Dual enrollment: participation has significantly increased, though program lacks clear goals

Special Examination Report No. 17-09

January 2018

Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts
Performance Audit Division
Greg S. Griffin, State Auditor Leslie McGuire, Director

Why we did this review
The Senate Appropriations Committee asked that we review the practices of the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) regarding dual enrollment.
In response, we addressed several aspects of dual enrollment implementation within the Technical College System of Georgia, University System of Georgia, Georgia Military College, and select private colleges: participation trends; goals and objectives and availability of information to assess effectiveness; dual enrollment costs; rate of credit transfer; and entrance criteria for dual enrolled students.
About dual enrollment
Since 1992, dual enrollment programs have allowed Georgia high school students to take postsecondary courses and earn both high school and college credit for the same course at no cost to the student. Changes in administration, eligibility, and funding for dual enrollment have occurred over time. With the passage of SB 2 and SB 132 in 2015, GSFC was made responsible for administering dual enrollment, which is now accessible to 9th through 12th graders (public, private, and home-schooled students) pursuing dual credit in core academic, career and technical courses at participating postsecondary institutions. In fiscal year 2018, the General Assembly appropriated $78.8 million in state general funds to cover the costs of tuition, books, mandatory fees, and transportation for dual enrolled students.

Dual Enrollment
Participation has significantly increased,
though program lacks clear goals
What we found While Georgia's Dual Enrollment Program (formerly known as Move on When Ready) provides an opportunity for many students to take postsecondary courses, a broader program purpose should be defined. It is unclear if the program is intended to decrease the students' time for completing a degree, increase the percentage of students enrolling in postsecondary institutions after high school graduation, increase degree attainment rates, or to achieve some similar purpose. Without clearly defined goals and objectives, it is difficult to measure program success and assess its costeffectiveness.
The program grew significantly between fiscal years 2013 and 2017, with the number of dual enrollment students increasing by more than 200% and the number of credit hours attempted by more than 250%. In fiscal year 2017, more than 35,000 students participated in a dual enrollment course and more than 425,000 credit hours were attempted.
Dual enrollment students enroll in University System of Georgia (USG), Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), and private postsecondary institutions. In fiscal year 2017, TCSG institutions provided nearly 50% of credit hours to dual enrollment students, while USG provided 36%. The students represent a significant portion of some institutions' enrollments, including more than 65% at one private university and more than 30% at three TCSG institutions.
Nearly all students enrolled in dual enrollment through USG or private institutions are taking general education courses (e.g., social sciences, English/language arts, math, science, and world languages). While the majority of courses provided by TCSG to

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dual enrollment students are general education, just over 40% of courses were classified as Career, Technical and Agricultural Education. More than 90% of courses are completed with a passing grade, regardless of the type of postsecondary institution.
The state appropriation to the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) for the Dual Enrollment Program represents only a portion of state spending. In fiscal year 2018, the state will spend an estimated $172.3 million for dual enrollment--$78.8 million in the appropriation to cover tuition, fees, and books and $93.5 million in enrollment-based formula funding to USG and TCSG. In addition, for dual enrollment students also enrolled in a public high school, the state will provide an estimated $26.5 million in QBE funds for the portion of the day when the student is taking a dual enrollment course.
While we found that institutions had documentation to support dual enrollment invoices, we found that the state may have funded more dual enrollment courses than is reasonable for a small portion of students. In fiscal year 2017, GSFC paid invoices for 201 students who received aid in excess of 15 credit hours per academic term, with one student taking 58 credit hours a term. Georgia public postsecondary institutions generally limit their students to 17 to 21 credit hours per term, and GSFC limits students to 15 credit hours per postsecondary institution. However, GSFC permits students to enroll in multiple institutions and provides funding up to the maximum 15 hours for each institution.
While data is not yet available to fully evaluate postsecondary outcomes of participants under the new Dual Enrollment Program that became effective in fiscal year 2016, our review of a sample of 376 participants who were seniors in academic year 2016 found that 65% were enrolled in a Georgia public postsecondary institution during the following year. USG institutions accepted about 81% of dual enrollment courses, while TCSG accepted 91%. The students in the sample who were not enrolled in a Georgia public postsecondary institution may have enrolled in a private institution, a public institution in another state, or not attended any postsecondary institution.
The admissions criteria for dual enrollment students varies by postsecondary institution and course. TCSG has established minimum criteria across institutions, but admissions standards are higher for degree-level transferable courses than diploma-level or technical certificate courses. USG criteria vary by institution, with research universities generally having higher requirements than other types of institutions. All USG institutions require a minimum 3.0 GPA and a minimum score on the SAT or ACT. Of the six private/independent institutions with the highest participation, two allow a GPA of less than 3.0. The private institutions are less likely to require a minimum score on a college-readiness or placement test.
What we recommend While Georgia's Dual Enrollment Program provides an opportunity for many students to take postsecondary courses, the program purpose must be further defined before its success and costeffectiveness can be fully evaluated. Once the purpose is clarified, a single agency should be assigned responsibility for assessing the program and given the authority to obtain the data necessary to do so. See Appendix A for a detailed listing of recommendations.
Summary of responses: The Georgia Student Finance Commission and Technical College System of Georgia generally agreed with the findings and recommendations. The University System of Georgia and Georgia Department of Education expressed no disagreements with the report. Technical corrections provided by the University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia were incorporated into the report. Specific responses are included at the end of each relevant finding.
GSFC Response: GSFC stated "the report poses serious questions related to program intent, cost, and future direction." GSFC added "we agree that many of these questions need to be thoroughly discussed among secondary and higher education leaders in our state before major program changes are instituted. We welcome the opportunity to lead or participate in those discussions."

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i

Table of Contents

Purpose of the Special Examination

1

Background

Dual Enrollment

1

Dual Enrollment Trends

3

Dual Enrollment Outcomes

11

Dual Enrollment Funding

12

Requested Information

What are the goals and objectives of the Dual Enrollment Program?

15

Do participating state agencies collect the information necessary to assess program

effectiveness?

16

What is the total state cost of Dual Enrollment?

19

Has GSFC implemented adequate controls to limit state expenditures to legitimate

dual enrollment costs?

21

What are the postsecondary institutions' Dual Enrollment admissions criteria? 24

What percentage of dual enrollment coursework was accepted for postsecondary

credit?

28

Appendices

Appendix A: Table of Recommendations

32

Appendix B: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

33

Appendix C: Dual Enrollment Credit Hours by Type of Postsecondary Institution

and Secondary School

36

Appendix D: Dual Enrollment Credit Hours Attempted by Public and Private High

School Students by County

37

Appendix E: Dual Enrollment Courses by Type of Postsecondary Institution and

Type of Course

38

Appendix F: Analysis of Success Rates

39

Dual Enrollment

ii

Dual Enrollment

1

Purpose of the Special Examination
This examination of the Dual Enrollment Program was conducted at the request of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Committee asked that we review the ability of the Georgia Student Finance Commission to assess the performance of the Dual Enrollment Program, participating postsecondary institutions' admissions criteria, students' performance and grade experience, and post Dual Enrollment college enrollment. Based on this request we addressed the following questions:
1. What are the goals and objectives of the Dual Enrollment program and do participating state agencies collect the information necessary to assess program effectiveness?
2. What are the trends in dual enrollment participation?
3. What is the total state cost of dual enrollment?
4. Have participating state agencies implemented adequate controls to limit state expenditures to legitimate dual enrollment costs?
5. What are participating postsecondary institutions' admissions criteria?
6. What percentage of dual enrollment courses were accepted for credit transfer by postsecondary institutions?
A description of the objectives, scope, and methodology used in this review is included in Appendix B. A draft of the report was provided to the Georgia Student Finance Commission, the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia, and the Georgia Department of Education for their review and comment, and pertinent responses were incorporated into the report.
Background
Dual Enrollment Dual enrollment programs allow high school students to earn both high school and college credit for the same course. Students may enroll in college courses full-time or part-time, and may take courses during or after regular school hours on the college campus, online, or at the high school. These programs are designed to provide challenging opportunities while allowing students to get an early start on college and ease the transition.
In Georgia, public, private, or home-schooled students in grades 9 through 12 may take technical or degree-level postsecondary courses for both high school and college credit. Students can enroll in technical courses and earn a degree, diploma, or certificate while they earn a high school diploma. Students may also take degree-level courses and earn college credit, potentially enabling them to graduate from college sooner.

Program History and Administration
As shown in Exhibit 1, Georgia high school students have participated in state funded dual enrollment programs since 1992. The first program, known as the Postsecondary Options Program was operated by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE)

Dual Enrollment

2

and funded by the local school systems' state funding allotment, known as Quality Basic Education (QBE) funds. QBE funds were used to pay for students' tuition, essentially following the student from the high school to the postsecondary institution. As a result, local school systems lost funding for dual enrollment students for the portion of the day students attended the postsecondary institution.

In 2004, the General Assembly replaced the Postsecondary Options Program with two lottery-funded dual enrollment programs administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) Accel and the Hope Grant. The Accel program paid tuition for public and private high school students enrolled part-time in academic degree-level courses while the Hope Grant paid tuition for students enrolled part-time in technical certificate and diploma programs. In 2009, the General Assembly added a new dual enrollment program called the Move on When Ready program administered by the GaDOE and open to Georgia high school students enrolled fulltime at a postsecondary institution. This program was funded with local school systems' QBE allotments associated with the dual enrolled students.

