Increasing Community College Graduation Rates: A Synthesis of Findings on the ASAP Model from Six Colleges across Two States
Miller, Cynthia; Weiss, Michael (2021). MDRC. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED611732
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examining2,397Students, gradePS
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: February 2024
- Single Study Review (findings for Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP))
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample, Semester 6 (end of intervention);
|
36.89 |
20.12 |
Yes |
|
|
|
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
CUNY program only, Semester 6 (end of intervention);
|
0.90 |
0.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-4 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 4 semesters before end of intervention;
|
0.20 |
0.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-4 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 4 semesters before end of intervention;
|
0.20 |
0.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-3 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 3 semesters before end of intervention;
|
0.20 |
0.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-2 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 2 semesters before end of intervention;
|
0.20 |
0.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-5 Semesters |
Full sample, 5 semesters before end of intervention;
|
0.23 |
0.02 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-3 Semesters |
Full sample, 3 semesters before end of intervention;
|
5.81 |
2.18 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-3 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 3 semesters before end of intervention;
|
2.90 |
1.10 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-4 Semesters |
Full sample, 4 semesters before end of intervention;
|
1.14 |
0.47 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-1 Semesters |
Full sample, 1 semester before end of intervention;
|
28.55 |
13.80 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-2 Semesters |
Full sample, 2 semesters before end of intervention;
|
17.35 |
8.17 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
CUNY program only, Semester 6 (end of intervention);
|
40.00 |
22.10 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-1 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 1 semester before end of intervention;
|
29.10 |
15.70 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
6 Months |
CUNY program only ;
|
42.30 |
26.50 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
12 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
4.40 |
2.20 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
12 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
44.90 |
29.70 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
6 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
1.50 |
0.80 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
18 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
46.30 |
31.90 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
18 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
7.10 |
4.00 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-2 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 2 semesters before end of intervention;
|
14.50 |
8.90 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
24 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
47.10 |
35.10 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
30 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
48.50 |
36.10 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
36 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
49.70 |
37.50 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
42 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
50.20 |
38.30 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
48 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
51.10 |
38.80 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
54 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
51.70 |
39.20 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
60 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
52.00 |
39.90 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
24 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
11.90 |
8.30 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
30 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
14.90 |
12.90 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
42 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
19.40 |
18.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
48 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
22.20 |
20.60 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
60 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
24.90 |
23.50 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
36 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
17.50 |
16.70 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
54 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
23.10 |
22.40 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 2-year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-5 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 5 semesters before end of intervention;
|
0.00 |
0.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-5 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 5 semesters before end of intervention;
|
0.00 |
0.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Graduation from 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-1 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 1 semester before end of intervention;
|
0.50 |
5.00 |
Yes |
|
||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample, Semester 6 (end of intervention);
|
20.72 |
14.11 |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample, Semester 6 (end of intervention);
|
27.50 |
29.60 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-4 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 4 semesters before end of intervention;
|
91.20 |
81.10 |
Yes |
|
||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-5 Semesters |
Full sample, 5 semesters before end of intervention;
|
96.09 |
92.50 |
Yes |
|
||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-4 Semesters |
Full sample, 4 semesters before end of intervention;
|
84.63 |
73.24 |
Yes |
|
||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-5 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 5 semesters before end of intervention;
|
96.30 |
93.60 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-3 Semesters |
Full sample, 3 semesters before end of intervention;
|
70.19 |
60.31 |
Yes |
|
||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
CUNY program only, Semester 6 (end of intervention);
|
25.00 |
17.80 |
Yes |
|
||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-2 Semesters |
Full sample, 2 semesters before end of intervention;
|
59.33 |
49.97 |
Yes |
|
||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-1 Semesters |
Full sample, 1 semester before end of intervention;
|
15.04 |
11.25 |
Yes |
|
||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-3 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 3 semesters before end of intervention;
|
75.80 |
68.90 |
Yes |
|
||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-2 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 2 semesters before end of intervention;
|
66.20 |
58.20 |
Yes |
|
||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-1 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 1 semester before end of intervention;
|
16.60 |
12.60 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
6 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
27.60 |
23.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
60 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
3.10 |
2.50 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
54 Months |
CUNY program only ;
|
15.20 |
12.90 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
60 Months |
CUNY program only ;
|
15.40 |
