CHEP Conference (Feb. 2016)
Colligan 1
Composition and Student Preparedness:
The Efficiency of High School Courses Replacing First-Year Writing
Courtney E. Colligan, Virginia Tech
Intro/Background:
I.
According to “Advancement Via Individual Determination: Method Selection Conclusions
About Program Effectiveness,” “involvement in rigorous coursework during high school has
been cited as the most important predictor of college success […] and individuals who were
enrolled in AP courses are more likely to obtain an advanced educational degree than those of
equal ability who were not” (Black et al. 112). This conclusion arose from a mixed-methods
evaluation of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), an initiative supported
by the AP program, which focuses on reaching out to "middle-achieving" students and
helping them advance in harder courses and enter into four-year colleges.
 AVID gives an insight into the types of courses that are preparing students for college,
and how these higher placement programs are beneficial to not only student success but
career success as well.
II.
Fletcher and Zirkle in “The Relationship of High School Curriculum Tracks to Degree
Attainment and Occupational Earnings” argue “secondary education is increasingly being
scrutinized for not properly preparing students for entry into the workforce or for post
secondary education attainment” (Fletcher and Zirkle 81). Advanced Placement and Dual
Enrollment can allow better preparation for secondary education and/or the workforce far
more than generalized high school English courses.
III.
However, Dual Enrollment courses are not as strictly regulated as Advanced Placement
courses, as AP curricula must follow the College Board’s rulings explicitly.
 Therefore, despite possibly receiving the same credit as an AP student, the DE student
may not be as well prepared as his counterpart yet still prove better prepared than the
general high school English student.
 This generalization is derived from the research available from the College Board’s
website regarding its statistics of the success of the AP student.
IV.
Dual Enrollment courses cover the fundamentals of academic writing, specifically focusing on
the EDNA model (Exposition, Description, Narration, Argumentation), while AP English
covers a more critical approach to writing and analysis (depending on the course).
Dual Enrollment:
I.
Dual Enrollment or Dual Credit are collegiate courses offered to high school students over the
age of 16 who have been recommended by their teachers/school to partake in the program. In
the commonwealth of Virginia most dual enrollment is offered through community colleges
rather than four-year institutions.
II.
The Virginia Plan for Dual Enrollment Between Virginia Public Schools and Community Colleges
states that “the purpose of the plan is to provide a wider range of course options for high
school students in academic, career, and occupational-technical subject areas where
appropriate
 The ability to experience college while still in high school may be beneficial to lower
income students who may be the first in their family to attend college. Dual Enrollment
courses (including English) are constructed to equal that of “other instructions offered by
the community college” (4).
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III.
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In “Dual Credit Programs: A Conceptual Analysis of the Literature” writers Young et al. note
“dual credit courses can be any freshman course offered by the college, whereas AP courses
are limited in a number of areas” (85).
 Additionally, dual enrollment programs are more common “when high schools are near
community colleges, whereas AP is offered in large, high-socioeconomic status schools,
which tend to be in suburban areas” (84). Thus, there is a strong opportunity for dual
enrollment in Southwest Virginia, which has shown that these students are “16% more
likely to enroll in college than students who do not enroll in dual credit classes” (94).
Advanced Placement:
I.
The scores are awarded on a numbered scale: “AP Exam scores of 5 are equivalent to A grades
in the corresponding college course, scores of 4 are equivalent to grades of A–, B+ and B in
college, [and] scores of 3 are equivalent to grades of B–, C+ and C in college” (English Course
Description 2). Whereas Dual Enrollment grades are subjective to the teacher’s grading style,
AP Scores are more concretely defined due to the graders grading the exams being instructed
in the AP grading method.
 The AP Development Committee “ensures that AP course and exams reflect the most upto-date information available, as befitting a college-level course, and that student
proficiency is assessed properly” (English Course Description 2).
II.
The English Course Description from the College Board cites that: AP courses and exams are
reviewed and updated regularly based on the results of curriculum surveys at up to 200
colleges and universities, collaborations among the College Board and key educational and
disciplinary organizations, and the interactions of committee members with professional
organizations in their discipline. (3)
 Typically, AP courses are weighted so that a student earning an “A” in the course would
receive a 5.0 which then would increase his or her high school GPA.
 The weighted GPA is a component of the AP program because of the understanding that
these students are performing college level work as well as taking an examination and
therefore should receive the GPA benefit if they should succeed in the course.
 This grade inflation could lead to an inequality in college admissions, as some schools that
are unable to house AP programs cannot give their students this benefit. This issue is
beginning to be resolved with online AP courses in which students can either utilize a
video feed to witness another AP class or take the course directly online.
AP/DE in Action: SWVA
Dual Enrollment with New River Community College at Floyd County High School
I.
English 111 introduces students to critical thinking and the fundamentals of academic writing.
Through the writing process you will learn how to refine topics; develop and support ideas;
investigate, evaluate, and incorporate appropriate resources; edit for effective style and
usage; and determine appropriate approaches for a variety of contexts, audiences, and
purposes. Writing activities will include exposition and argumentation with at least one
researched essay. (1)
II.
Completion of the course is up to the instructor’s grading as well as both schools’ approval.
The credit from this course will count both for high school and NRCC credits, and if the
student then transfers to another college, it is up to said college’s admissions to accept or
deny this credit.
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Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition (12) at Radford High School
I.
Radford High School offers both Dual Enrollment and Advanced Placement with last year’s
enrollment rates equaling 13% of students participating in AP and 24% of students
participating in Dual Enrollment (Virginia School Report Card – Radford 3).
II.