Exhibit 1 Multiple Changes to Dual Enrollment Programs Have Occurred Over the Past Three Decades, 1992-2016

Ga DOE: Postsecondary Options 11th-12th Grade Students
Degree-level Courses
Local School System QBE Allotment

GSFC: Accel and HOPE Grant 9th-12th Grade Students
Core Academic, Career, and Technical Courses Lottery Funds (HOPE Grant) and State General Fund Appropriation (Accel)
Ga DOE: Move On When Ready 11th-12th Grade Students Full-time Postsecondary All Postsecondary courses
Local School System QBE Allotment

GSFC: Dual Enrollment 9th-12th Grade Students
All Categories of Postsecondary Courses
State General Fund Appropriation

1992

2004 House Bill 186 Created the Accel Program to replace the Postsecondary Options Program

2009 House Bill 149 Created the Move On When Ready Program for students enrolled fulltime at postsecondary

2012 House Bill 186 Shifted the funding source for the Accel Program to State funds

2016 Senate Bill 132 Replaced the three dual enrollment programs with one program open to all high school students

In 2014, the Governor established a dual enrollment task force to make recommendations on how to improve and streamline dual enrollment processes. Based on these recommendations, Senate Bill 132, titled the "Move on When Ready" Act, was introduced and passed during the 2015 legislative session. Senate Bill 132 revised Code Section 20-2-161.3 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A) to create the new Dual Enrollment Program. This legislation consolidated the three state funded dual enrollment programs (Accel, Hope Grant, and Move on When Ready) into one program currently named Dual Enrollment1. The program is administered by GSFC and funded with an annual appropriation of state general funds.

Senate Bill 132 was intended to reduce barriers to dual enrollment participation by opening the program to all Georgia high school students and by removing the financial disincentives experienced by local school systems that lost QBE funding in previous dual enrollment programs. Listed below are specific features of the new Dual Enrollment program:
open to all public school, private school, and home study students (in approved home-study programs) in grades 9-12;

1 Senate Bill 132 named the new program "Move On When Ready." However, the name was formally changed to Dual Enrollment effective during calendar year 2017.

Dual Enrollment

3

if admissions requirements are met, students may enroll in postsecondary courses at any University System of Georgia (USG), Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), or eligible2 private postsecondary institution;
students may be enrolled either full- or part-time; students may take any type of approved postsecondary course as determined
by GaDOE and eligible postsecondary institutions; students may enroll in an unlimited number of postsecondary courses prior to
high school graduation; dual enrollment credit hours will not count against any maximum hourly caps
applicable to HOPE scholarships or grants; postsecondary dual enrollment costs (tuition, books, and fees) are funded
with state general funds and are at no cost to the student; and local school systems continue to receive QBE funding.
The statute authorizes GSFC to develop rules and regulations for dual enrollment, to reimburse postsecondary institutions for tuition and fees associated with dual enrollment, and to examine postsecondary institutions' compliance with dual enrollment rules and regulations. The statute also requires the GaDOE to identify the postsecondary courses that may be used to satisfy high school graduation requirements.
The task force's recommendations also resulted in the introduction and passage of Senate Bill 2, which created an alternative avenue for dual enrollment students to earn a high school diploma (rather than meeting standard requirements for high school graduation). Students pursuing the alternative option must do the following, as required by statute:
complete two English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies high school courses, and one health/physical education course (courses which are typically taken by the 10th grade) and take associated end-of-course assessments;
meet admissions requirements of a dual enrollment-eligible postsecondary institution; and
enroll in the postsecondary institution and earn an associate's degree, technical diploma, or two technical certificates in one pathway.
Dual Enrollment Trends
Dual enrollment participation has significantly increased over the past five fiscal years with increases in the number of students participating as well as in the number of credit hours attempted per student. As shown in Exhibit 2, between fiscal years 2013 and 2017, the number of students participating in dual enrollment increased by 212% from 11,484 students in 2013 to 35,862 students in 2017. The largest yearly increase occurred between fiscal years 2015 and 2016 with a 40% increase in the number of students participating. Fiscal year 2016 is the first year that provisions of Senate Bill 132, creating the current Dual Enrollment program, came into effect.

2 Eligible private postsecondary institutions include those that qualify for the Tuition Equalization Grant Program. For the purposes of this report, Georgia Military College an independent public college is included in the private/independent postsecondary institution category.

Dual Enrollment

4

Exhibit 2 The Number of Dual Enrollment Students Increased by 212% from 11,484 to 35,862, Fiscal Years 2013-2017

In addition to increases in the number of students participating in dual enrollment, the number of courses attempted by students also increased. Between fiscal years 2013 to 2017, the average number of credit hours attempted per student increased by 15% from 10.4 to 11.9 per year. As shown in Exhibit 3, increases in the number of students participating and in the number of attempted credit hours per student have resulted in a 258% increase in total attempted credit hours over the five-year period. The largest yearly increase, 49%, occurred between fiscal years 2015 and 2016.
Exhibit 3 Dual Enrollment Credit Hours Increased by 258% from Approximately 119,000 to Over 425,000, Fiscal Years 2013-2017

Dual Enrollment

5

Enrollment Trends by Postsecondary Institution
During fiscal year 2017, students enrolled in dual credit courses at 69 postsecondary institutions. These 69 institutions are comprised of 29 USG institutions, 22 TCSG institutions, and 18 independent/private institutions. As shown in Exhibit 4, TCSG institutions provide almost one-half (48%) of the attempted dual enrollment credit hours, followed by USG institutions with 36% and independent/private institutions with 16%.
Exhibit 4 TCSG Institutions Provided Almost 50% of Dual Enrollment Credit Hours, Fiscal Year 2017

The ten postsecondary institutions where students earned the highest number of dual enrollment credit hours comprised over 43% of the total number of dual enrollment credit hours. As shown in Exhibit 5, six of these ten postsecondary institutions are TCSG institutions.
Exhibit 5 Six of the Ten Postsecondary Institutions with the Highest Number of Dual Enrollment Credit Hours are TCSG Institutions, Fiscal Year 2017

Dual Enrollment

6

As shown in Exhibit 6, dual enrollment students accounted for between 3.7% and 65.6% of total enrollment at the ten postsecondary institutions with the highest amount of dual enrollment credit hours. Dual enrollment students comprise a large portion of total enrollment at many USG, TCSG, and independent postsecondary institutions. Overall, dual enrollment students comprised 3% of total enrollment at USG institutions and 16% of total enrollment at TCSG institutions. It should be noted that this enrollment is based on an unduplicated headcount of students and does not take into consideration the number of credit hours taken by students.

Exhibit 6 Dual Enrollment Students Comprised Between 3.7% and 65.6% of Total Enrollment at the Ten Postsecondary Institutions with the Highest Number of Dual Enrollment Credit Hours, Fiscal Year 2017

Postsecondary Institution

Fall 2016 Fall 2016

Total

Dual

Enrollment Enrollment

Percent of Total
Enrollment

Georgia Military College

8,234

1,332

16.2%

Georgia State University

50,969

1,863

3.7%

Georgia Northwestern Technical College

6,018

1,757

29.2%

West Georgia Technical College

6,744

1,079

16.0%

Chattahoochee Technical College

10,000

1,003

10.0%

Wiregrass Technical College

3,940

1,426

36.2%

Coastal Pines Technical College

2,775

1,113

40.1%

Truett McConnell University

2,149

1,410

65.6%

University of North Georgia

18,219

852

4.7%

Southern Regional Technical College

3,527

1,155

32.7%

Sources: USG enrollment data, TCSG enrollment data, GSFC invoice records, enrollment numbers reported by independent/private colleges on their websites.

Student Enrollment Trends
Dual enrollment courses were provided to students at public and private high schools as well as home schooled students. The majority (86%) of dual enrollment credit hours were taken by students attending public high schools. These students also comprised approximately 90% of dual enrollment credit hours provided by TCSG and USG institutions. Public high school students comprised approximately 50% of dual enrollment credit hours provided by private/independent postsecondary institutions. The remaining dual enrollment credit hours were taken by students attending private high schools and home study programs. (Appendix C illustrates the distribution of dual enrollment credit hours by type of postsecondary institution and by type of secondary institution.)
As shown in Exhibit 7, counties with larger public high school student participation rates are located outside of the Atlanta area. Most of the dual enrollment students in these counties typically attend a local TCSG institution. In addition, high schools in these counties may also have arrangements with local technical colleges to provide

Dual Enrollment

7

dual enrollment courses at the high school. For example, Central Georgia Technical College provides dual enrollment courses to students at Putnam county high schools and Wiregrass Technical College provides dual enrollment courses to students at Wilcox county high schools. (See Appendix D for a geographic representation of participation by public and private high school students.)

