PROMISING EARLY EFFECTS OF A
MULTIFACETED PROGRAM TO BOOST
GRADUATION RATES FOR AT-RISK
STUDENTS
DREAM 2013
Anaheim, California
February 6, 2013
Sue Scrivener, MDRC
Daniela Boykin, City University of New York
Richard Rivera, Kingsborough Community College
1
Session Outline
• Context and importance of Accelerated
Study in Associate Programs (ASAP)
• ASAP’s history, goals, and model
• ASAP at Kingsborough Community
College
• Early effects for students
• What’s next
• Q &A
2
Context
• Only about 1/3 of community college
students get a certificate or degree within
5 years
• Recent unprecedented national focus on
the importance of increasing graduation
rates for community college students
• Many reforms have been tried
3
Past MDRC Research
• Studied several reforms, including enhanced
academic advising, student success courses,
learning communities, performance-based
scholarships
• In general, programs can improve academic
outcomes, but effects typically modest and
short-lived
• College completion rates remain stubbornly
low and field still seeking reforms that can
substantially help students
4
Why Look at ASAP?
• The City University of New York’s
(CUNY’s) Accelerated Study in Associate
Programs (ASAP) is multi-faceted 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 atrisk community college students
5
CUNY ASAP:
Who We Are
6
CUNY Community College Students
In need of remediation
79%
Re-enroll after a year
66%
Graduate in 3 years
13%
Source: CUNY Office of Institutional Research 2011
7
Address barriers and streamline
student experience
• 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.”
Chancellor Mathew Goldstein
8
ASAP History
• Goal: At least 50% of students will
complete an Associate’s degree
within three years
• 2007:
– CUNY funded by Mayor’s
Center for Economic
Opportunity (CEO) at $6.5
million annual budget for three
years
– ASAP launched 1,132 fully skills
proficient students* across six
CUNY community colleges
*28% of fall 2007 ASAP students had some developmental needs when recruited and
addressed over summer.
9
ASAP History
•
Fall 2009:
– ASAP begins to admit students
with developmental needs
•
Spring 2010:
– ASAP exceeds 3-year graduation
goal with fall 2007 cohort
– ASAP funding now a permanent
allocation to CUNY
•
Fall 2011:
– Fall 2009 cohort 2-year
graduation rate four times higher
than comparison group
– CUNY Chancellor announces
plans to expand ASAP
10
ASAP Today…
– Recruited 1,500+ new
students in fall 2012
– Serve 2,200+ students
– Expanding to 4,000+
students by fall 2014
In 2014, ASAP will serve
28%
of first-time full-time degree seeking students
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Play Video here
12
• Required full-time study
• Limited number of majors
• Sample Majors: Liberal Arts, Business Administration, Criminal
Justice, Accounting, Human Services, Early Childhood
Education
•
•
•
•
•
Consolidated class schedule
Cohort design by major
Winter and summer course taking
Dedicated full-time staff at each college
Rigorous evaluation and use data
13
ASAP Financial Resources:
• Tuition waivers
• Free use of textbooks
• Monthly MTA MetroCards
ASAP Services:
• Case management advisement
• Academic support services
• Faculty engagement
• ASAP Seminar
• Career development services
• Special programs
14
ASAP Structure
ASAP Bronx
Community
College
ASAP
Queensborough
ASAP BMCC
ASAP
Central
ASAP LaGuardia
ASAP Hostos
ASAP
Kingsborough
15
ASAP at Kingsborough
Community College
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KBCC Profile
• 70 acre campus located in
Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn
• Founded in 1963; only community
college in Brooklyn
• Serves over 30,000 students in
credit and non-credit courses
• Offers 2-year Degrees: Associate
in Arts (A.A.), Science (A.S.) and
specialized careers (A.A.S.)
