Student success rates in Early College (EC) courses do not vary by demographic background. Success in this context is the completion of courses with a grade of C- or higher, which is the threshold needed to help ensure course transferability when students enroll in college. The average, overall success rate of all programs has a narrow range of 91-93%, and has been consistent over time. This success rate is high regardless of program type or student demographics. It is noteworthy that despite the implementation of the system wide open access policy starting with the 2018-19 school year, student performance did not change significantly.
Course Completion Rate
(Courses With a Grade of C- or Higher)
Program Type
| Program Type | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspirations | 90% | 90% | 90% | 91% | 90% | 89% |
| Bridge Year | 88% | 90% | 92% | 94% | 96% | 89% |
| Concurrent Enrollment (CE) | 94% | 93% | 94% | 95% | 96% | 96% |
| All Early College | 91% | 92% | 92% | 93% | 94% | 93% |
Residence
| Residence | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural | 92% | 92% | 93% | 94% | 94% | 92% |
| Urban | 89% | 90% | 92% | 93% | 94% | 93% |
Race/Ethnicity
| Race/Ethnicity | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students of Color | 87% | 92% | 92% | 90% | 91% | 91% |
| White Students | 93% | 93% | 94% | 95% | 95% | 93% |
Gender
| Gender | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female Students | 91% | 92% | 92% | 94% | 94% | 93% |
| Male Students | 91% | 91% | 93% | 93% | 93% | 92% |
Note: A grade of C- or higher is typically required to transfer credit hours to a University of Maine System (UMS) institution or to count toward graduation requirements. Courses with a grade of Incomplete or where grades had not yet been received by the UMS are not included in these figures.
University of Maine System (UMS) researchers are currently unable to determine if EC participation has a direct impact on high school graduation rate. Nationally, a select few studies that have examined the relationship show that participation increases the probability of graduation from between 4 and 25% (An & Taylor, 2019). Because Maine high school students graduate at a relatively high rate of 87% (New England Secondary School Consortium, 2019), the focus on UMS EC Programs has been to raise college aspirations and encourage college enrollment.