Exhibit 7 Counties with higher public school student full-time equivalent (FTE) participation rates are located outside of the metropolitan Atlanta area, Fiscal Year 2017

Dade

Catoosa

Walker

Whitfield

Murray

Chattooga

Gordon

Fl oy d Ga NW TC

Bartow

Fannin

Union

Towns

Rabun

Gilmer Pickens Cherokee

Lumpkin

White Habersham Stephens

Dawson Forsyth

Banks

Franklin

Hall

Jackson

Madison

Hart Elbert

Polk Haralson

Paulding

Cobb

Douglas

Fulton

Gwinnett DeKalb

Barrow Walton

Clarke Oconee

Oglethorpe

Wilkes

Lincoln

Carroll Heard

Coweta

Clayton

Fayette

Henry

Spalding

Newton Butts

Morgan

Greene

Taliaferro

Columbia McDuffie

Jasper

Putnam

Warren

Hancock

Glascock

Richmond

0 1.99% 2 3.99% 4 5.99% 6 7.99% 8%+

Troup

Meriwether

Pike

Lamar Monroe

Jones

Baldwin

Oconee Fall Line TC

Jefferson

Burke

Harris

Talbot

Muscogee Columbus
TC
Chattahoochee

Marion

Upson

Crawford

Central GA TC
Bibb

Wilkinson Twiggs

Washington Johnson

Taylor

Peach

Macon

Houston

Bleckley

Laurens

Treutlen

Jenkins Emanuel

Screven

Candler

Bulloch

Effingham

Schley

Stewart Quitman

Webster

Sumter
South GA TC

Do ol y Crisp

Pulaski Wilcox

Dodge

Wheeler

Telfair

Toombs

Evans Tattnall

Bryan Liberty

Chatham

Randolph

Terrell

Lee

Turner

Ben Hill

Jeff Davis

Ap pl ing

Long

Clay

Calhoun

Dougherty Albany
TC

Worth

Irwin Tift

Coffee

Bacon

Wayne

McIntosh

Early

Baker

Miller

Seminole

Bainbridge College
Decatur

Mitchell

Colquitt

Berrien Cook

Atkinson

Grady

Southern Regional TC
Thomas

Brooks

Lanier

Clinch

Lowndes
Wiregrass TC

Echols

Pierce

Coastal Pines TC
Ware

Brantley

Charlton

Glynn Camden

Sources: DOAA analysis of GSFC dual enrollment application and invoice records, GOSA public school district student enrollment data

Dual Enrollment

8

Many participating high schools have a large percentage of their students taking postsecondary courses. As shown in Exhibit 8, dual enrollment students comprised more than 5% of total enrollment at eight of the ten high schools with the highest number of dual enrollment credit hours. At the two high schools with the highest number of dual enrollment credit hours, most of the courses are provided by the local technical college at the high school.

Exhibit 8 Dual Enrollment Comprised More than 5% of Total Enrollment at Eight of the Ten Public High Schools with the Highest Number of Paid Dual Enrollment Credit Hours, Fiscal Year 2017

High School

Paid Credit Hours1

Dual
Enrolled Students2

Average

Percent

Hours per Total FTE

Student Enrollment3

Camden County High School

5,032

598

8.4

6%

Cedartown High School

4,742

262

18.1

11%

Georgia Cyber Academy

4,554

285

16.0

3%

Coffee High School

4,113

387

10.6

8%

DeKalb Early College Academy

3,935

143

27.5

34%

Tift County High School

3,789

339

11.2

7%

Pierce County High School

3,409

271

12.6

9%

Lowndes High School

3,360

282

11.9

3%

Baldwin High School

3,334

261

12.8

7%

Colquitt County High School

3,310

350

9.5

5%

1 Total number of credit hours invoiced by postsecondary institutions and paid by GSFC with matching approved student applications.
2 Unduplicated head count of the number of students with paid invoices and matching approved dual enrollment applications.
3 A calculation of estimated dual enrollment FTE students as a percent of the total FTE enrollment at each high school.
Sources: DOAA analysis of GSFC dual enrollment application and invoice records ,GOSA public school district student enrollment data

Course Enrollment Trends
High school students may take a variety of dual enrollment courses including general education courses such as Literature and Calculus as well as Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) courses such as Welding and Cosmetology. As shown in Exhibit 9, more than three-quarters (78%) of dual enrollment courses provided in fiscal year 2017 were in the academic or general education category. The largest general

Dual Enrollment

9

education subject area is Social Studies which includes courses such as history, economics, and psychology. The types of courses included in the "Other" general education subject category include subject areas such as fine arts, physical education, and college orientation. The largest CTAE subject area is Trade, Industrial Education, and Manufacturing Sciences. The most common types of dual enrollment courses provided in this subject area include and public safety (31%), precision production occupations such as welding (26%), and human services such as cosmetology (25%).
Exhibit 9 General Education Courses Comprise 78% of attempted dual enrollment credit hours, Fiscal Year 2017

General education courses are the most common type of dual enrollment course provided by USG, TCSG, and private postsecondary institutions. Virtually all courses provided by USG and private postsecondary institutions are categorized as general education courses such as English, Mathematics, and Science. While the majority (58%) of dual enrollment credit hours attempted at TCSG institutions were also associated with general education courses, a significant percentage (42%) of the credit

Dual Enrollment

10

hours were associated with CTAE courses. (Appendix E illustrates the distribution of dual enrollment courses by type of postsecondary institution and by type of course.)
Dual Enrollment Course Delivery Students may take dual enrollment courses in a variety of locations including at the postsecondary institution, at the students' high schools, and online. As shown in Exhibit 10, most (74%) dual enrollment courses are delivered at the postsecondary institution followed by 17% being delivered at the high school campus and 9% online.3 TCSG institutions were more likely than USG or private institutions to deliver dual enrollment courses to students at their high school campus. These courses may be delivered by TCSG instructors or by high school teachers certified by TCSG as having the necessary qualifications.
Exhibit 10 Most Dual Enrollment Courses Are Delivered at the Postsecondary Institution Campus, Fiscal Year 2017

Postsecondary institutions receive the same amount of state funding for courses regardless of where or by whom the courses are delivered. For example, the postsecondary institution receives the same dual enrollment payment per credit hour for a course delivered at the postsecondary institution by a college professor as it does for a course delivered at the high school by a credentialed high school teacher.4 When
3 GSFC records did not indicate the method of course delivery for the remaining 1% of courses. 4 TCSG and USG require high school teachers who teach dual enrollment courses to have the credentials necessary to teach college-level courses.

Dual Enrollment

11

Successful courses are those that are completed with a letter grade of A, B, C, or D. Although secondary schools are moving away from including Ds in their grading system, those that still use Ds consider it to be a passing grade.

courses are delivered at the high school by a high school teacher, we found that institutions have varying practices regarding how to reimburse the high school or school district for this service. For example, although relatively few USG dual enrollment courses are delivered at the high school, some USG institutions pay the high school a standard rate for the high school teacher while other USG institutions will not pay the high school for the services because of their understanding that the high school has already received state QBE funding.
Dual Enrollment Outcomes
While it is too early to fully evaluate student outcomes under the new Dual Enrollment Program (post-Senate Bill 132) which took effect in fiscal year 2016, a recent study of dual enrollment conducted by the Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) shows that students who participate in dual enrollment programs are more likely to graduate from high school, enroll in college, and earn a postsecondary degree. In addition, our analysis of dual enrollment students' course records for fiscal year 2017 indicates that the majority of students complete postsecondary courses with grades high enough to earn both high school and postsecondary credits. The details of GOSA's study, as well as our own analysis are discussed in further detail below.
GOSA's Study of Dual Enrollment
In November 2017, the Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) published a longitudinal study5 of dual enrollment participants. In the report, GOSA discusses trends in public school dual enrollment participation, course-taking, high school graduation, postsecondary enrollment, and degree earning between 2008 and 2016.6 GOSA reported that more than 90% of high school students with dual enrollment credit graduated high school within four years; 83% of high school graduates in the class of 2015 who participated in dual enrollment were enrolled in a postsecondary institution within a year of graduating; and 29% of dual enrollees had earned a postsecondary credential four years after high school graduation, while nearly half of dual enrollees had earned a credential six years after graduation. GOSA's comparison of dual enrollees to other high school graduates revealed that dual enrollees are more likely to achieve postsecondary success.
Success Rates of Dual Enrollment Courses
As shown in Exhibit 11, 93.7% of approved dual enrollment credit hours attempted by students were completed7 with a passing final course letter grade (i.e., A, B, C, or D) during fiscal year 2017. As discussed below, our review of course completion rates among secondary and postsecondary school systems, as well as by type of dual

5 The Governor's Office of Student Achievement, Georgia Dual Enrollment and Postsecondary Outcomes, A Longitudinal Analysis of Dual Enrollment Outcomes from 2008 to 2016, November 2017.
6 GOSA cited limitations to its analyses, including eight independent/private colleges comprising 3-5% of dual enrollment students did not share data with GOSA at the time of the report, private school and homeschool dual enrollees are excluded, and the analysis only includes trends through the 2015-2016 academic year.
7 This completion rate is calculated using dual enrollment course records from TCSG institutions, USG institutions, and the six private/independent institutions included in the review (Georgia Military College, Truett McConnell University, Point University, Brewton-Parker College, Toccoa Falls College, and Emmanuel College). The analysis included results for only those courses for which students received approval as indicated in GSFC application records.

