This file contains data from a 2003 fast-response survey titled "Dual Credit and Exam-Based Courses." This survey provides baseline information regarding the prevalence and characteristics of dual credit courses. The survey also collected information on two types of exam-based courses, Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB). These types of courses provide high school students with another way of bridging K–12 and postsecondary education. NCES released the results of the survey in the publication Dual Credit and Exam-Based Courses in U.S. Public High Schools: 2002-03.
Questionnaires and cover letters for the study were mailed to the principal of each sampled school in mid-September 2003. The letter introduced the study and requested that the questionnaire be completed by the school's director of guidance counseling or other staff member who is most knowledgeable about the school's dual credit, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate courses. Respondents were offered the option of completing the survey via the Web or by mail. Telephone followup for survey nonresponse and data clarification was initiated in early October 2003 and completed in early January 2004. The final response rate was 92 percent.
The survey asked respondents to report on the prevalence and enrollment of dual credit and exam-based courses in their high schools. Additional information was obtained on dual credit courses, including the location and educational focus of these courses, dual credit course characteristics, and school requirements surrounding dual credit courses. For this study, dual credit was defined as a course or program where high school students can earn both high school and postsecondary credits for the same course. Dual credit courses could be located on a high school campus or the campus of a postsecondary institution, or taught through distance education. Additionally, the dual credit options must be either legislated by the state or have an articulated or other formal written agreement between the high school and the postsecondary institution. The survey also collected enrollment information for Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses.
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