Expanding Access to Dual and Concurrent Enrollment: Ohio's Innovative Model

The number of high school students taking dual or concurrent enrollment courses over the past 20 years has expanded rapidly, but not all students have had equal access and opportunity to benefit from these early college courses. To broaden the benefits of dual enrollment, the state of Ohio passed legislation in 2017 establishing the Innovative Program (IP) policy, allowing waivers to test-based eligibility requirements-a frequently identified barrier to equitable access-for specific high school-college partnerships providing expanded outreach and support for students underrepresented in the state’s dual enrollment program. CCRC and ODHE will discuss the IP policy, its impact on broadening access to dual enrollment for Black and Hispanic students, and how the state ultimately shifted in 2022 to permanently permit the use of high school grades as an alternative to standardized testing to determine eligibility for dual enrollment.