Date of Award

Spring 3-2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education

First Advisor/Committee Member

Dr. Arthur K. Ellis

Second Advisor/Committee Member

Dr. Rick Eigenbrood

Third Advisor/Committee Member

Dr. Munyi Shea

Keywords

dual credit, advanced placement, international baccalaureate, cambridge international examinations, advanced learning options, GLMM

Abstract

Recent education reforms have focused heavily on increasing academic rigor for secondary students attending public schools with a goal of improved academic outcomes for all students. A common practice for increasing rigor school-wide is the adoption of college-level curriculums such as dual-credit, Advanced Placement, and the International Baccalaureate in U.S public secondary schools.

This study examined the relationship between the implementation of one or more college-level curriculum(s) in a public secondary school and overall student academic achievement. Academic achievement was measured by student performance on the Washington state standardized End of Course exam in Biology and the Smarter Balanced exams in English Language Arts and Mathematics, while controlling for demographic difference between schools (N = 559). Additionally, this study examined the relationship between the implementation of a college-level curriculum and on-time graduation rates for the class of 2015, also controlling for demographic differences between schools (N = 559).

A generalized linear mixed model was utilized to examine school-level exam data and demographic data from the Washington state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for the 2014-2015 academic year to assess whether the presence of a college-level curriculum in a secondary school setting influenced academic achievement and on-time graduation. Results of the GLMMs suggested that the presence of a college-level curriculum in the school does increases the odds of passing the EOC Biology exam but does not increase the odds of passing the SBA ELA exam or passing the SBA Math exam. Results of the GLMMs suggested that the presence of a college-level curriculum in the school also increases the odds of graduating on time.

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