Policy Brief: Making Gains in Gateway English and ESL through Dual Enrollment

Dual enrollment (DE)-taking college courses in high school-can help improve student access to and success in college. In the past few years, California has passed legislation that expanded DE through the College and Careers Access Program (CCAP) and enacted reforms in assessment and placement for English and English as a Second Language (ESL). Both are intended to boost access and accelerate academic progress among historically underserved populations such as Latino, Black, and first-generation students. The state has also recently invested nearly $700 million for K-12 and community college districts to expand and support DE. Moreover, agreements and initiatives across California's public higher education system increasingly promote more access to DE, including the completion of at least 12 college credits during high school.

How effective have these expansion efforts been so far, and what changes do we see in student participation and outcomes?

The current expansion landscape

More students take DE English every year-from fewer than 10,000 in 2016-17 to almost 30,000 in 2023-24, about 6% of all high school students. Participation through CCAP comprises 45% of total DE English enrollment. Latino, Black, and first-generation students represent a larger share of CCAP than non-CCAP English DE participants and are more likely to meet the college composition requirement through DE. They also have higher college-going rates than their non-CCAP peers.