Dual Enrollment

12

enrollment course yielded similar results. (See Appendix F for more detailed analyses of course success rates.)
Exhibit 11 Over 90% of attempted dual enrollment credit hours were successfully completed, Fiscal Year 2017

Average course success rates varied by the type of secondary school but remained above 90%. Students attending private high schools had the highest average course success rate of 96.3% followed by public school students with 93.4% and home study students with 92.9%.
Of the 176 public school districts with at least 10 dual enrollment students in fiscal year 2017, 146 (80% of school districts) had course success rates greater than 90%. Overall, success rates ranged from 60% to 100%.
The percent of attempted dual enrollment credit hours that students earned varied by type of postsecondary institution, but remained above 90% for each of the three postsecondary categories.
Of the 57 postsecondary institutions included in our review, 47 had course success rates greater than 90% during fiscal year 2017. These success rates ranged from 84.8% at Albany Technical College to 100% at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
All general education and CTAE course subject areas had success rates greater than 90% during fiscal year 2017. The course success rate for general education courses averaged 93.7% and CTAE courses averaged 93.2%.
Dual Enrollment Funding The General Assembly provides an annual appropriation of state general funds to cover Dual Enrollment Program costs. The appropriation generally covers the costs typically incurred by a student tuition, books, and mandatory fees. A transportation grant provided to some school districts is also funded through the appropriation. These funds are appropriated to GSFC which then allocates the funds to participating

Dual Enrollment

13

postsecondary institutions based on the approved tuition rates, maximum mandatory fees of $50 per student per term, and the number of invoiced dual enrollment credit hours. Transportation grant funding is also provided by GSFC to public high schools with approved grant applications. These grant funds are used to transport dual enrollment students to postsecondary institutions.
Public Postsecondary Institutions receive the standard undergraduate tuition set by each institution, $50 per semester to be applied to a student's mandatory fees, and $25 per semester hour or $15 per quarter hour for textbooks. The institutions are required to waive any remaining balance of mandatory fees and must provide textbooks at no cost to the student.
Private Postsecondary Institutions receive a tuition award up to $250 per semester credit hour or a tuition award of $187 per quarter credit hour. These institutions also receive $50 for mandatory fees and $25 per semester hour or $15 per quarter hour for textbooks and are required to waive any remaining balance for the fees and textbooks.

As shown in Exhibit 12 state general fund appropriations for dual enrollment programs have grown by more than 325% over the past five years from $18.5 million in fiscal year 2014 to $78.8 million in fiscal year 2018. The largest yearly increase (133%) occurred between fiscal years 2015 and 2016 which is the year provisions of Senate Bill 132 and Senate Bill 2 took effect.

Exhibit 12

State General Fund Appropriations for Dual Enrollment Programs grew by 350%

over the Five-Year Period, Fiscal Years 2014-2018

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

ACCEL

$14,322,241 $16,303,779

--

HOPE Grant1

$3,024,147 $3,779,266

--

Move On When Ready

$1,174,601 $1,036,131

--

(Pre-SB 132/SB 2)

Dual Enrollment

(Post-SB 132/SB 2)

--

-- $49,125,863

Total

$18,520,989 $21,119,176 $49,125,863

1 HOPE Grant data is from GSFC Program Expenditure information

Sources: General Appropriations Acts, PeopleSoft reports, and GSFC Program Data

----
$75,112,389 $75,112,389

----
$78,839,337 $78,839,337

Since fiscal year 2016, approximately 80% of GSFC's payments to postsecondary institutions has covered tuition, while 15% of funds has covered course books and 5% fees. In total, these expenses have averaged approximately $155/credit hour for Dual Enrollment participants. GSFC also provides Dual Enrollment funds to public high schools that are awarded transportation grants to help fund the transportation of dual enrollment students to their respective postsecondary institution. In fiscal year 2017, GSFC provided approximately $955,000 in transportation grants to 44 public high schools.

As discussed in detail on page 20, state expenditures for dual enrollment students are not limited to the appropriation for dual enrollment, which covers tuition, fees, books, and transportation costs but also include enrollment-based formula funding associated with dual enrollment students at both their public secondary and public postsecondary institutions. Public high schools continue to receive state QBE funding for dual enrollment students for the portion of the day that the students are enrolled in postsecondary institutions. Public postsecondary institutions also include these

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14

students in FTE counts used to calculate the annual state appropriations funding request. For example, according to USG, there were 156,828 dual enrollment hours attempted in fiscal year 2017 equating to 5,228 FTE students. USG institutions earned approximately $5,856 per FTE in state formula funds.

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15

Requested Information

What are the goals and objectives of the Dual Enrollment Program?

Formal goals and objectives for the Dual Enrollment program have not been established. The purpose of the Dual Enrollment program, as outlined in the Appropriation's Act, is "to allow students to pursue postsecondary study...while receiving dual high school and college credit," but, the specific goals and objectives are not defined in statute or policy. A clear outline of goals for dual enrollment allows administrators, educators, and legislators to determine if the program is achieving the desired outcomes. In addition, as discussed in detail on page 20, the cost of dual enrollment to the state is significant. Without formally stated goals and objectives, however, it is not possible to determine the cost-effectiveness of the state's investment.

As shown in Exhibit 13, several states with dual enrollment programs have identified the goals and objectives of the programs in their enabling legislation. Examples of common goals of dual enrollment include the following:
decrease postsecondary students' time to degree completion;
increase the percentage of students enrolling in postsecondary institutions after high school graduation; and
increase secondary and postsecondary success rates and degree-attainment.

Exhibit 13 Other States Have Defined Goals and Objectives for Dual Enrollment Programs in the Enabling Legislation

State

Legislatively Defined Dual Enrollment Goals and Objectives

Florida Illinois
North Carolina

"Shorten the time necessary for a student to complete the requirements associated with the conference of a high school diploma and a postsecondary degree."
(Florida Law 1007.27.(1))
"(1) To reduce college costs (2) To speed time to degree completion (3) To improve the curriculum for high school students and the alignment of the curriculum with college and workplace expectations (4) to facilitate the transition between high school and college (5) to enhance communication between high schools and colleges and (6) to offer opportunities for improving degree attainment for underserved student populations"
(Dual Credit Quality Act (110 ILCS 27/1))
"Outcomes to be measured shall include (1) the impact of dual enrollment on high school completion (2) the academic achievement and performance of dually enrolled high school students (3) the number of students who successfully complete college certificates while dually enrolled (4) the impact of dual enrollment and certificate completion on enrollment in college (5) the persistence and completion rates of students who continue into college programs after high school graduation and (6) the academic achievement and performance of students who continue into college programs after high school graduation."
(House Bill 200 Section 7.1.A(d) 2011 Session Creating the College and Career Promise Program)

Tennessee

"Enable student to obtain a high school diploma in less than four years, to begin or complete an
associate degree program, to master a certificate or diploma in a career or technical program or to earn up to two years of postsecondary credit."
(Tennessee law 49-15-101)

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16

RECOMMENDATION
1. The General Assembly should consider adding defined goals and objectives for the Dual Enrollment program into its relevant statute (O.C.G.A 20-2161.3.)

GSFC Response: GSFC agreed with the recommendation and stated that "with additional clarifications regarding the intent of the Dual Enrollment Program, GSFC will be better positioned to apply other regulatory and programmatic oversights to ensure that the program is being administered most efficiently."
USG Response: USG stated that "dual enrollment program students represent a significant component of currently enrolled students and, as noted in the report, many of those students matriculate to the University System after high school graduation." In addition, USG indicated "we believe that the goals and objectives of the dual enrollment program should align with Complete College Georgia and our statewide efforts to raise educational attainment across the state."

Do participating state agencies collect the information necessary to assess program effectiveness?
Multiple state agencies and private entities are involved in administering dual enrollment and generate data that could be used to assess its effectiveness. However, neither Georgia statute nor GSFC policies identify a single state agency responsible for compiling the information and evaluating/tracking the success of dual enrollment. In addition, because data is generated by multiple agencies without coordination or oversight, it lacks the uniformity necessary for analysis.
The Georgia Student Finance Commission, the Georgia Department of Education, the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia, and participating private secondary and postsecondary institutions generate various programmatic data useful in evaluating participation and outcomes of dual enrolled students, such as secondary and postsecondary student records, dual enrollment applications, and dual enrollment invoices. Specific data generated and maintained by each of these entities as well as limitations of the data collected are described below.
GSFC is responsible for administering payments to postsecondary institutions for dual enrollment courses provided to high school students. In this capacity, the agency maintains student application records and postsecondary institution invoice records. It does not, however, capture or maintain data that would enable it to determine if students took courses for which they applied and received approval, passed the courses, and received college credit for these courses upon postsecondary enrollment.
GaDOE collects and maintains dual enrollment course records for students attending public high schools. The agency is not responsible for obtaining dual enrollment course records for students attending private high schools or students enrolled in home study programs.
USG collects and maintains dual enrollment course records only for students attending USG postsecondary institutions.

