The cost of a university degree in Oklahoma has substantially increased over the past twenty-five years. In response, Oklahoma has expanded access to Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, and early college high school offerings that enable high school students to earn 1-2 years of college credit at very little or no cost. Yet, many students, especially those in rural areas, still have limited access to these programs. One of the most accessible but underutilized options is Modern States, which was established to offset the escalating cost of higher education by offering fully subsidized early college credit courses available online to anyone. Students who complete a Modern States course also receive a voucher to take the College-level Examination Program (CLEP) assessment for college credit, so there is no cost to the student from start to finish. The purpose of this OCEP Policy Brief is to examine Oklahoma’s participation in Modern States as well as student performance in this program. Since the Modern States program poses no financial risk, increased awareness and utilization of the program could be an important pathway for Oklahoma’s students to earn college credit at no cost.
Over the past 15 years, US states have passed a wave of early literacy reforms1. This legislation commonly includes early identification of and intervention for struggling readers, instructional approaches grounded in the science of reading, and grade retention for students (often in third grade) who fail to meet year-end reading benchmarks. Among these components of early literacy policy, third-grade retention has been the most controversial. Conventional wisdom has been that grade retention diminishes students’ academic performance, self-esteem, and future success2. Yet, a growing body of recent work using credible quasi-experimental research designs has consistently shown that early grade retention policies have academic benefits for students without harmful long-term consequences (e.g., greater disciplinary issues and lower graduation rates). The purpose of this brief is to examine the research literature on third-grade retention, explore structural supports that accompany retention policies, and offer recommendations for policy in Oklahoma.
