Beyond Rigor: How States Can Close the Quality Gap in Dual Enrollment

Beyond Rigor: How States Can Close the Quality Gap in Dual Enrollment 

Written by: Amy Williams

Over the past three decades, dual enrollment has grown from a promising local practice to a central feature of statewide education strategy. What started as scattered partnerships between individual colleges and school districts has become one of the fastest-growing levers for expanding college opportunity. Today, nearly every state has some form of dual enrollment policy, but as participation has surged and calls to close participation gaps grow louder, a critical question has emerged: What does high-quality dual enrollment look like, and how can state policy ensure it is consistently delivered?

Quality in dual enrollment programs isn’t just about challenging courses, but about building programs that open doors for every student and empower them to step through confidently. 

When NACEP says quality, we mean program quality. Quality programs deliver college rigor, college readiness, and college relevance, the Three R’s of program quality. 

• Rigor ensures dual enrollment courses meet true college standards for curriculum, assessment, instruction, and learning outcomes.
• Readiness extends rigor beyond content by preparing students for the broader expectations of higher education by cultivating autonomy, building help-seeking, and the ability to use supports such as tutoring, writing centers, and advising.
• Relevance empowers students with a deeper understanding of how college works and why it matters, helping them navigate systems like registration and learning platforms, while connecting courses intentionally to educational and career pathways.

How can state policy ensure high-quality dual enrollment is consistently delivered?

NACEP’s analysis of the state policy landscape shows that fewer than one-third of states have policies that reflect holistic program quality. Too often, state policy stops at rigor, focusing on making courses resemble college but neglecting the supports and structures that help students thrive. That narrow focus has created what we call the Quality Gap, the divide between course quality and holistic program quality. Closing the quality gap is essential if dual enrollment is to reach its full potential to engage students and build the future talent pipeline.

For students, especially those historically underrepresented in higher education, that difference is critical. Access to rigorous courses alone is not enough. Without readiness and relevance, states risk leaving too many students with credits that do not translate into confidence, momentum, or opportunity.

NACEP’s Beyond Rigor framework offers states a roadmap to close the quality gap by aligning policy with the realities and impact of today’s dual enrollment programs:

• Align: Connect dual enrollment to state education and workforce goals, set a clear vision for its role, and ensure program structures match that purpose.
• Define: Establish the essential elements of program quality beyond course rigor, setting clear and consistent expectations for every program.
• Empower: Translate policy into practice by assigning responsibility for governance and providing the guidance, training, and resources needed for success.
• Assess: Monitor implementation to ensure practice matches policy intent and supports continuous improvement.

The future of dual enrollment depends on moving beyond rigor to include readiness and relevance, operationalizing the call for increased access. Every student in every program should be able to count on dual enrollment as a bridge to college and career. NACEP’s upcoming paper charts a path forward for states ready to close the quality gap and deliver on that promise.