“Since we began offering Dual Enrollment English here, the number of students taking AP
has declined. Last year, of the 12 students who took it, 11 took the test with these results:
three 5’s, four 4’s, three 3’s, and one 2” (AP Instructor - Email). Despite the low enrollment
rate and excluding the one student who did not take the test, 91% of his class would have
received college credit for their AP scores, based on the average college acceptance of 3’s,
4’s, and 5’s.
III.
The course overview is as follows: AP English Literature and Composition focuses on the
fundamentals of college level composition by having students complete frequent and varied
writing assignments related to the literature we study as a class. In these writing
assignments, students will explore the works of literature and their reactions to them; will
explain the works in terms of literary elements such as figurative language, tone, and
imagery; will interpret the works as reflections of social and historical value; and will evaluate
the works in terms of artistic merit. (AP Syllabus 1)
a. Due to the expectations of the AP exam, the students must be able to do more than
interpret or analyze a story; they must display a strong understanding of literary terms
and their function, learn the proper set-up of a research paper and an analytical paper, as
well as reveal and utilize a strong mastery of the English language.
b. The scores these students receive on their exam do not reflect their high school GPA (that
is affected by their class grade) but are applied to any four-year institution that accepts
AP examinations (most do).
The Combined Classroom: AP and DE at William Fleming and Patrick Henry High
I.
For some schools, these two programs are combined into one course, with some students
choosing to take the AP examination and receive college credit accordingly while others
choose to receive credit through their local community college.
II.
At William Fleming, 18% of students enroll in AP and 1.45% enroll in DE. At Patrick Henry,
28% enroll in AP with 8% enrolling in DE (Virginia School Report Card – William Fleming High
and Patrick Henry High 3).
III.
This course requires students to writing in several forms (e.g., narrative, expository,
analytical, and argumentative essays) about a variety of subjects (e.g., public policies, popular
culture, personal experiences). Students [will] write in informal contexts designed to help
them become increasingly aware of themselves as writers and/or aware of the techniques
employed by the writers they read. Topics should be based on readings representing a wide
variety of prose styles and genres and might include such topics as public policies, popular
culture, and personal experiences. (English Language and Composition Syllabus 1)
 As with the Dual Enrollment at Floyd County’s syllabus, this syllabus for the AP Language
course covers a large portion of what Virginia Tech’s 1105/1106 courses cover as well as
stressing a great importance on audience awareness.
IV.
Virginia Western Community College English 111 description states that the course is
“designed to help students develop the skills they will need to write effective narrative,
expository, and persuasive essays” as well as “introduce students to library research
strategies and to basic principles of documentation” (1).
Conclusion
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I.
II.
III.
IV.
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Since 2002, “the number of Virginia graduates taking at least one AP examination during high
school has increased by 89%” (Pyle and Grimes para. 6). Thus, as high school enrollment in
college-level courses continue to rise, teachers must prepare for a larger number of students.
However, based on the research presented by the College Board, “students with AP Exam
scores of 3 or higher were more likely to graduate from college, and to graduate within 4 or 5
years, than non-AP students” (“AP and Higher Education”).
Thus, more research is needed in preparing teachers for larger enrollment numbers without
compromising the scores as students in AP classes are better prepared for college.
IN A NUTSHELL: Dual Enrollment English courses can likewise prove beneficial to students
continuing their education, although it is unclear as to whether or not these courses
adequately “replace first-year writing” because of the subjective grading matter. The
Advanced Placement test, despite being a deterrent for some students, gives college
admissions and students an idea as to how well prepared they are for collegiate level writing
and if they should be exempted from the course.
Works Cited
AP English Literature and Composition Course Syllabus. 2014. English Dept., Radford High
Schools, Radford, VA. Print.
"AP and Higher Education: Credit and Placement Policies." AP English Courses Convention.
Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, IN. 23 March 2014. PowerPoint.
Black, Anne C., et al. "Advancement Via Individual Determination: Method Selection Conclusions About
Program Effectiveness." The Journal of Educational Research 102.2 (2008): 111-23. Print.
DiMaria, Frank. “Re-Evaluating AP Courses.” The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education 23
(2013): 21-23. Rpt. in The Education Digest. November ed. Ann Arbor, MI: Prakken Publications,
2013. 38-42. Print.
Dual Enrollment English Syllabus. 2014. English Dept., Floyd High School, Floyd, VA. Print.
English 111 College Composition Syllabus. 2014. English Dept., Virginia Western Community
College, Roanoke, VA. Print.
English Course Description. AP Course Audit. College Board, Fall 2010.
English Language and Composition Syllabus 1. AP Course Audit. College Board, n.d.
Fletcher Jr., Edward C., and Chris Zirkle. "The Relationship of High School Curriculum Tracks to
Degree Attainment and Occupational Earnings." Career and Technical Education Research 35.2
(2009): 91-102. Print.
Pyle, Charles B., and Julie C. Grimes. “Virginia Students Fifth in Nation on Advanced Placement
Tests: Commonwealth Recognized for Narrowing ‘Equity Gaps.’” Virginia Department of
Education News (20 Feb. 2013): 1-2. Print.
“Radford AP Curriculum.” 24. Oct. 2014. E-mail.
“Roanoke AP Curriculum.” 17. Nov. 2014. E-mail.
Virginia Department of Education. Virginia Plan for Dual Enrollment Between Virginia Public
Schools and Community Colleges. Richmond, VA: 1-4, 2008. Print.
Virginia School Report Card. Virginia Department of Education: Patrick Henry High School, 2014.
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Print.
Virginia School Report Card. Virginia Department of Education: Radford High School, 2014.
Print.
Virginia School Report Card. Virginia Department of Education: William Fleming High School,
2014. Print.
Young Jr., Robert D., et al. "Dual Credit Programs: A Conceptual Analysis of the Literature."
Journal of Education Research 8.1-2 (2014): 79-106. Print.
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