Early College Academy Model: Bridging the Gap Between High School and Higher Education

Early College Academies represent a significant innovation in the landscape of secondary education. These institutions aim to provide students with a head start on their college careers, particularly those who are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary settings. By integrating high school and college coursework, Early Colleges strive to reduce barriers to higher education and promote student success.

Defining the Early College Model

Early Colleges are small schools designed to allow students to earn a high school diploma while simultaneously accumulating college credit. The ultimate goal is for students to obtain an Associate’s Degree or up to two years of credit toward a Bachelor’s Degree in five years or less. This model serves as an intervention strategy for those students who may not thrive in traditional high school environments. Often referred to as "small schools that blur the line between high school and college" (Edmunds et al., 2017, p. 297), these institutions enable students to take college courses while still receiving support from high school staff.

Core Principles and Design

The Early College model is characterized by several core design principles:

College Partnerships: Early Colleges partner with colleges and universities to provide high school students with access to college courses.
Universal Access: Opportunities to take college-level courses are extended to all students, regardless of their academic standing. Some programs specifically target dropouts or students at risk of dropping out.
Comprehensive Support: Students receive a wide array of academic and social supports, including personalized relationships, tutoring, advising, and assistance with study skills, time management, and college preparation. Early colleges also provide students with supports in the formal transition to college, such as assistance in completing college applications and financial aid forms.

Many early college models target students who are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, including racial and ethnic minoritized students, students from low-income families, and students who are in the first generation of their families to go to college.

Curriculum and Structure

In early colleges, all students take a curriculum that includes the high school courses necessary for entrance into a four-year university (thus ensuring an academically rigorous course of study) and teachers are expected to receive support in implementing instructional strategies designed to prepare students for the level of thinking they will need to do in college. All students are required to take college courses. For most, this starts in the ninth grade when they might take physical education or college success skills, often in classes composed only of early college high school students. In 10th grade, most early college students begin to take core academic courses along with regular college students. By 11th and 12th grade, students take the majority of their courses on the college campus along with regular college students. Many early colleges are actually located on a 2-year or 4-year college campus.

The Georgia Early College Initiative

Georgia's Early Colleges were developed through a partnership between one or more Georgia Public School Systems and a University System of Georgia college or university. The Office of Educational Access and Success of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia serves as the Intermediary for the Georgia Early College Initiative - a partnership between the Georgia Department of Education and the University System of Georgia. The first Early College in Georgia, Carver Early College in Atlanta, opened in August 2005.

The Georgia Early College Initiative is an intervention strategy for students who may not be well served by traditional middle and high schools, and are underrepresented on college campuses: Low Income, Minority (with an emphasis on minority males), First Generation College, and Struggling Learners. The Early College sites are small schools where students can earn a high school diploma with the potential to earn an associate degree, or one to two years of transferable credit towards a bachelor’s degree. Each site is a partnership between a local school system and a University System of Georgia institution. The schools provide a rigorous course of study, high expectations and supportive, personalized learning. They incorporate effective instructional and structural practices, while building a college-going culture of success.

The current models are as follows:

6-12 models: 1 school
7-12 models: 3 schools
9-12 models: 6 schools
Located on-campus: 2 schools
Located in an independent facility: 4 schools
Located as a school within another school’s facility: 4 schools

Funding of the Initiative

In 2004, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded a $2 million, five-year grant to the University System of Georgia to support the start-up of six Early College schools. The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation provided matching annual funding of $2 million for three years. Since its inception, the program also has received in-kind contributions from the University System as well as the individual sites college and community partners; and ACCEL/Hope funds have paid for college tuition for students taking dual enrollment courses on the college campus.

In 2007, the University System of Georgia allocated an additional $1.2 million per year to open six additional Early Colleges in Fall 2008. Currently, there are eleven Early College sites.

Demonstrated Success in Georgia

The first Early College in the State of Georgia opened in August 2005, and produced the first Early College graduating class in May 2009. Many Early College students fall into the category of struggling learners when they apply to Early College; however, data indicates that Early College students often outscore peers on system-level and state assessments (CRCT, EOCT, HSGT, etc.).

Other Key Indicators & Milestones:

First graduating class in 2009: Carver Early College, with 79 graduates and a graduation rate of 100 percent.
100% of Early College stand-along schools achieve Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) vs. 77% AYP for State of Georgia
Three schools receiving Governor’s Office Single Statewide Accountability System Awards for two years in a row
90% Early College high school graduation rate vs.

Research and Evaluation

The Early College model has been the subject of rigorous research and evaluation. Two studies meet Blueprints standards for high-quality methods with strong evidence of program impact (i.e., "certified" by Blueprints): Study 1 (Haxton et al., 2016; Song & Zeiser, 2019), and Study 2 (Edmunds et al., 2012, 2017, 2020).

