Reviews of Three Interventions that Help Prepare High School Students for College

Not all education research is equal—the WWC identifies well-designed studies, trustworthy research, and meaningful findings to inform decisions and improve student outcomes. This month, we are highlighting four new reviews of studies on postsecondary education, adding to over 10,000 existing citations about what works in education. The WWC recently reviewed three studies of interventions that help prepare high school students for college. The first examined three accelerated college credit programs. The second examined a program consisting of a set of elective courses designed to be taken throughout high school that focus on academic support, study skills, and preparation for college. The third focused on the Find the Fit intervention, which added to the traditional Upward Bound activities by providing students with information about college costs, the college application process, and college quality through via text message, activities, and handouts. Study One: Accelerated College Credit Programs Accelerated college credit programs, such as dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment, and Advanced Placement (AP) courses, is a strategy that has been used to improve high school graduation rates and increase college enrollment. High school students can receive college credits by participating in dual or concurrent enrollment courses at a local college campus, online, or at their high school, if available, and by taking AP courses and receiving passing scores on AP exams.  Featured study. In this IES-funded study, Shields et al. (2021) examined the impacts of participating in Rhode Island’s accelerated college credit programs, including dual and concurrent and AP courses, on high school completion, college readiness, and college enrollment. The study used a quasi-experimental design with propensity score matching that resulted in a sample of 1,958 intervention and 1,958 comparison students who were in ninth grade in a Rhode Island high school in the 2013–2014 school year. Students in the intervention group participated in one or more of the accelerated college credit programs while in high school, and students in the comparison group did not participate in any of the programs. Study findings. The study found statistically significant positive effects of the intervention on high school graduation, college enrollment within one year of graduation, and avoiding enrollment in developmental education courses during the first year at a Rhode Island public college. The WWC was able to confirm the statistical significance of the findings. WWC study rating. The study used a quasi-experimental design and meets WWC standards with reservations. Access the full study review here, in the WWC’s review of individual studies database. Study Two: Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program is a college outreach program to support low-income and minority students in high school and to prepare them for college. The AVID high school program consists of a series of increasingly rigorous electives that are designed to be taken over a four-year period. In the courses, students discuss colleges, engage in problem solving, collaborate on challenges they are facing in their English and math courses, and learn study skills. Featured study. In this study, Todhunter-Reid et al. (2020) examined whether participation in at least one AVID elective course during high school had an effect on high school completion and college enrollment. The study used a quasi-experimental design with the Coarsened Exact Matching approach to match 1,157 AVID students in Title I schools in a south Florida school district with 9,240 students in similar schools who did not take any AVID courses. The study included three cohorts of students who graduated from high school between 2015 and 2017. Study findings. The study found statistically significant positive effects of the AVID program on high school graduation and enrollment in college during the fall after graduation. The WWC was able to confirm the statistical significance of the findings. WWC study rating. The study used a quasi-experimental design and meets WWC standards with reservations. Access the full study review here, in the WWC’s review of individual studies database. Study Three: Find the Fit Find the Fit is an enhanced college advising program for Upward Bound programs projects that helps students with the college search, application, and selection process. The program includes three primary components: (1) personalized college planning materials, (2) text or email "nudge" messages customized to where students are applying, and (3) training webinars for college advisors. The program is implemented at the end of their junior year through the end of their senior year.  Featured study. In this IES-funded study, Martinez et al. (2018) examined the early impacts of implementing Find the Fit in Upward Bound programs on college readiness and enrollment. The study randomly assigned 194 Upward Bound programs serving over 4,400 rising 2015–2016 seniors to either integrate Find the Fit into the regular Upward Bound services or to provide the regular Upward Bound services without access to Find the Fit. Study findings. The study found statistically significant positive effects of Find the Fit on both the proportion of students applying to four or more colleges and the proportion of students applying to colleges of higher selectivity levels, and indeterminate effects on the proportion of students completing the FAFSA by March 15 of their senior year. The WWC was able to confirm the statistical significance of the findings. WWC study rating. The study used a randomized controlled trial design and meets WWC standards without reservations. Access the full study review here, in the WWC’s review of individual studies database. Search the Reviews of Individual Studies Database to find studies reviewed by the WWC. With thousands of citations in this database, you can explore studies that meet WWC design standards to find detailed information about study characteristics and ratings, as well as the WWC publication in which a particular study was cited.