although an individual high school senior may have participated in the CEP one, two, or three semesters, each student is counted only once. Similarly, because not all high school students enroll in college immediately after graduation, the decision was made to track their CSM enrollment in either the Fall or Spring terms. These data are also comprised of unduplicated counts.

Findings

• Of the 468 seniors participating in CEP Summer 1999 - Spring 2000, 16.9% (n = 79) returned as regular CSM students, Fall 2000 or Spring 2001. (See Figure 1)
  
• Of the 79 who returned to CSM, 88.6% (n = 70) did so in the Fall term immediately after high school graduation. (See Figure 1)
  
• The retention of those enrolling in Fall 2000 is 75.7%–a figure considerably greater (approximately 25 – 30 percentage points) than comparably-aged CSM students who did not participate in the CEP. (See Figure 1)
  
• Of the 569 seniors participating in CEP Summer 2000 - Spring 2001, 22.3% (n = 127) returned as regular CSM students, Fall 2001 or Spring 2002. (See Figure 2)
  
• Of the 127 who returned to CSM, 92.1% (n = 117) did so in the Fall term immediately after high school graduation. (See Figure 2)
  
• The retention of those enrolling in Fall 2001 is 67.5%–a figure considerably greater (approximately 17 – 22 percentage points) than comparably-aged CSM students who did not participate in the CEP. (See Figure 2)
  

Conclusion

Overall, nearly 1 of 5 (19.9%) of concurrently enrolled high school seniors subsequently matriculated as regular CSM students—immediately following high school graduation. The question immediately arises regarding the extent to which this “take rate” of CEP students is low or high. Because Statewide data are not available, there are no benchmarks for comparative purposes. Discussions with College faculty and staff indicate that many CEP students are oriented toward enrollment at selective four-year colleges and universities. Many high school students utilize the CEP program as a means to get a head start on completing lower division general education and elective requirements at baccalaureate degree-granting institutions. Accordingly, many CEP students do not intend to begin their baccalaureate studies at a two-year institution. This would suggest that a “take rate” of approximately 20% is a reasonable figure. More encouraging is the finding indicating a significantly higher rate of persistence of former CEP students. Moreover, our inquiry revealed that former CEP students enrolled in more units per term than a comparably-aged population of non-CEP students.

Future research at the College of San Mateo will explore CEP students’ course-taking patterns, academic performance in college coursework, Associate Degree and Certificate completion rates, and provide a comprehensive demographic profile of high schools students who concurrently enroll in college coursework.

Dean, Office of Institutional Research,
College of San Mateo