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17

TCSG collects and maintains dual enrollment course records only for students attending TCSG postsecondary institutions.
Private postsecondary institutions maintain dual enrollment course records and are not required to submit these course records to any state agency, including GOSA.
While not charged with any responsibility regarding the administration of dual enrollment, GOSA is responsible for collecting and housing student data from all public secondary and postsecondary institutions and some private postsecondary institutions. The data is housed in the state's longitudinal data warehouse called GAAWARDS. Although GOSA recently used GAAWARDS data to assess various aspects of the Dual Enrollment program at the request of the Senate Appropriations Committee and as discussed on page 11, the review was limited to public high school dual enrollment students. In addition, several private postsecondary institutions that participate in the Dual Enrollment program do not submit student records to GAAWARDS.
Due to the fragmented delivery and oversight of the dual enrollment program, no single state agency ensures that dual enrollment data is accurately and consistently reported and compiled. We identified numerous inconsistencies in the data that can inhibit accurate evaluation. These inconsistencies include:
Dual Enrollment Student Records without Approved Applications: Approximately 1,600 dual enrollment course records from fiscal years 2016 and 2017 provided by postsecondary institutions lacked a matching dual enrollment application maintained by GSFC. These records did not match on four criteria including the student's identification, postsecondary institution attended, academic term, or postsecondary course name. As a result, it cannot be confirmed that the student records are accurate or that the application records include all dual enrollment participants.
According to GSFC officials, there could be several explanations for this occurrence. For example, they indicated that not all dual enrolled students are covered by the funding appropriated to GSFC for dual enrollment. Some students may be taking courses not on the approved list of courses prepared by the GaDOE and eligible postsecondary institutions. In addition, some students may be paying out of pocket for dual credit courses.
Lack of a Standard Method to Identify Students in Course Records: Some postsecondary institutions do not use a standard method to identify students, such as the social security number (SSN), in their student record. For example, some institutions may develop and use their own internal student identification number. GSFC only uses the student's SSN and does not record institutions' internal student identification numbers in its records. Consequently, dual enrollment applications, invoices, and student records may not be reliably linked or compared.
Inaccurate Student Grade-Level in Applications: Application records do not accurately record the grade-level of dual enrollment students. Our review of application records revealed 97 students reported as being in more than one grade-level during the Fall 2017 term. Because the application data may not accurately identify the grade-level of a student, the data may not be reliably used for various analyses such as determining high school graduation rates,

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18

length of time to high school degree, or length of time to postsecondary enrollment and degree.
Other States
Statutes establishing dual enrollment programs in other states include requirements that specific state agencies compile, analyze and report various dual enrollment programmatic activity and outcome data. Specific examples that could be beneficial in Georgia are listed below.
Kentucky: State policy directs the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education to establish a statewide Dual Credit Advisory Council. The Council is directed to work with the Kentucky Department of Education and the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education to create data systems that allow monitoring and tracking of dual credit students.
The Dual Credit Advisory Council is also required to submit an annual report to the General Assembly that includes an analysis of (1) dual credit costs to state government, secondary schools, postsecondary institutions, and students/families (2) student participation and completion of dual credit courses by gender, race/ethnicity, low income, and other gap measures (3) credit hours attempted and completed (4) student participation rates by school district (5) college-going rates of dual credit participants versus nonparticipants by school district (6) employment rates of CTE students versus non-participants by school district (7) postsecondary success measures comparing dual credit participants and non-participants and (8) eligibility and access of students participating in dual enrollment programs across the Commonwealth.
Tennessee: State law establishes an office to coordinate dual enrollment program and requires the office to measure and report on the success of dual enrollment programs using the following metrics: (1) high school retention rates, (2) high school completion rates, (3) high school dropout rates, (4) certification and associate and baccalaureate degree completion, (5) admission to four-year institutions, (5) post-graduation employment in career or study-related fields, and (5) employer satisfaction of employees who participated in and graduated from the programs.
The office is required to annually report these findings to the education committee of the senate and the education administration and planning committee of the House of Representatives. The report shall include a description of each program and an evaluation of its success, if the evaluation can be made at the time of the report. In addition, the report shall include information on the number of dual enrollment students who are retained at Tennessee colleges and graduate and the number of dual enrollment students continuing into postsecondary education within one year of graduation.
Ohio: State law establishes a college credit plus advisory committee to assist in the development of performance metrics and in the monitoring of the program's progress. The law requires the committee to submit an annual report on the outcomes of the dual enrollment program that are supported by empirical evidence to the governor, the president of the senate, the speaker of

Dual Enrollment

19

the house of representatives, and the chairpersons of the education committees of the senate and house of representatives.
The law also specifies that the annual report shall include performance metrics for dual enrollment students such as: (1) time to completion of a degree, (2) the number of degrees attained, and (3) the level and type of degrees attained. The report should also compare these metrics with the overall student population who did not participate in dual enrollment.
RECOMMENDATIONS 1. The General Assembly should consider identifying a single state agency or group to compile dual enrollment data from the various participating parties and to measure and report on the success of the Dual Enrollment program. This agency should be charged with ensuring the consistency and accuracy of dual enrollment data.
2. The General Assembly should consider establishing in statute the requirement that all postsecondary institutions participating in the Dual Enrollment program submit student record data to GAAWARDS. Additional provisions may need to be made to allow the data to be shared with other state entities.

GSFC Response: GSFC indicated that it "does not currently have the required level of data needed to report on all students and outcomes, but it will have the systems and processes in place to collect such data in the near future." GSFC indicated that "the FY2018 Dual Enrollment Regulations require participating high schools to submit complete high school transcript records to GSFC through the existing transcript exchange process." In addition, GSFC stated that it is "leading a statewide effort to create a system through which college transcript records for every student at a HOPE-eligible postsecondary institution will be transmitted to GSFC." Once operational, GSFC will use this information "to study and report on dual enrollment information much more completely and with more accuracy than other data sets housed elsewhere would allow."
What is the total state cost of Dual Enrollment?
Although state appropriations for dual enrollment programs have increased by 350% over the past five years, from $17.5 million in fiscal year 2014 to $78.8 million in fiscal year 2018, these appropriations represent only a portion of total state expenditures for dual enrollment. It is estimated that in fiscal year 2018 the state will spend approximately $172.3 million; including $78.8 million in dual enrollment appropriations and $93.5 million in enrollment-based formula funding at USG and TCSG institutions.

Dual Enrollment

20

In addition to the costs directly associated with attending courses at postsecondary institutions, the state continues to fund public school districts for the portion of the day that dual enrollment students are taking postsecondary courses. We estimate that during fiscal year 2018, school districts will receive approximately $26.5 million in Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding for the portion of the school day students attend dual enrollment courses.
State Funding of Public K-12 and Postsecondary Education
Public K-12 Education: The Quality Basic Education (QBE) Act of 1985 established the state's method for providing funding to local school systems through a series of calculations called the "QBE Funding Formula." The amount of QBE funds earned by each school system is based on both the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) students enrolled and on the certification levels and years of experience of the school's professional certificated staff. One FTE represents six periods, or segments, of state-funded education in a typical school day. One course typically equates to one of the six periods.
Public Postsecondary Education: USG and TCSG institutions are funded through multiple revenue sources including state appropriations, tuition and fees, grants, contracts, and donations. Annual state appropriation levels are determined through enrollment-based funding formulas. These funding formulas calculate the cost associated with educating students based on the number of attempted credit hours by course subject (USG) or by student major (TCSG).

When considering the three funding streams the annual Dual Enrollment appropriation, USG and TCSG enrollment-based appropriations, and the GaDOE QBE appropriation an estimated total of $198.8 million in state funding was provided for dual enrollment in FY 2018. As shown in Exhibit 14, the annual Dual Enrollment appropriation is estimated to comprise only 40% of total state funding.
Exhibit 14 The Annual Dual Enrollment Appropriation Comprises Less Than 40% of Total State Funding, Fiscal Year 2018

Dual Enrollment

21

Average State Costs for a Dual Enrollment Course
The average state cost for a dual enrollment course varies by the type of high school student (public, private, or home schooled) and by the type of postsecondary institution providing the course (TCSG, USG, or private). As shown in Exhibit 15, the average state cost for a 3-semester hour course ranges from $641 for private high school students taking a course from a private postsecondary institution to $1,305 for public high school students taking a course from a USG institution. These cost differentials are caused by varying tuition rates, enrollment-based state appropriations for TCSG and USG institutions, and QBE funding provided to public school districts for dual enrollment students.
Exhibit 15 Average State Cost for a Dual Enrollment Course Varies by Type of High School Student and by Type of Postsecondary Institution

Has GSFC implemented adequate controls to limit state expenditures to legitimate dual enrollment costs?
Despite limited expenditure controls in place, state funds appear to have been expended in accordance with GSFC policies on dual enrollment. Even though our review found that approximately 98% of paid invoices were supported by course records from postsecondary institutions, GSFC did not have access to this information to ensure that invoices represented course delivery. In addition, GSFC lacks capabilities to review individual student partcipation in dual enrollment across multiple institutions to ensure it does not fund more dual enrollment courses than is reasonable for some students.

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22

Georgia public postsecondary institutions generally limit students to a
maximum of 18 credit hours per term without prior authorization. In addition, students receiving HOPE aid are limited to 15 credit hours per term.

