October 17, 2017 Co-sponsored by MDRC

Expanding a Successful Reform for Increasing Graduation Rates:The Continuing Story of CUNY’s Accelerated Study in Associate

Programs (ASAP)

October 17, 2017Co-sponsored by MDRC

@aypf_tweets #aypfevents

Donna Linderman, University Associate Dean for Student Success Initiatives, CUNY

Sue Scrivener, Senior Associate, MDRC

Loukman Lamany, Bronx ASAP grad and Baruch College graduate

Presenters

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IMPROVING STUDENT RETENTION AND GRADUATION CUNY Accelerated Study in Associate

Programs (ASAP) Comprehensive Supports and Assessments

American Youth Policy ForumWashington DC

October 17, 2014

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BARRIERS TO SUCCESS

Students are poorly prepared

Education is often competing for their time

Colleges are large with many departments, majors and procedures

“Minimize students’ uncertainty to increase engagement.”

Former CUNY Chancellor Mathew Goldstein

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CUNY COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS

79%

Enter with develop-mental needs

66%

Re-enroll after a year

14%

Graduate in 3 years

Source: CUNY Office of Institutional Research 2014

ASAP THEORY OF ACTION

Remove financial barriers to full-time study

Provide structured degree pathways and comprehensive, well-coordinated support services

Establish clear expectations for all students

Build community through early engagement and cohort model

Better engaged students who graduate in a timely manner

Goal: At least 50% of students will complete an associate degree within three years

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ASAP HISTORY

2007: CUNY funded by Mayor’s Center

for Economic Opportunity (CEO) for three-year pilot

ASAP launched with 1,132 fully skills proficient students* across six CUNY community colleges in the fall

* 28% of fall 2007 ASAP students had some developmental needs when recruited that were addressed over summer.

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ASAP HISTORY

2009: Two-year graduation (cohort 1): 30% ASAP vs. 11%

comparison group ASAP begins to admit students with some developmental

needs*2010:

Three-year graduation (cohort 1): 55% ASAP vs. 24% comparison group

ASAP funding “baselined” to CUNY by CEO

2011/2012:

Three-year graduation (cohort 2): 56% ASAP vs. 23% comparison group

CUNY Chancellor announces ASAP expansion plans

*One to two developmental course needs based on CUNY Assessment Test scores at time of application.

ASAP TODAY

Major expansion over past three years:

Fall 2012: 2,259 students



20%

In 2014 ASAP serves about:

of first-time full-time CUNY community college students

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ASAP SELECTION CRITERIA

Must be a New York City resident

Agree to study full-time in an ASAP-approved major

Continuing/transfer students: no more than 15 credits and good academic standing

Have no more than two developmental course needs

Receive some need-based financial aid (Pell and/or TAP)

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Summary Profile of Combined ASAP and Comparison Group CohortsCohorts 1 to 7 (2007-2013)

CombinedASAP Students

Combined Comparison Group Students

Total Enrollment N 6,389 19,274Gender Male % 41.9 44.4Female % 58.1 55.6

Ethnicity American Indian/Native Alaskan % 0.4 0.4Asian/Pacific Islander % 11.5 14.1Black % 32.0 29.1Hispanic % 42.6 39.9White % 13.6 16.5

Mean Age mean 21.4 21.2Admission Type First-time Freshmen % 66.6 51.6Transfer Students % 7.1 17.8Continuing Students % 26.3 30.6

Developmental Students % At Time of Application to ASAP % 80.1 77.0At Time of Entry into ASAP % 69.7 69.2

College Admissions Average mean 76.0 74.3GED Recipients % 11.6 11.3Pell Receipt % 74.3 85.2Source: CUNY's Institutional Research Database (IRDB).

