First PEER policy brief on early postsecondary coursetaking

Our Nashville PEER working group on postsecondary readiness published its first policy brief in March 2024. This brief is a preliminary look at the association between early postsecondary coursetaking (EPSOs) in Metro Nashville Public Schools and later student outcomes. We find students in the graduating classes of 2018-2020 who completed at least one EPSO were more likely to score a 21 or higher on the ACT, and to enroll in a four-year college. This finding holds controlling for prior achievement and other student characteristics. We also find a positive relationship with later outcomes for students at multiple achievement levels (low, middle, and high) suggesting EPSOs can be beneficial for all students. This the first analysis of many that we expect to emerge from our research-practice partnership with MNPS.