GSFC Oversight
State law requires that GSFC review postsecondary institutions compliance with the law and regulations through GSFC's existing compliance review process. This process, referred to as a compliance review, occurs once every three years for each postsecondary institution. For the compliance review, GSFC chooses a statistically valid random sample of dual enrollment student files.8 If problems are identified, the postsecondary institution may be required to refund the state. It should be noted that this process has only been in place since the beginning of fiscal year 2018. Consequently, less than a third of participating postsecondary institutions have been subject to review so far.
According to GSFC officials, it lacks access to readily available data to ensure postsecondary institutions receive payment for courses that were delivered to eligible students. If GSFC had access to student-level course records, for example, it could conduct more frequent, automated reviews of institutions' compliance with dual enrollment policies rather than once every three years. Students' course records could be compared with GSFC's invoice data to ensure invoices represent actual course delivery. Our comparison of invoices to course records (including all dually enrolled students at TCSG, USG, and a sample of six private postsecondary institutions) found that approximately 98% of invoices were supported by a student course record.
Excessive Dual Enrollment Participation
While state law does not limit the number of dual enrollment credit hours students can enroll in each term, GSFC policies limit students to 15 semester credit hours per term per postsecondary institution. However, our review of GSFC's invoice data found that the state may have funded more dual enrollment courses than is reasonable for some students. During fiscal year 2017, GSFC paid invoices for 153 students who received dual enrollment aid in excess of 15 credit hours per academic term, up to 58 credit hours per term. Students who received more than 15 semester credit hours of dual enrollment aid per academic term were able to do so by enrolling in multiple postsecondary institutions during the same term, which neither state law nor GSFC policies prohibit.
Examples of students identified as receiving excessive dual enrollment aid are described below.
Student "A" was approved to take 64 semester credit hours during the spring 2017 semester and received dual enrollment aid for 58 of those hours. Paid invoice records show that this student attended eight postsecondary institutions during the academic term and received a total of $11,687 in dual enrollment aid which covered tuition, fees, and books. The approved applications for this student and term list the student as being in three gradelevels (Sophomore, Junior and Senior) indicating the application information is not reviewed for accuracy or consistency.
During the prior two academic terms of the year (summer and fall), this student had already received aid for 57 additional credit hours. As a result, this

8 Typically, GSFC does not extrapolate the results of its review of the sample to the population for repayment. However, if the error rate from the sample exceeds 10%, an additional sample may be pulled. If the error rate continues, GSFC may extrapolate or, at the institution's insistence, review the entire population (at the institution's expense).

Dual Enrollment

23

GSFC regulation 1605.2 allows students to
continue to participate in dual enrollment after they
have fulfilled all high school graduation or home
study completion requirements as long as they have not exceeded four-years of high school
enrollment.

student received a total of $24,644 in dual enrollment aid during fiscal year 2017.
Student "B" was approved to take a total of 59 semester credit hours during the fall 2017 term and received dual enrollment aid for 32 of those hours. Paid invoice records show that this student attended five postsecondary institutions and received a total of $7,736 in dual enrollment aid. The approved applications from the different postsecondary institutions list the student as being in two different grade-levels (Freshman and Junior) indicating that application information is not reviewed for accuracy or consistency.
Student "C" was approved to take a total of 27 semester credit hours during the fall 2017 term and received dual enrollment aid for all 27 of those hours. Paid invoice records show that this student attended four postsecondary institutions and received a total of $3,944 in dual enrollment aid.
We question the feasibility of a high school student attempting and completing 30 to 58 semester credit hours in one term, particularly when considering a maximum course load for undergraduate students is often 17 to 21 credit hours. In addition, state law (O.C.G.A. 160-4-2-.48) requires only 23 units of study (equating to approximately 69 postsecondary credit hours) to graduate from high school, which would mean Student A accomplished 84% of high school requirements in just one semester.
Prior to approving a student's application for dual enrollment courses, postsecondary institutions are not aware of the student's total attempted course load if the student is applying to multiple postsecondary institutions. In addition, GSFC does not analyze application or invoice data to identify the total number of credit hours attempted and aggregated by students. According to GSFC officials and as noted on page 17, the inconsistent manner in which student identifiers are assigned by postsecondary institutions makes it difficult to track a single student across multiple institutions.
Dual Enrollment Credits Can Exceed High School Graduation Requirements
Although state law (O.C.G.A. 20-2-161.3 (f)(2)) requires that dual enrollment credit be counted by high schools toward graduation requirements and subject area requirements, existing GSFC policies do not prohibit students from earning more dual enrollment credits than necessary for high school graduation. Within a two-year period (fiscal years 2016 through 2017) we identified 15 students with more invoiced dual enrollment credit hours than needed to complete the requirements for a high school diploma. GSFC application records for eight of these students indicate that they were either freshmen, sophomores, or juniors during fiscal year 2017. Consequently, if these students continue to participate in the Dual Enrollment Program, they may continue to obtain postsecondary credits in subsequent academic years even though they have satisfied requirements for high school graduation.

RECOMMENDATIONS
1. GSFC should consider obtaining and reviewing student course record data to assist them with ensuring postsecondary institutions' compliance. Due to the sensitive nature of student level data, additional steps may be necessary to obtain access.

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24

2. The General Assembly should consider limiting the total number of dual enrollment credit hours per student per term in a manner similar to limitations established for the HOPE scholarship.
GSFC Response: GSFC stated it "support[s] the recommendation that term limitations be considered." GSFC indicated it "does not currently have authority to deny student enrollment or participation based on excessive credit hours." However, it noted that "active approval of each student's coursework and course load is required, as a covenant of overall program participation, by each high school and postsecondary institution participating in the program." In addition, "high school staff must counsel each participating student, as well as collect written parental consent." According to GSFC, "it has instituted an additional review process for any student applying to take an `excessive' number of credit hours in a single term."
GSFC also stated that while "the overall compliance review process has been in place for at least 10 years," its "process of including samples of dual enrollment student awards during each review has only been in place since FY2018." GSFC noted this is because "the compliance reviews are conducted on a one-year lag and the current Dual Enrollment Program has only been active for two fiscal years." GSFC added "it has begun conducting desk audits of participating high schools when warranted."

What are the postsecondary institutions' Dual Enrollment admissions criteria?
Although state law and GSFC regulations allow any 9th through 12th grade student to participate in dual enrollment, students must meet minimum requirements for admission to a postsecondary institution or to specific courses within a program of study. Admissions criteria may include GPA requirements, college entrance exam scores, and/or placement test scores. For dual enrollment students, admissions criteria can vary widely by institution and, for TCSG institutions, by course (depending on the program of study being pursued). Because postsecondary institutions have varying admissions criteria, students admitted to one institution to take a particular course may not meet the admissions criteria at another institution for the same course. For example, the admissions criteria for a student applying to take a college-level English Composition course (i.e., English 1101 or English 101) varies by postsecondary institution, as shown in Exhibit 16.

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25

Exhibit 16 Example of Variation in Admissions Criteria for a Dual Enrollment English Composition Course by Postsecondary Institution

Postsecondary Institution
Georgia Military College Georgia Northwestern Technical College Point University University of North Georgia University of West Georgia West Georgia Technical College

Minimum G.P.A.
2.5 n/a 3.0 3.25 3.0 n/a

Minimum ACT1
20 162 n/a4 20 17 162

Accuplacer Test Reading Score
613 64 n/a n/a n/a 64

1 The minimum ACT scores refer to the English score.

2 The ACT score may be used in lieu of a placement test.

3 The Accuplacer placement test score may be used in lieu of the ACT score.

4 Point University does not require minimum SAT, ACT, or placement test scores for 11th and 12th grade dual enrollment students who comprise over 90% of their dual enrollment participation.

Sources: USG, TCSG, Georgia Military College, and Point University admissions criteria policies and documents.

Of the three award levels degree, diploma, or certificate degree-level programs have the most stringent admissions criteria while certificatelevel programs have the least stringent criteria.

TCSG Institutions
While TCSG has defined minimum admissions criteria for its 22 institutions that apply to all students (including dually enrolled students), depending on the awardlevel (degree, diploma, or certificate), some institutions may choose to implement more stringent criteria depending on the specific program of study. For example, a dual enrollment student can apply to an institution with intent to pursue a degree, diploma, or certificate in a program of study within the Criminal Justice subject area, but admissions requirements will vary by type of award. Institutions may also admit students who do not apply for a particular program of study as described above, but who apply to take individual courses within a program of study. Students applying to take courses that are associated with degree-level programs of study, including general education courses (e.g., mathematics, sciences, English/language arts) that are transferable to USG institutions, must meet the degree-level admissions criteria.
As shown in Exhibit 17, TCSG's minimum admissions criteria do not include a minimum GPA requirement (though individual institutions have the option to do so for certain programs of study), but instead require that students achieve minimum placement test scores for admission to various programs of study. Placement tests considered by TCSG include Accuplacer, Compass, Asset, or other institutionallyapproved placement tests. As an alternative to taking placement tests, students may provide SAT or ACT test scores. In general, students applying to take any course that would be transferrable to a USG two- or four-year institution, for example, would have to meet more stringent admissions criteria, as the exhibit shows.

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Exhibit 17 TCSG Admissions Criteria Vary by Award-Level

Minimum GPA

Degree-Level Transferable Course

DiplomaLevel

Technical Certificate of Credit

Qualifying Scores from Any of the Following Tests

Accuplacer

Reading

64

Sentence Skills

70

Arithmetic

Elementary Algebra

57

Asset

Reading

41

Writing

40

Numeric

Algebra

42

Compass

Reading

79

Writing

62

Numeric

Algebra

37

SAT1

Composite

Reading/Verbal

450

Math

440

ACT

Composite

Reading

17

English

16

Math

19

55

36

60

30

34

23

23

38 37 32 36

70 32 26 28

430 400

13 12 17

1 These SAT scores refer to the scoring effective prior to March 2016.

Source: TCSG institution websites

USG Institutions
Because USG has not defined standard admissions criteria, each USG institution has established its own unique dual enrollment admissions criteria. As shown in Exhibit 18, these criteria vary by USG category (i.e., Research Universities, Comprehensive Universities, State Universities, and State Colleges) and by institution within each category. Unlike TCSG, USG institutions require students to have minimum high school GPAs and achieve minimum ACT or SAT scores rather than using placement tests.

