AFT Policy Toward Dual Credit

WHEREAS, dual credit/dual enrollment provides a valuable path for students to jump-start a college career and receive college credit in advance of attending a university, college or community college; and

WHEREAS, competency-based education programs offered in secondary schools rely heavily on dual credit as a means of student academic and career advancement; and

WHEREAS, it is essential that the quality of these classes should be maintained by ensuring that the curriculum, instruction, academics, library resources, and technological support meet higher education institutions’ standards and provide students with an adequate opportunity for success in a higher education context; and

WHEREAS, states should provide the resources necessary to allow all students to pursue a college education; and

WHEREAS, dual enrollment career and technical education programs help keep disengaged students in school and create opportunity for knowledge and skills that result in well-paying jobs with dignity and drive the economy; and

WHEREAS, states should ensure that the price of a college education is affordable for all families and does not force families to compromise the social and instructional experience of students; and

WHEREAS, systemic and persistent underfunding of higher education has led to diluting the academic integrity of college classes in a dual credit environment; and

WHEREAS, the current dual credit system incentivizes inequitable teaching assignments for both high schools’ and higher education institutions’ full-time and part- time faculty; and

WHEREAS, collaboration between high school dual credit instructors, faculty from higher education institutions, and education administrators benefits students who participate in these classes; and

WHEREAS, establishing these dual credit opportunities should be spearheaded by faculty from higher education institutions and high schools; and

WHEREAS, regardless of who teaches or where dual credit is taught, academic freedom should be consistent with standards used in institutions of higher education; and

WHEREAS, admission into dual credit classes should include the student meeting academic requirements of the local higher education institution; and

WHEREAS, high school students should be paired with counselors and librarians from the partnering higher education institution to ensure that the dual credit curriculum is appropriate and students are in a position to meet educational goals; and

WHEREAS, all students should have the opportunity to utilize dual credit regardless of location, socioeconomic status, race, gender or sexual orientation:

RESOLVED, that the AFT will support policies that require dual credit instructors, including in CTE, regardless of institutional setting, to hold the minimum qualifications required by the local higher education institution and/or the specific industry experience to teach the courses; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will encourage local districts and higher education institutions to set standards for high school students enrolling in dual credit courses that uphold the minimum required academic qualifications of the local higher education institution, including meeting minimum course requirements including for GPA, algebra and basic English placement processes; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will encourage locals to work with school district administrations and the local higher education institution to ensure that course length and academic integrity are aligned for students taking the course, regardless of whether the course is taught at high school or at the higher education institution; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT and its locals will support policies that afford faculty members and students academic freedom in both the higher education and high school settings; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will provide bargaining resources to support locals to establish formal collaborative structures between the higher education institution and local school district, led by the high school and higher education faculty who are teaching dual credit courses; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will help develop sample contract and MOU language that protects high school, college or university faculty from being displaced as part of dual enrollment; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will support policies that recognize the need for students to have the benefits of a collegiate experience by supporting and advocating for policies that place an emphasis on students’ academic and social development; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will advocate for dual credit being a supplement to secondary education and a transition into fully collegiate higher education; dual credit should not undermine regular high school courses and/or higher education; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will encourage locals to establish systems that ensure high school students are paired with higher education counselors as part of the dual credit course experience; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will continue to advocate for dual credit opportunities to be made available to all students, regardless of socioeconomic status, while also advocating for fully funded and resourced preK-12 schools and institutions of higher education.