13.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
30 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
6.90 |
6.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
12 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
28.70 |
26.20 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-4 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 4 semesters before end of intervention;
|
1.00 |
0.90 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-1 Semesters |
Full sample, 1 semester before end of intervention;
|
42.03 |
40.02 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-5 Semesters |
Full sample, 5 semesters before end of intervention;
|
0.58 |
0.55 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-2 Semesters |
Full sample, 2 semesters before end of intervention;
|
7.08 |
6.76 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
36 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
5.10 |
4.90 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-1 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 1 semester before end of intervention;
|
45.30 |
43.80 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
24 Months |
CUNY program only ;
|
27.10 |
27.20 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-3 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 3 semesters before end of intervention;
|
1.50 |
1.50 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-2 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 2 semesters before end of intervention;
|
5.20 |
5.30 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
18 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
26.50 |
26.90 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
54 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
4.20 |
4.50 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-3 Semesters |
Full sample, 3 semesters before end of intervention;
|
3.08 |
3.52 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
42 Months |
CUNY program only ;
|
18.20 |
19.90 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
CUNY program only, Semester 6 (end of intervention);
|
26.80 |
29.90 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
42 Months |
CUNY program only ;
|
4.00 |
4.60 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
48 Months |
CUNY program only ;
|
16.00 |
18.10 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
36 Months |
CUNY program only ;
|
19.00 |
21.90 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
24 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
6.00 |
8.00 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
30 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
20.80 |
26.20 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-5 Semesters |
CUNY program only, 5 semesters before end of intervention;
|
0.50 |
0.70 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 4 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
-4 Semesters |
Full sample, 4 semesters before end of intervention;
|
1.46 |
2.08 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
48 Months |
CUNY program only ;
|
3.50 |
5.10 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
18 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
7.90 |
11.50 |
No |
-- | ||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
6 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
12.20 |
19.80 |
Yes |
|
||
|
College enrollment - 2 year college |
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) vs. Business as usual |
12 Months |
CUNY program only;
|
8.70 |
15.30 |
Yes |
|
||
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Female: 63%
Male: 37% -
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New York, Ohio
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Race Black 35% Other or unknown 33% White 32% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 22% Other or unknown 78% -
Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch Other or unknown 100%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place at six community colleges in New York City and Ohio.
Study sample
A total of 2,397 students at 6 community colleges (3 in New York and 3 in Ohio) were included in the study. Sixty-three percent of students were female. Thirty-five percent were Black, 32 percent were White, and 33 percent did not report a race. Twenty-two percent were Hispanic or Latino. Eighty-three percent of students had remedial education requirements and 50 percent were eligible for Pell grants. Students were eligible if they were low-income, were new to college or had completed fewer than 12 credits in New York or 24 credits in Ohio, and intended to complete a degree program than could be completed in 6 semesters (3 years).
Intervention Group
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) is a 3-year program designed to remove barriers to college success and encourage students to graduate from a community college with an associate degree within 3 years by providing financial, academic, and other supportive services. Student services were provided by ASAP-dedicated staff at each college campus. Students were required to meet with an ASAP-dedicated student academic adviser once or twice per month, receive career advising at least once per semester, and attend 1 hour per week of tutoring if taking remedial courses or on academic probation. ASAP students were enrolled in blocks of courses together with other ASAP students in order to create a sense of school community and to shorten the amount of time on campus each day. ASAP students attended a seminar or course on student academic success and goal setting. ASAP students also received financial supports, including a tuition waiver that covered the gap between financial aid and college tuition and fees, vouchers for public transportation, and free use of textbooks (or textbook vouchers).
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group had access to usual college academic support, career advising, and tutoring services.
Support for implementation
In New York, ASAP was initially funded in 2007 with a three-year, $20 million grant from the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity and was jointly administered by the CUNY Office of Academic Affairs and the participating community colleges. In Ohio, ASAP was funded through a consortium set up by a research corporation, MDRC, with primary funding from the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation and additional funding from foundation funders. Over time, the participating community colleges were expected to take on an increasing share of the costs. CUNY and MDRC provided start-up technical assistance and the Ohio Department of Higher Education served as coordinator of the Ohio ASAP Network to facilitate communication and coordination across participating community colleges.
Additional Sources
In the case of multiple manuscripts that report on one study, the WWC selects one manuscript as the primary citation and lists other manuscripts that describe the study as additional sources.
-
Miller, Cynthia; Headlam, Camielle; Manno, Michelle; Cullinan, Dan. (2020). Increasing Community College Graduation Rates with a Proven Model: Three-Year Results from the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) Ohio Demonstration. MDRC.
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Scrivener, Susan; Weiss, Michael J.; Ratledge, Alyssa; Rudd, Timothy; Sommo, Colleen; Fresques, Hannah. (2015). Doubling Graduation Rates: Three-Year Effects of CUNY's Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) for Developmental Education Students. MDRC.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
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The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
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The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
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A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
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Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).