• Offers nearly 700 courses in 30+
majors
17
ASAP College Staffing Structure
Under Provost:
• College Director
• 6 Advisors (1:100)
• Career Employment Specialist
• Administrative Assistants
• Supplemental Instructors & Tutors
18
What Makes ASAP Effective…
Support students by:
•
•
•
•
•
Removing financial barriers to
full time study
Organizing classes in block
schedules (morning, afternoon
and evening blocks) to
accommodate work &/or other
commitments
Assigning them to an advisor to
help address many of the
stresses that deter students
from receiving degrees
Developing a connection to the
college and building community
Accessing comprehensive and
relevant support services
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Admissions Criteria
• Must be a New York City resident
• Agree to study full-time in an
ASAP
• Continuing students must have
less than 15 credits and a GPA of
2.0 or above
• Be fully skills proficient or have
no more than two developmental
course needs
• Receive some need-based
financial aid (PELL and/or TAP)
20
ASAP Program Components
• Financial Incentives:
– Tuition waivers
(PELL/TAP recipients)
– Free use of textbooks
– Unlimited monthly MTA
MetroCards
21
ASAP Program Components
ASAP Services:
• Intensive Academic
Advisement
• Blocked Courses
• Priority Registration
• Supplemental Instruction &
Tutoring
• Career Development
Services
• Leadership Development
• Laptop Loaner Program
• Academic & Cultural
Opportunities
‐ Honors Program
‐ Travel Abroad Program
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The Recruitment Process
•
•
•
•
•
•
Recruitment begins in the Spring
Semester & runs through August
ASAP students & staff present to
continuing students in classes
during Spring Semester
Work with Testing & Freshmen
Services to screen academically
eligible students
Academically eligible students must
then provide FA confirmation
Students meet with ASAP Staff to
review requirements & expectations
Students with developmental needs
are encouraged to attend summer
immersion
23
Building A Community
• Students with a
developmental need are
strong encouraged to attend
summer immersion classes
• Students (parents invited too)
are required to attend a
Summer Orientation Meeting
• Students are required to
attend a two day summer
orientation (1st Day ASAP
focused & 2nd Day Campus
Fest)
24
Developmental Policies
• Students w/ more than 1
developmental need are required
to enroll in Summer Immersion
• All students are expected to take
developmental courses
immediately & continuously
• Students take a mix of blocked
remedial courses and workshops
• Tutoring is required for students
w/ developmental needs
25
Supportive Community
• ASAP Seminar and
workshops
• Career Employment
Specialists
• Additional campus
supports
• Advisement
26
ASAP Advisement
• Dedicated full-time staff with a
1:120 caseload
• Work with advisor through
graduation
• Contacts builds relationships
and student comfort – number
of contacts per semester are
determined based on needs of
students
• Assess and address academic
and personal needs
• Follow-up with faculty about
attendance and progress via
mid term progress reports
27
MDRC’s ASAP Evaluation
28
The Evaluation
• MDRC is studying the implementation of
ASAP and its impacts on students’
academic outcomes
• Study is taking place at three of CUNY’s
six community colleges: Kingsborough,
Borough of Manhattan, and LaGuardia
• Study began in 2009 and will continue
through 2014
29
Random Assignment Research
Design
Target
Consent &
Data
Random
Assignment
• Targeted population invited to participate in
study
• Participants give consent
• Baseline data collected
• Program group – Students can enroll in ASAP
• Control group – Students can receive standard
college services
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Students in the Study
• Low-income students who needed one or
two developmental courses and were
willing to attend school full time
• About 900 students randomly assigned in
2010
– Almost 2/3 women
– Most relatively young
– Racially diverse
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Early impacts are very
promising
32
Increased Full-Time Enrollment in
First Semester
100
2.5*
96.4
Enrollment (%)
80
10.6***
95.8
94.0
85.2
60
40
20
0
Enrolled
Enrolled Full-time
Program group
*p
≤ .10
Control group
***p
≤ .01
33
Increased Average Credits
Earned in First Semester
Total credits earned
College-level
Developmental
Program
group
11.4
8.5
2.9
Control
group Difference
9.3
2.1***
7.6
0.9***
1.7
1.1***
34
Helped Students Complete
Developmental Courses in First Semester
Completed developmental requirements (%)
100
80
60
40
14.7***
46.6
31.9
20
0
Program group
***p
Control group
≤ .01
35
Increased Enrollment in Second
Semester
100
Enrollment (%)
80
9.8***
90.3
80.4
80.5
60
20.6***
59.8
40
20
0
Enrolled
Enrolled Full-time
Program group
***p
Control group
≤ .01
36
Comparing Impacts on Credits
Earned in First Semester Across
Studies
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
Impacts on credits earned in MDRC's higher education
experimental evaluations
ASAP
Estimated Impact
2.5
37
Conclusions and What’s Next
• Early findings very promising
• Too early to speculate about longer-term
outcomes like graduation
• Future reports will present two- and
three-year impacts, including graduation
rates, and full implementation story
38
Source: CUNY Office of Institutional Assessment and ASAP Colleges
39
ASAP Expansion
• Core program elements recommended for consideration
across CUNY to improve retention, movement through
developmental education, and graduation.
•
•
•
•
structured degree pathways
immediate and continuous developmental course taking
mandatory advisement
incentives for full-time study
• Expansion over next 3 years; expected enrollment of
4,000+ students by 2014
• Expansion planning efforts supported by CEO
• Central & college planning teams developed plans
• Launched a citywide outreach & marketing campaign
• Additional funding to be raised by CUNY Academic Affairs
40
Contact Information
Sue Scrivener
sue.scrivener@mdrc.org
Daniela Boykin
daniela.boykin@mail.cuny.edu
Richard Rivera
richard.rivera@kbcc.cuny.edu
41