Dive Brief:
- Since Illinois passed legislation in 2021 to automatically enroll high school students who exceed state standards in English/language arts, math or science in the “next most rigorous level of advanced coursework,” participation in dual credit and Advanced Placement has increased more than in previous years, according to University of Illinois research.
- The policy brief by the university’s Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative shows that a rise in dual credit participation in Chicago Public Schools — the state’s largest district — accounted for the bulk of the statewide increase in 2023-24, the first school year in which the Illinois Education and Workforce Equity Act was implemented. The participation rate increases were particularly notable for Black students and students with disabilities.
- Statewide, participation in AP courses accelerated among Latino students and English learners in the 2023-24 school year, according to the study, which also tracked International Baccalaureate courses, honors classes and similar programs. The law was intended to reduce “inequitable access to advanced coursework,” according to the research report.
Dive Insight:
Previous research shows links between success in programs like dual credit and AP, and greater college access and persistence.
Statewide, participation in dual credit courses rose by 17.1% overall in 2023-24 and another 9.1% in 2024-25, as compared with 1.6% and 6.9% in the two previous school years, respectively. Statewide participation in AP courses rose 6.6% in both 2023-24 and 2024-25, as compared with 2.3% the previous year and a participation drop of 5.9% in 2021-22.
While these and other gains were made in the immediate aftermath of the legislation, the study did not attempt to prove a causal relationship, said Sarah Cashdollar, associate director of the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative.
“Many other things are happening in the state that could be responsible,” she said, including amendments to the state’s Dual Credit Quality Act and higher state appropriations for dual credit and AP courses. “The state, the legislature, and all those who support it are throwing a lot at this issue in trying to improve participation in programs,” she said. “It’s hard for researchers to disentangle the effects of each of them separately.”
Nonetheless, the data describes a positive trend, said Meg Bates, IWERC director. “Certainly, it would have been a disappointment to see it go in the other direction,” she said. We’re excited to see it, and we’ll keep watching it. Hopefully we can do that kind of causal study in the future.”
The IWERC study bolsters other research that shows enrollment in rigorous courses is critical for underrepresented populations, Bates said.
For dual credit, the study found participation rates in 2023-24 increased from the previous year by 28.4% for Latino students and 25.6% for Black students. The year-over-year participation rate increase for Asian students was 15.6% and 13.9% for White students.
For AP, the increases were 9.2% for Latino students, 8.5% for Black students, 4.6% for White students and 3.4% for Asian students.
“Sometimes, we see a general trend that looks one way, but when you go underneath the hood, changes in certain students’ participation” runs counter to the trend, she said. “In this case, we got to see a little bit of both.”
However, she added, “That’s great, seeing more Black and Latino students, and more English learners. But because it’s going up for everyone, some of our gaps are widening.”
Those gaps should spur further research, Bates said, because educators and policymakers don’t want to see student experiences become more asymmetrical. “Following up with districts to understand the ‘why’ is very important.”
Cashdollar would like to see more research into the spikes in participation for English learners and Latino students.
“Was this group previously overlooked despite being capable of taking these classes — so the policy did what it was intended to do, and qualify more students?” she said. “A better understanding of all the different factors at play would be really useful.”
Bates believes a policy like automatic enrollment is uniquely equipped to target English learners. “Educating English learners can be costly for districts and can be hard to staff because you need bilingual educators,” she said.
This is a "nudge" to include English learners in this coursework," Cashdollar said.
"That’s a huge takeaway and something advocates are very excited about.”