Study 1: Haxton et al. (2016) and Song & Zeiser (2019)

Haxton et al. (2016) and Song & Zeiser (2019) conducted a multisite randomized controlled trial (using lottery assignments). The study recruited from a five-state sample (i.e., North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah) of 17 lotteries across 10 schools and 3 cohorts of students entering high school in 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-08, which resulted in a sample size of 2,458 students. Haxton et al. (2016) followed participants from the year they entered Grade 9 (i.e., Year 1) to 2 years after expected high school graduation (i.e., Year 4). Song & Zeiser (2019) followed these same participants from the year they entered Grade 9 (i.e., Year 1) to 6 years after expected high school graduation (i.e., Year 10).

Recruitment: To be eligible for this retrospective study, an EC (Early College high school) had to meet the following criteria for at least 1 of 3 school years (2005-2006 through 2007-2008): (a) enrolled students in Grades 9 to 12; (b) had high school graduates; (c) were oversubscribed and used lotteries in their admission processes for incoming ninth graders; (d) retained the lottery records; and (e) implemented the EC model as a whole-school program. The potential study sample was restricted to all Early College High Schools that were open by fall 2007 to ensure that students in the study would have had the opportunity to complete at least 2 years of college by the end of data collection (e.g., 2012-2013). Of the 154 Early College High Schools open nationwide by fall 2007, about two-thirds were not eligible for the study because they were undersubscribed.

Assignment: This study capitalized on retrospective admission lotteries that occurred between 2005-06 and 2007-08. The sample included 17 lotteries across 10 sites and 3 cohorts, with 1,044 students randomly assigned to treatment and 1,414 students randomly assigned to control (total n = 2,458). Treatment students were lottery applicants offered enrollment either through the initial lottery or from a randomized waitlist prior to the first day of school, and control students were lottery applicants who were not offered enrollment.

Attrition: Only 2,207 students had high school graduation data (an attrition rate of 10%), and the reasons were not provided (See Table 3; Haxton et al., 2016). The authors reported no attrition (n = 2,458 at both the 2- and 6-year follow-up) for the postsecondary outcomes (i.e., college entrance and completion). In terms of risk & protective factors, Haxton et al. (2016) did not survey students from Cohort 1 because the authors were not confident in students' ability to recall their high school experiences multiple years after leaving high school. The survey response rate was 9…

Key Findings:

Haxton et al. (2016) found that, as compared to the control group, treatment students were more likely to be enrolled in college and attain a college degree while in high school.
In addition, compared to the control group, treatment students were more likely to attain a postsecondary degree after high school.
In a follow-up to Haxton et al. (2016), Song & Zeiser (2019) found treatment students were more likely than control to (1) enroll in college and (2) enroll in 2-year colleges each year between the fourth year of high school and 6 years after expected high school graduation.
Edmunds et al. (2012) found that, compared to the control group, students in the treatment group had significantly higher school attendance and lower suspension rates at the end of 9th grade.
Long-term results reported in Edmunds et al. (2017) showed that 2 years after high school graduation in a typical time frame, treatment students were more likely to be enrolled in postsecondary education and attain a postsecondary degree (Edmunds et al., 2017).
Meanwhile, Edmunds et al. (2020) found that 6 years after the end of Grade 12, there was a significant impact on overall degree attainment and on associate degree attainment in favor of the treatment group (though the authors note this result was largely driven by a large impact on associate degree attainment).
Edmunds et al. (2012) reported that a significantly higher proportion of students in the treatment group were taking core college preparatory courses and succeeding in them and had better school attendance and fewer suspensions at the end of 9th grade, compared to students in the control group.

Study 2: Edmunds et al. (2012, 2017, 2020)

Edmunds et al. (2012, 2017, 2020) conducted a multisite randomized controlled trial (using lottery assignments). The study included students who applied to one of 12 early college schools in North Carolina and included 18 cohorts of students who enrolled in ninth grade in the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years (n =1,689). Edmunds et al. (2020) included two more cohorts for the overall study but the sample size varied by outcome; thus, the full study examined 4,054 students who applied to 19 urban and rural early colleges in North Carolina over a series of 6 years. The first cohort for the Edmunds et al. (2020) study was in ninth grade in 2005-2006 and the final cohort was in ninth grade in 2010-2011. The study followed participants up to 6 years after students completed 9th grade, which is 2 years after high school graduation in a typical time frame (Edmunds et al., 2012, 2017). Long-term outcomes for Study 2 were examined at two time points: 4 years after completion of 12th grade and 6 years after completion of 12th grade (Edmunds et al., 2020).