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Exhibit 18 Admissions Criteria Vary by USG Category and by Institutions within Each Category

Minimum GPA

Research

Comprehensive

Universities Universities

3.0 4.0

3.0

Qualifying Scores from Any of the Following Tests

SAT1 Composite2 Reading/Verbal Math ACT Composite English Math

1000 - 1400 430 - 700 400 - 700
20 - 32 17 - 31 17 - 31

970 - 1100 430 - 530 400 - 530
20 - 24 17 - 23 17 - 22

State Universities
3.0 3.25

State Colleges
3.0

970 430 - 530 400 - 530
20 17 - 23 17 - 22

970 430 - 5003 400 - 500
20 - 21 17 - 21 17 21

1 These SAT scores refer to the scoring effective prior to March 2016. 2 Five institutions do not require minimum SAT composite scores. 3 One institution only requires a minimum composite score but not specific reading and math scores.

Source: USG institution websites

Private/Independent Institutions
The private and independent institutions that participated in the Dual Enrollment program during fiscal year 2017 have varying program admissions criteria. However, although the criteria vary, they are typically less rigorous than those required by USG institutions.
As shown in Exhibit 19, some institutions require a minimum GPA while others only recommend that minimum GPA standards be met. In addition, some private institutions do not require that students achieve minimum scores on any standard college readiness or placement test. Finally, at many institutions, a high school guidance counselor's recommendation for a student may override formally set admissions criteria and allow a student that does not meet test score or GPA requirements to participate in the Dual Enrollment Program.

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Exhibit 19

Admissions Criteria Vary at the Six Private/Independent Postsecondary

Institutions with the Highest Dual Enrollment Participation, Fiscal Year 2017

Georgia Truett

Point

Toccoa

Brewton-

Emmanuel

Military McConnell University Falls

Parker

College

College University

College

College

Minimum GPA

2.5

3.01

3.0

3.0

2.5

3.0

Qualifying Scores From Any of the Following Tests

SAT3

Composite

n/a

2

n/a

980

Reading

480

Math

440

ACT

Composite

n/a

2

460

n/a

440

n/a

n/a

19

English

20

Math

18

Accuplacer Placement Test

Reading

61

English

70

Math

67

Compass Placement Test

Reading

78

Writing

60

Math

37

18

n/a

16

n/a

1 3.0 cumulative GPA is recommended but not required. 2 A minimum cumulative SAT score of 970 or ACT score of 20 is required only for 9th - 10th grade students and 11th-12th grade students who do not have a cumulative 3.0 GPA. 3 These SAT scores refer to the scoring effective prior to March 2016.

Sources: Institution websites and interviews with institution dual enrollment admissions staff

What percentage of dual enrollment coursework was accepted for postsecondary credit?
Data is not available to determine the percent of dual enrollment courses that were accepted for postsecondary credit by postsecondary institutions after students graduate from high school. However, our analysis of dual enrollment students who were high school seniors in academic year 2016 found that the majority (65%) of these students enrolled in a Georgia public postsecondary institution in academic year 2017 and the majority (82.6%) of dual enrollment coursework was accepted for postsecondary credit.
Currently, no state agency compiles or reviews the information necessary to identify the percentage of dual enrollment coursework accepted for postsecondary credit. GSFC does not obtain or review course records for dual enrollment students after they exit the program. Course transfer information is not maintained in the state's longitudinal student achievement database, GAAWARDS. Additionally, even if this data was obtained, it would not include information for students enrolled at postsecondary institutions in other states and the private institutions in Georgia that do not currently provide records to GAAWARDS.

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We requested academic year 2017 student records from USG and TCSG institutions for a randomly chosen sample of 376 dual enrollment students to determine
the percent of dual enrollment students that enrolled in a TCSG or USG institution after 12th grade; and,
the percent of dual enrollment credit hours that were invoiced and paid by GSFC for these students that were subsequently accepted for postsecondary credit by USG or TCSG institutions. 9

As shown in Exhibit 20, 244 of the 376 (65%) students in our sample enrolled as postsecondary students at a USG or TCSG institution during academic year 2017. We did not have access to the information necessary to determine if the remaining students enrolled at private postsecondary institutions or public institutions in other states.
Exhibit 20 The Majority (65%) of Dual Enrollment Students Enrolled in a Georgia Public Postsecondary Institution after High School, Academic Year 2017

For the students who enrolled at USG or TCSG institutions (65% of our sample), student enrollment records indicate that USG and TCSG institutions accepted the majority of attempted dual enrollment courses for postsecondary credit. These courses were either accepted as transfer credits (when students enrolled at a different institution) or carried forward (when students enrolled in the same institution that dual enrollment courses were provided). As shown in Exhibit 21, 82% of the dual enrollment credit hours attempted by students enrolling in USG or TCSG institutions during academic year 2017 were either transferred or carried forward to the students' current postsecondary institution.
9 This sample was randomly drawn from the population of 15,914 students who participated in the Dual Enrollment program and whose dual enrollment applications indicated they were in the 12th grade during fiscal year 2016. When extrapolating results to the population, this sample size provides a 95% confidence level and a 5% margin of error.

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Exhibit 21 USG and TCSG Institutions Accepted for Postsecondary Credit the Majority (82%) of Attempted Dual Enrollment Credit Hours

Articulation Agreement
USG institutions and TCSG institutions have
agreed to accept 28 general education courses for transfer
between their institutions. Students must obtain a course grade of "C" or higher
for guaranteed transfer.

Approximately 18% of dual enrollment coursework did not transfer as postsecondary credits to either USG or TCSG institutions. As shown in Exhibit 22, our review of dual enrollment course records from USG, TCSG, and private/independent postsecondary institutions found that the coursework was not accepted for a variety of reasons including:
the course was not completed with a grade of C or above 29% of the unaccepted coursework; or,
the course subject area was not transferable (i.e., coursework was completed in a technical field such as cosmetology and not transferable to a state university) 28% of the unaccepted coursework.
We could not determine why the remaining coursework (43%) was not accepted for postsecondary credit. Course records for approximately 29% of the dual enrollment hours indicate successful completion (with grades higher than a "D") of core general education courses such as English Composition, U.S. History, and College Algebra that should be applicable for two- and four-year degrees at USG institutions. The remaining 14% of dual enrollment hours not accepted for postsecondary credit occurred during academic years 2014 and 2015, which were prior to our course-record review period.

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Exhibit 22 Dual Enrollment Courses Were Not Accepted for Postsecondary Credit by USG and TCSG Institutions for a Variety of Reasons

Accepted for Postsecondary
Credit 82.1%

Not Accepted for Postsecondary
Credit 17.9%

UnknownPrior to 2016 14%
UnknownAppears to Meet Criteria
29%

Unsuccessful 29%
Technical Courses
28%

Sources: GSFC data, USG data, TCSG data, course records from private/independent postsecondary institutions

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Appendix A: Table of Recommendations

What are the goals and objectives of the Dual Enrollment Program? (p. 15)
1. The General Assembly should consider adding defined goals and objectives for the Dual Enrollment program into its relevant statute (O.C.G.A 20-2-161.3.)
Do participating state agencies collect the information necessary to assess program effectiveness? (p. 16)
2. The General Assembly should consider identifying a single state agency or group to compile dual enrollment data from the various participating parties and to measure and report on the success of the Dual Enrollment program. This agency should be charged with ensuring the consistency and accuracy of dual enrollment data.
3. The General Assembly should consider establishing in statute the requirement that all postsecondary institutions
participating in the Dual Enrollment program submit student record data to GAAWARDS. Additional
provisions may need to be made to allow the data to be shared with other state entities.
Has GSFC implemented adequate controls to limit state expenditures to legitimate dual enrollment costs? (p.21)
4. GSFC should consider obtaining and reviewing student course record data to assist them with ensuring postsecondary institutions' compliance. Due to the sensitive nature of student level data, additional steps may be necessary to obtain access.
5. The General Assembly should consider limiting the total number of dual enrollment credit hours per student per term in a manner similar to limitations established for the HOPE scholarship.

