But Cramer warned not all students attend schools that promote such courses.
“The distribution of who’s participating isn’t really equal across the state,” he said, adding that those who live near colleges that promote dual enrollment are more likely to have access to it. UW Oshkosh and UW-Green Bay, for example, have the highest number of students taking advantage of their dual enrollment programs among UW System schools, he said, while UW-Madison has few dually enrolled students.
Gateway Technical College also has a large proportion of students in dual enrollment. While the college made up just 6.5% of the technical college system’s student population in 2022, it accounted for around 11% of WTCS’ dually enrolled students.
Given the large growth in dual enrollment, Cramer said it’s an opportune time for schools to ensure the rigor, consistency and quality of their courses.
“As dual credit participation increases, it becomes all the more important to make sure these programs are effectively serving students across the state and doing so equitably,” the report concludes. “In addition, saving time and money may benefit students in the short run, but it is also important to make sure that quality and outcomes are being maintained.”
Curiously, credit for non taxpayer supported Madison School District courses has been an issue for years…..