1 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

2 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

3 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

4 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

5 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 at- risk community college students

6 CUNY ASAP: Who We Are

7 CUNY Community College Students Source: CUNY Office of Institutional Research 2011

8 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

9 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.

10 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

11 ASAP Today… – Recruited 1,500+ new students in fall 2012 – Serve 2,200+ students – Expanding to 4,000+ students by fall 2014 of first-time full-time degree seeking students

12 Play Video here

13 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

14 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

15 ASAP Structure ASAP Central ASAP Bronx Community College ASAP BMCCASAP Hostos ASAP Kingsborough ASAP LaGuardia ASAP Queensborough

16 ASAP at Kingsborough Community College

17 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

18 ASAP College Staffing Structure Under Provost: College Director 6 Advisors (1:100) Career Employment Specialist Administrative Assistants Supplemental Instructors & Tutors

19 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

20 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)

21 ASAP Program Components Financial Incentives: – Tuition waivers (PELL/TAP recipients) – Free use of textbooks – Unlimited monthly MTA MetroCards

22 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

23 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

24 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 (1 st Day ASAP focused & 2 nd Day Campus Fest)

25 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

26 Supportive Community ASAP Seminar and workshops Career Employment Specialists Additional campus supports Advisement

27 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

28 MDRC’s ASAP Evaluation

29 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

30 Random Assignment Research Design Target Targeted population invited to participate in study Consent & Data Participants give consent Baseline data collected Random Assignment Program group – Students can enroll in ASAP Control group – Students can receive standard college services

31 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

32 Early impacts are very promising

33 Increased Full-Time Enrollment in First Semester * p ≤.10 *** p ≤ * 10.6 ***

34 Increased Average Credits Earned in First Semester Program group Control groupDifference Total credits earned College-level Developmental *** 0.9 *** 1.1 ***

35 Helped Students Complete Developmental Courses in First Semester 14.7 *** *** p ≤

36 Increased Enrollment in Second Semester 9.8 *** 20.6 *** *** p ≤.01

37 Comparing Impacts on Credits Earned in First Semester Across Studies

38 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

39 Source: CUNY Office of Institutional Assessment and ASAP Colleges

40 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

41 Sue Scrivener Daniela Boykin Richard Rivera Contact Information