Issues and Factors Involved in Credit and Placement for Accelerated Summer Coursework

Abstract

This paper investigates the ways in which students' home schools currently respond to their participation in university summer programs and the effect of program accreditation on their responses. We also studied the factors that affect schools' policies toward summer coursework. Specifically, we compared the actions of schools for students who completed coursework in a fast paced, accelerated summer program in 1992, before accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, to those actions in 1994 after accreditation. Responses that were analyzed included: (a) giving course credit; (b) appropriate placement within the content area; and (c) placement in a special program. It was found that there was a significant increase from 1992 to 1994 in the number of students whose schools took one or more of these actions, mostly due to increases in the awarding of high school credit. An increase in credit given for required rather than elective courses and greater amounts of credit awarded were observed after accreditation. We also found that most schools do not have policies against awarding credit for outside coursework and that factors that facilitate credit include notice of the child's intent to take a summer course and petitions by parents for recognition of the course credit. The nature of the outside institution and the qualifications of the instructor were not important factors in school's decisions about awarding credit for summer coursework.