ASAP CORE ELEMENTS

Financial Resources Tuition waivers Free use of textbooks Monthly Metrocards

Structured Pathways Consolidated full-time course schedules First-year blocked courses Immediate/continuous developmental course taking Winter and summer courses

Comprehensive Supports High-touch advisement Embedded career development Mandated tutoring for some students ASAP Summer Institute ASAP College Success Seminar

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ASAP PROGRAM ORGANIZATION

CUNY Academic

Affairs

ASAP Bronx

ASAP BMCC

ASAP Hostos

ASAP Kingsboroug

hASAP

LaGuardia

ASAP Medgar Evers

ASAP Queensborou

gh

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ASAP EVALUATION

INTERNAL EVALUATION Ongoing quasi-experimental analysis Web-based data management system Annual student surveys and focus groups Data reviewed regularly to assess impact, measure

movement towards goals, and constantly improve program practice

EXTERNAL EVALUATION

Five-year random assignment study by MDRC Cost-benefit study by the Center for Benefit-Cost Studies

in Education (CBCSE), Teachers College, Columbia University led Dr. Henry Levin

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Dev Ed Need at Application

Dev Ed Need at Entry

Dev Ed Remaining 3rd Sem

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%82.5%

71.3%

16.3%

79.7%

73.0%

41.1%

Movement Through Developmental Education for Combined

ASAP and Comparison Group Cohorts

ASAP Comparion Group

Source: CUNY Institutional Research Database

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

All Dev EduNeed

FullyProficient

All Dev EduNeed

FullyProficient

All Dev EduNeed

FullyProficient

2-Year Graduates(ASAP N=4,547; Comp N=19,087)

2.5-Year Graduates(ASAP N=2,985; Comp N=15,042)


26.1%

19.0%

37.9%

40.8%

35.7%

50.6%51.9%

48.0%

58.7%

9.0%6.5%

13.2%14.8%

12.6%

19.8%

22.2%

20.0%

27.4%

Average Graduation Rates of ASAP and Comparison Group Students: Fall 2007-Fall 2012 Cohorts1

ASAP Comparison Group

1Students who have officially graduated throughsummer 2014. The 2.5 -year and 3-year rates Include fall 2007, fall 2009, spring 2010, fall 2010, and fall 2011 ASAP cohorts and their comparison groups. The 2-year rates also include the fall 2012 ASAP cohort and comparison group. Overall graduation ratesare calculated by averaging the individual cohort graduation rates. Developmental education need or skills proficiency is based on status at time of entry.Source: CUNY Officeof Institutional Research and Assessment, CUNY ASAP participating colleges, and National Student Clearinghouse. October 9, 2014

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

All Dev EduNeed

FullyProficient

All Dev EduNeed

FullyProficient

All Dev EduNeed

FullyProficient




26.1%

19.0%

37.9%

40.8%

35.7%

50.6%51.9%

48.0%

58.7%

9.0%6.5%

13.2%14.8%

12.6%

19.8%

22.2%

20.0%

27.4%




0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

All Dev EduNeed

FullyProficient

All Dev EduNeed

FullyProficient

All Dev EduNeed

FullyProficient




26.1%

19.0%

37.9%

40.8%

35.7%

50.6%51.9%

48.0%

58.7%

9.0%6.5%

13.2%14.8%

12.6%

19.8%

22.2%

20.0%

27.4%




All

Dev

Edu

Need

Ful

ly P

rofic

ient All

Dev

Edu

Need

Ful

ly P

rofic

ient All

Dev

Edu

Need

Ful

ly P

rofic

ient




0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

26.1%

19.0%

37.9%

40.8%

35.7%

50.6%51.9%

48.0%

58.7%

9.0%6.5%

13.2%14.8%

12.6%

19.8%

22.2%

20.0%

27.4%

Average Graduation Rates of ASAP and Comparison Group Students: Fall 2007-Fall 2012 Cohorts


Source: CUNY Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, CUNY ASAP participating colleges, and National Student Clearinghouse. October 9, 2014

College Total

N N % N % N %Fall 2011 ASAP Students

BMCC 51 14 27.5 18 35.3 28 54.9BMCC Evening 13 3 23.1 4 30.8 7 53.8

Bronx 72 28 38.9 41 56.9 49 68.1Hostos 42 19 45.2 21 50.0 24 57.1Kingsborough 140 50 35.7 66 47.1 80 57.1LaGuardia 82 21 25.6 34 41.5 44 53.7Queensborough 75 20 26.7 32 42.7 39 52.0TOTAL 475 155 32.6 216 45.5 271 57.1

