UC Berkeley

This study explores the relationship between dual enrollment (DE) math and English gateway course-taking and academic momentum indicators — earning 30 credits by the end of the first year, first-year credit accumulation, and persistence to the third semester. The study is based on a sample of first-time freshmen at the City University of New York who participated in the citywide DE program, College Now, and utilizes quasi-experimental methodology to identify a balanced sample of former DE students who took math and English gateway courses in DE compared to former DE students who did not. Taking DE gateway courses has a modest, but positive association with credit momentum, particularly first-year credit accumulation when DE credits are included, but had no relationship with persistence. We found an increase in credit momentum for Black/African American students who took a math gateway DE course, as compared to Black/African American and students of any race who did not take a math gateway DE course. Findings suggest that school–university partnerships with DE programs should investigate the experiences of students who initiated academic momentum earlier in high school but struggled to sustain it during their first year when they enroll in the university system where they participated in DE.