Subgroup Differences in Program Effects

Study 1 (Berger et al., 2013; Berger et al., 2014; Haxton et al., 2016) tested for subgroup differences in program effects by race and ethnicity and found significantly stronger benefits for minority students than non-minority students. In addition, Berger et al (2013) found significantly stronger effects for female students than male students. Berger et al. (2013) and Haxton et al. (2016) found significantly stronger benefits for low-income students than high-income students. Less consistently, Berger et al. (2016) found significantly stronger benefits for high-income students than low-income students, and Song et al. Study 2 (Edmunds et al., 2012) tested for subgroup differences in program effects and found equal benefits across race and ethnicity but found significantly stronger benefits for students from lower-income families than students from higher-income families.

Mediation Analysis

Study 1 (Song and Zeiser, 2019) conducted a mediation analysis to examine the mechanisms of treatment impacts. Results show that students' high school experiences partially explained treatment impact on overall college enrollment, but they did not explain the treatment impact on enrollment in 2-year colleges.

Effect Sizes

In Study 1 (Haxton et al., 2016), effect sizes for behavioral outcomes ranged from small (OR = 1.13) to large (OR = 35.37). Effect sizes for risk and protective factors ranged from small (OR = 1.31) to large (OR = 18.61). Also in Study 1, Song and Zeiser (2019) computed effect sizes for binary outcomes by dividing the logged odds ratio of each outcome (reported in Appendix F, p. 65 and p. 68) by 1.65 (i.e., the Cox index).

Addressing Barriers to College Access

For students who would like to go to college, the separation of secondary from postsecondary systems presents many financial, logistical, and cultural barriers. Early college high schools were designed to bridge the disparate systems and address the full range of obstacles students face in attaining college degrees. Policymakers’ solutions to the problem of inequitable access to postsecondary institutions often focus on the financial barriers students face. However, other barriers are just as significant. Students may face barriers in the logistical aspects of applying to college. They may not have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college coursework, which sets up academic barriers.

Theoretical Rationale

The theoretical rationale behind the Early College model is informed by Perna & Thomas (2006)'s framework for reducing the college attainment gap, which states that postsecondary success is driven by background and experiences, as well as Tinto's (1993) model for understanding college retention that encompasses students' knowledge, study skills, and cultural capital (including an understanding of how to navigate college). The early college high school model is designed to address factors that contribute to college success gaps by providing early college exposure, rigorous academics, and student supports, which in turn is expected to promote improved high school outcomes, including high school achievement and graduation. Students' high school outcomes, including completing sufficient postsecondary credits while in high school, may lead them to engage in further college education or lead directly to college degree attainment.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

A Cost-Benefit Analysis conducted as part of the first follow-up study found that, over four years of high school, Early Colleges cost about $3,800 more per student than traditional high schools. However, the average estimate of lifetime benefits of enrolling in an Early College is $57,682 per student, with $33,709 per student in private benefits and $23,973 per student in public benefits.

Long-Term Impact

AIR recently conducted a second Early College efficacy follow-up study funded by the Institute of Education Sciences. Starting in 2021, this study was designed to build off AIR’s original Early College impact study and the first follow-up study to assess the longer-term impact of Early Colleges on college degree completion, workforce, financial, and other life outcomes up to 14 years after students’ expected high school graduation. To this end, AIR collaborated with the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago to administer a follow-up survey to the original impact study participants. The survey was administered from September 2022 to March 2023 using both electronic and paper-and-pencil instruments.

Study findings revealed that initial impacts on bachelor’s degree attainment and advanced degree attainment were no longer significant 10 years after expected high school graduation. The study also found that differences in associate degree attainment remained large and significant, with approximately 30% of Early College students and 12% of students in the comparison group earning an associate degree within 10 years after expected high school graduation. Despite this positive impact on overall degree attainment, we did not observe significant Early College impacts on students’ workforce, financial, or other life outcomes. Impacts on bachelor’s degree attainment significantly differed by students’ race/ethnicity.

Examples of Early College Academies

The Cedar Hill High School Early College Academy is designed to offer scholars a personalized and supportive college-preparatory environment as well as a chance to earn an associate degree from Cedar Valley College. Scholars can take advantage of the fine arts, athletics, and other programs available at a comprehensive high school.

Miami University Regionals is committed to increasing opportunities for students to earn a degree, gain a career, and enjoy all the benefits of a college education. The Early College Academy will open doors for students right here in our region. Local area high schools will identify and select a cohort of incoming juniors for the Academy. These students will enroll in a minimum of 15 credit hours (per semester) for four semesters. The high school provides transportation and all of the associated fees for Academy participants such as tuition and books will be covered by the program. Students will still be able to participate in co/extracurricular activities at their high school. Each student will be assigned an academic advisor. Students in this program will make a strong impact in their community and beyond to engage, experience, and lead.

Crockett Early College High School

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has developed a designation process for Early College High Schools. The designation process ensures that school districts and colleges operating Early College High School campuses maintain the integrity of the model, which was researched and designed to specifically target and serve students who might not otherwise attend college. Each benchmark includes a set of design elements, activities and products. As a designated Early College High School, Crockett is working towards implementation of the ECHS Blueprint.

tags: #early #college #academy #model