College Total

N N % N % N %

Fall 2011 Comparison Group2

BMCC 1,224 101 8.3 210 17.2 333 27.2BMCC Evening 53 10 18.9 12 22.6 17 32.1

Bronx 267 24 9.0 43 16.1 56 21.0Hostos 142 16 11.3 28 19.7 41 28.9Kingsborough 1,058 105 9.9 161 15.2 265 25.0LaGuardia 791 67 8.5 117 14.8 181 22.9Queensborough 994 79 7.9 148 14.9 234 23.5TOTAL 4,529 402 8.9 719 15.9 1,127 24.9

3-Year Graduation Rate for ASAP Cohort 5 StudentsPreliminary1

Total 3-Yr Graduates


October 9, 2014

2Fall 2011 associate degree seeking full-time students who started the term with 12 or fewer credits, had no more than two developmental course needs or were fully skills proficient, were residents of NYC, were enrolled in majors offered to ASAP students, and were not enrolled in College Discovery.

1Includes official graduates in CUNY's Administrative Data Warehouse. Summer 2014 graduation data are not yet available for all students.

Source: CUNY's Administrative Data Warehouse (ADW); data will be verified once it is available in CUNY's Institutional Research Database (IRDB).



Total 2.5-Yr Graduates


College Total




College Total

N N % N % N %







October 9, 2014








College Total




College Total

N N % N % N %







October 9, 2014








College Total




College Total

N N % N % N %







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3-Year Graduation Rates for ASAP Cohort 5 and Comparison Group Students

Preliminary

College Total Total 2-Yr Graduates


N N % N %Fall 2011 ASAP Students BMCC 51 14 27.5 28 54.9BMCC Evening 13 3 23.1 7 53.8

Bronx 72 28 38.9 49 68.1Hostos 42 19 45.2 24 57.1Kingsborough 140 50 35.7 80 57.1LaGuardia 82 21 25.6 44 53.7Queensborough 75 20 26.7 39 52.0TOTAL 475 155 32.6 271 57.1

College Total Total 2-Yr Graduates


N N % N %Fall 2011 Comparison Group BMCC 1,224 101 8.3 333 27.2BMCC Evening 53 10 18.9 17 32.1

Bronx 267 24 9.0 56 21.0Hostos 142 16 11.3 41 28.9Kingsborough 1,058 105 9.9 265 25.0LaGuardia 791 67 8.5 181 22.9Queensborough 994 79 7.9 234 23.5TOTAL 4,529 402 8.9 1,127 24.9


ASAP COST-BENEFIT STUDY BY LEVIN AND GARCIA

Cost Effectiveness Report (September 2012):

ASAP saves $6,500 per graduate vs. comparison group

Analysis suggests ASAP is a wise up-front investment

Cost Benefits Report (May 2013):

Increased lifetime earnings and tax revenues and savings to public assistance, criminal justice, and public health

Total net benefit for 1,000 enrolled ASAP students=$46.5 million higher than for 1,000 comparison group students

Source: Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education (CBCSE)

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ASAP EXPANSION, COSTS AND REPLICATION

Expanded to 4,300 students in fall 2014

Will expand to 13,000 students by 2016/17

Costs* are Dropping:

Pre-expansion annual cost per student=$6,000

FY15 annual cost per student =$3,900

ASAP replication demonstration project in Ohio

In partnership with MDRC, Ohio Board of Regents, Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation, and three community colleges

*ASAP costa are above usual CUNY community college FTE allocations. #aypfevents

20

Evaluation of CUNY ASAP

Sue ScrivenerSenior Associate

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http://www.mdrc.org/

Why Look at ASAP? CUNY’s ASAP is comprehensive and long-lasting• Brings together many promising reforms• Provides services for three years

One of the most ambitious efforts in the country to boost graduation rates for community college students

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http://my.mdrc.org/

The Evaluation MDRC studied the implementation and cost of ASAP,

and its impacts on students’ academic outcomes over three years

Study took place at three of CUNY’s community colleges: Borough of Manhattan, Kingsborough, and LaGuardia

