Cash for College Credit
Story by Courtney Broyles
The National Bureau of Economic Research has recently published that the Advanced Placement Incentive Program (APIP) “improves college outcomes even for those students who would have enrolled in college without the program.” Opponents of the program remain skeptical about whether “pay for performance” incentive programs can truly have lasting effects on students.
The research in the paper titled “A Stitch in Time: The Effects of a Novel Incentive-Based High-School Intervention on College Outcomes” by C. Kirabo Jackson, assistant professor of Labor Economics at Cornell University, focuses on 11th- and 12th-grade students in Dallas, TX, that have taken an Advanced Placement test administered by College Board and Educational Testing Service. These tests typically allow students to earn college credit in high school, but have now expanded their incentives to include cash rewards of up to $200 for earning a 3 out of 5 or higher. The study noted that pay-for-performance programs have been especially effective on minorities and were less costly than previously proposed educational reforms, which begs the question, “Why not?”
Barbara Yonan, a psychologist in Dallas, specializes in school neurological evaluations and intellectual and achievement assessments, recognizes the strategy as being effective right away, but disagrees with the idea that there are lasting effects on students. Yonan argues that the instant-gratification aspect of the program will not keep students motivated in the long run when thinking about their future. “The reality is that this world is very monetarily based and instant gratification is the name of the game, but are we teaching them to value their future in education or commercialism and consumerism?” Yonan says.
In her work with students and young adults, Yonan has found that material rewards can lose their value quickly. “I still say there is nothing more influential than a mentor,” Yonan says. ”Research has clearly shown that model behavior has very significant, lasting effects.”
Rebecca Stortz, an English teacher at Stevens High School in San Antonio, teaches juniors and seniors in college preparatory classes. Stevens High School participates in the AP Incentive Program by receiving grants to improve their AP program for every student that takes the test. “Whether they take the test or not, students like the rigor of advanced courses that expose them to college material,” Stortz says. “It at least helps them to get ahead and prepare for college.”
Stortz teaches an array of minority and other students, all from different socioeconomic statuses. In asking her classes about taking AP courses and tests, it seemed that most were already planning to go to college and were not basing their decisions on any academic programs they have been involved in. She says that her students also often feel pressured by their teachers to take AP classes and tests, but that they end up being happy with their decision to do so. “Advanced Placement in conjunction with other programs can have an impact on students in that they can change students’ attitudes about college and school in general,” Stortz says. ”In taking a challenging class like AP, they begin to think ‘Oh wow, I can do this.’”
Though the Texas study of the AP Incentive Program demonstrated the success of the programs, the question that still stands is whether there are more effective ways to motivate students that put more than monetary worth on their education and future. For now, students and teachers will continue to take part in the Advanced Placement Incentive Program in hopes of getting an educational boost into college level work.