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Appendix B: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
Objectives This examination of the Dual Enrollment Program was conducted at the request of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Committee asked that we review the ability of the Georgia Student Finance commission to assess the performance of the Dual Enrollment program, participating postsecondary institutions' admissions criteria, students' performance and grade experience, and post Dual Enrollment college enrollment. Based on this request we addressed the following questions:
1. What are the goals and objectives of the Dual Enrollment program and do participating state agencies collect the information necessary to assess program effectiveness?
2. What are the trends in dual enrollment participation?
3. What is the total state cost of dual enrollment?
4. Has GSFC implemented adequate controls to limit state expenditures to legitimate dual enrollment costs?
5. What are participating postsecondary institutions' admissions criteria?
6. What percentage of dual enrollment courses were accepted for credit transfer by postsecondary institutions?
Scope This special examination generally covered activity related to the Dual Enrollment program, formerly called Move On When Ready, that occurred during fiscal years 2016 and 2017, with consideration of earlier or later periods when relevant. Information used in this report was obtained by reviewing relevant laws, rules, and regulations; interviewing agency officials and staff from the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC), the University System of Georgia (USG), the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), the Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA), and the six independent/private postsecondary institutions included in the examination; analyzing data and reports provided by GSFC, USG, TCSG, GOSA, and the independent/private postsecondary institutions; and reviewing existing studies regarding the effectiveness of dual enrollment.
Multiple data sets were used to inform our objectives. These data sets include fiscal year 2012-2017 dual enrollment application and invoice data from GSFC and fiscal year 2016-2017 dual enrollment course records from TCSG, USG, and the six independent postsecondary institutions included in our examination. We assessed the data used for this examination and determined that the data used were sufficiently reliable for our analyses.
Methodology To determine the goals and objectives of the Dual Enrollment program, we reviewed the enabling legislation for the Move On When Ready/Dual Enrollment program (O.C.G.A. 20-2-161.3) to determine if specific goals and objectives for the

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program are defined. In addition, we interviewed relevant staff of state agencies involved in the dual enrollment program to determine if they have developed specific goals and objectives for the program. Lastly, we reviewed industry literature and researched dual enrollment programs in other states to identify common goals and objectives of dual enrollment programs.
To determine if participating agencies collect the information necessary to assess program effectiveness, we reviewed studies of dual enrollment program effectiveness conducted by other states and industry organizations to identify the types of information required and used. We then interviewed relevant staff from the Georgia state agencies involved in providing the dual enrollment program including GOSA, GSFC, USG, and TCSG to determine if these agencies collect the necessary information and if they have compiled and analyzed the information to determine effectiveness. Lastly, we compiled and analyzed dual enrollment information produced by each of the state agencies to determine if the data is accurate and reliable.
To identify trends in dual enrollment participation, we compiled and analyzed dual enrollment application and invoice data from GSFC and dual enrollment course records from USG, TCSG, and the six independent postsecondary institutions included in our review. To identify trends in the number of students participating and in the number of attempted credit hours by postsecondary institution, GSFC invoice data was analyzed. To identify trends in course participation by county, we obtained the number of paid credit hours per student from GSFC invoice data and the county location of the student's secondary school from GSFC application data. To identify trends in participation rates, we calculated the number of dual enrollment student FTEs per public school district using GSFC invoice and application data and compared these totals to the number of 9th-12th grade students in each public school district using GaDOE's QBE allotment. To identify trends in the type or subject-area of attempted dual enrollment courses, we used the GSFC application to identify the high school course to which the dual enrollment course record was associated. We used the high school course because GaDOE provides a standard course categorization. To identify trends in course success rates, we analyzed dual enrollment course records provided by USG, TCSG, and the six independent postsecondary institutions included in our review.
To identify the total state cost of dual enrollment, we estimated the total amount of state funds that would be spent in fiscal year 2018 by considering the three funding streams the annual Dual Enrollment appropriation, USG and TCSG enrollmentbased appropriations, and the GaDOE QBE appropriation. USG enrollment based funding was calculated by multiplying the number of dual enrollment credit hours in each course fund group and level (defined by USG) by the credit hour funding rate associated with each category. TCSG bases its funding request on the number of credit hours per program of study, or declared major, with different funding amounts associated with each program of study. Therefore, using TCSG dual enrollment course records, we summed the number of attempted dual enrollment credit hours by declared major and multiplied this amount by the associated funding level. To identify the amount of K-12 state QBE funding generated by dual enrollment students, we used GSFC invoice and application data to calculate the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) dual enrollment students for each public school district. We then multiplied this student count by the per FTE FY 2017 QBE allotment associated with 9th-12th grade students in each school district.

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To determine if GSFC has implemented adequate controls to limit state expenditures to legitimate dual enrollment costs, we interviewed GSFC staff to identify payment and audit controls currently used by GSFC for the dual enrollment program. To determine if GSFC paid postsecondary institutions for courses that were actually delivered, we compared fiscal year 2016 and 2017 GSFC invoice records to dual enrollment course records obtained from USG, TCSG, and the six independent postsecondary institutions. The invoice records and course records were matched using the student's social security number or name, the name of the postsecondary institution, and the academic term.
To identify dual enrollment admissions criteria employed by postsecondary institutions, we reviewed admissions policies and information published by postsecondary institutions on their websites and interviewed USG and TCSG staff and admissions staff at individual independent postsecondary institutions.
To determine the percentage of dual enrollment courses that were accepted for postsecondary credit by Georgia public postsecondary institutions, we obtained and analyzed academic year 2017 student records from USG and TCSG institutions for a randomly chosen sample of 376 dual enrollment students to determine
the percent of dual enrollment students that enrolled in a TCSG or USG institution after 12th grade; and,
the percent of dual enrollment credit hours that were invoiced and paid by GSFC for these students that were subsequently accepted for postsecondary credit by USG or TCSG institutions.
This sample was randomly drawn from the population of 15,914 students who participated in the Dual Enrollment program and whose dual enrollment applications indicated they were in the 12th grade during academic year 2016. When extrapolating results to the population, this sample size provides a 95% confidence level and a 5% margin of error.
This special examination was not conducted in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS) given the timeframe in which the report was needed. However, it was conducted in accordance with Performance Audit Division policies and procedures for non-GAGAS engagements. These policies and procedures require that we plan and perform the engagement to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for the information reported and that data limitations be identified for the reader.

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Appendix C: Dual Enrollment Credit Hours by Type of Postsecondary Institution and Secondary School
Exhibit C-1: 86% of Credit Hours Were Provided to Public High School Students, Fiscal Year 2017

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Appendix D: Dual Enrollment Credit Hours Attempted by Public and Private High School Students by County

Exhibit D-1: Approximately 20% of Dual Enrollment Credits Were Provided to Students Enrolled in Public and Private Secondary Schools Located in Five Atlanta- and Savannah-area counties, Fiscal Year 2017

Dade

Catoosa

Walker

Whitfield

Murray

Chattooga

Gordon

Fannin

Union

Towns

Rabun

Gilmer Pickens

Lumpkin

White Habersham Stephens

Dawson

Banks

Franklin

Hall

Hart

0 999 Credit Hours 1,000 4,999 Credit Hours 5,000 9,999 Credit Hours 10,000 14,999 Credit Hours

Floyd

Bartow

Cherokee

Forsyth

Jackson

Madison

Elbert

15,000 + Credit Hours

Polk Haralson

Paulding

Cobb

Douglas

Fulton

Gwinnett DeKalb

Barrow Walton

Clarke Oconee

Oglethorpe

Wilkes

Lincoln

Carroll Heard

Coweta

Clayton

Fayette

Henry

Spalding

Newton Butts

Morgan

Greene

Taliaferro

Columbia McDuffie

Jasper

Putnam

Warren

Hancock

Glascock

Richmond

Troup

Meriwether

Pike

Lamar Monroe

Jones

Baldwin

Washington

Jefferson

Burke

Harris

Talbot

Muscogee Chattahoochee Marion

Upson Crawford

Bibb

Wilkinson Twiggs

Taylor

Peach

Macon

Houston

Bleckley

Laurens

Johnson Treutlen

Jenkins Emanuel

Screven

Candler

Bulloch

Effingham

Schley

Stewart

Webster

Sumter

Quitman

Dooly Crisp

Pulaski Wilcox

Dodge

Wheeler

Telfair

Toombs

Evans Tattnall

Bryan Liberty

Chatham

Randolph

Terrell

Lee

Clay

Calhoun

Dougherty

Turner
Worth Tift

Ben Hill Irwin

Jeff Davis

Appl ing

Coffee

Bacon

Long Wayne

McIntosh

Early Miller

Baker

Mitchell

Colquitt

Berrien Cook

Atkinson

Pierce

Ware

Brantley

Glynn

Seminole

Decatur

Grady

Thomas

Brooks

Lanier Lowndes

Clinch

Charlton

Camden

Echols

Source: DOAA analysis of GSFC dual enrollment application and invoice records

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Appendix E: Dual Enrollment Courses by Type of Postsecondary Institution and Type of Course
Exhibit E-1: General Education Courses are the Most Common Dual Enrollment Course Provided by All Three Categories of Postsecondary Institutions, Fiscal Year 2017

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Appendix F: Analysis of Success Rates
Exhibit F-1: Average Success Rates for Each Type of Secondary School ranged from 93% to 96%, Fiscal Year 2017

Exhibit F-2: Nine of the Ten School Districts with the Highest Number of Attempted Dual Enrollment Credit Hours had Success Rates Greater Than 90%, Fiscal Year 2017

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Appendix F (cont'd): Analysis of Success Rates
Exhibit F-3: The Dual Enrollment Course Success Rates at Each Type of Postsecondary Institution Ranged from 92.2% to 95.5%, Fiscal Year 2017

Exhibit F-4: The Ten Postsecondary Institutions with the Largest Number of Attempted Dual Enrollment Credit Hours Have Success Rates Greater Than 90%, Fiscal Year 2017

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Appendix F (cont'd): Analysis of Success Rates
Exhibit F-5: All Course Subject Areas Had Success Rates Greater Than 90%, Fiscal Year 2017

The Performance Audit Division was established in 1971 to conduct in-depth reviews of state-funded programs. Our reviews determine if programs are meeting goals and objectives; measure program results and effectiveness; identify alternate methods to meet goals; evaluate efficiency of resource allocation; assess compliance with laws and regulations; and provide credible management information to decision makers. For more information, contact
us at (404)656-2180 or visit our website at www.audits.ga.gov.