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http://my.mdrc.org/

Random Assignment Research Design

Target

• Targeted students invited to participate in study

Consent &

Data

• Participants give consent• Baseline data collected

Random

Assignme

nt

• Program group – Students can enroll in ASAP

• Control group – Students can receive standard college services

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Evaluation Target Group Family income at or below 200% of federal poverty level

or Pell-eligible

Needed one or two developmental courses ASAP also serves college-ready students but they were not

included in the MDRC study

Incoming freshman or continuing student with 12 or fewer credits and 2.0+ GPA

Willing to attend school full time

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http://my.mdrc.org/

Characteristics of Students at Start of the Evaluation 900 students randomly assigned in 2010

62% women

Average age 21.5

Racially diverse

6% married, 15% had a child

31% employed#aypfevents

http://my.mdrc.org/

26

ASAP Provided Much More Intensive Student Supports

Program group students

Control groupstudents

38 6

9 2

24 7

Advisor

Career services

Average reported meetings in first year

with:

Tutoring

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http://my.mdrc.org/

27

ASAP Affected Course Enrollment Most program group students took an ASAP seminar for

three semesters

Most program group students took at least one additional course with a concentration of ASAP students

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http://my.mdrc.org/

28

ASAP’s Financial Benefits Were Well Implemented Most students received monthly MetroCards, and text

books

ASAP provided a tuition waiver to students who needed it 3 – 11 percent of program group, depending on semester

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http://my.mdrc.org/

ASAP Increased Enrollment

29

Main Inter Main Inter Main Inter Main Inter Main Inter Main InterSemester 1 Semester 2 Semester 3 Semester 4 Semester 5 Semester 6

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

0

20

40

60

80

100 3*

21***

10***

25***

8**

17***

9***

10***

7**

Year 3 Semester 5 Inter

Year 3 Semester 6 Main

Year 3 Semester 6 Inter

Program group Control group

Enro

llmen

t Rat

e (%

)

ASAP Increased Credit Accumulation

30

Main Inter Main Inter Main Inter Main Inter Main Inter Main InterSemester 1 Semester 2 Semester 3 Semester 4 Semester 5 Semester 6

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

0

10

20

30

40

50

1.5***2.1***

3.5***4.3***

5.6*** 6.0***

7.2*** 7.6***

8.1*** 8.2***8.6*** 8.7***

Program Group Control Group

Tota

l Cre

dits

Ear

ned

31

ASAP Almost Doubled Graduation Rates 40.1 percent of program group earned a degree after

three years, compared with 21.8 percent of control group

Biggest increase in graduation – by far – MDRC has found

Program group also more likely to be enrolled in four-year school at end of study

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http://my.mdrc.org/

32

Conclusions and Lessons Comprehensive, long-term program can substantially

boost students’ success

Pairing a full-time requirement with an array of supports was central to improving and accelerating students’ progress

Monitoring students’ program participation and providing a meaningful benefit to those who participate can increase engagement

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http://my.mdrc.org/

33

Conclusions and Lessons Developmental education students’ outcomes can be

markedly improved without changing what happens in the classroom

Encouraging or requiring students to take developmental courses early can hasten and increase completion of those courses

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http://my.mdrc.org/

34

For Additional Information

See www.mdrc.org for reports from the ASAP

evaluation

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http://www.mdrc.org/

http://my.mdrc.org/

Loukman Lamany

Bronx ASAP grad and Baruch College graduate

Student Perspective

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Donna Linderman, University Associate Dean for Student Success Initiatives, CUNY

Sue Scrivener, Senior Associate, MDRC

Loukman Lamany, Bronx ASAP grad and Baruch College graduate

Audience Questions

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Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)

Ajita Menon, Senior Policy Advisor for Higher Education at the White House Domestic Policy Council

Dr. Belinda Miles, Executive Vice President and Provost, Cuyahoga Community College

Brett Visger, Associate Vice Chancellor, Institutional Collaboration & Completion, Ohio Board of Regents

Panel Discussants

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Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)

Ajita Menon, Senior Policy Advisor for Higher Education at the White House Domestic Policy Council

Dr. Belinda Miles, Executive Vice President and Provost, Cuyahoga Community College

Brett Visger, Associate Vice Chancellor, Institutional Collaboration & Completion, Ohio Board of Regents

Audience Questions

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Documents

October 17, 2017 Co-sponsored by MDRC