THE ROLE OF ACCELERATED LEARNING IN THE SCHOOL CHOICE DEBATE

Jad H. Khazem
University of Virginia
Hassan A. Khazem
Nova Southeastern University
ABSTRACT
While school choice is a controversial issue that has been debated at length, policy
discussions in the state of Florida regarding choice programs have proven to be unnecessarily
narrow. This study examines the two programs that have historically demanded the most attention
from choice advocates and critics alike – charter schools and voucher programs. This study
compares these traditional programs to an important alternative set of school choice options, the
accelerated learning programs of Advanced Placement (AP) and dual enrollment.
The findings of this study indicate that accelerated learning programs have a more
positive impact on a traditional public school’s “school grade” (Florida’s annual student
achievement-measure) than do charter schools and voucher programs. Indeed, C-rated schools
(characterized by accelerated learning student participation rates which mirror state averages)
may experience an entire letter grade increase upon only a slight increase in the aforementioned
participation rate. Conversely, those same institutions may experience an entire letter grade
decrease upon the loss of a small number of accelerated learners to charter schools or voucher
programs. These findings fall in line with other recent studies, which collectively suggest that
school grade factors beyond accelerated learning participation rates (such as graduation rates
and FCAT scores) may be positively impacted by student involvement with accelerated learning.