PCC DE Task Force | 2014 The City University of New York Accelerated Study in Associate Programs

The ASAP MISSION To support “…50 percent of students within three years through provision of comprehensive support services and financial resources that remove barriers to full-time study, build student resiliency, and support degree completion” (Linderman & Kolenovic 2012: 9).

SIZE & SCOPE There have been seven ASAP cohorts totaling 6,428 students admitted across six participating CUNY community colleges, with the first cohort entering in fall 2007 and the seventh in fall 2013.

TRANSITION TO DE  The 2007 Cohort = 1,132 non-DE students (i.e. reading, writing, and math proficient) 55% earned an Associate’s degree within 3 years 3x higher than the national rate for urban community colleges  In 2010 = 76% of all students had one or two DE course needs 56% graduation rate

SHOW ME THE MONEY  Originally funded by NYC Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) as a way to fight poverty Started by Mayor Bloomberg as an executive order Analyzes causes, scope, and consequences of poverty Funds programs that build human capital & improve financial stability ASAP is a signature program  State support  Grants from various foundations, charitable trusts, and scholarship funds to support program expansion, random assignment study, and scholarships.

KEY PROGRAM FEATURES

COST FREE  No cost for financial–aid eligible students  Free transit  Free use of textbooks

CONNECTED COMMUNITY  25-student cohorts by major  ASAP Seminar (weekly non-credit advisement program) – two semester course  Enrollment in required major classes with ASAP and non-ASAP students

FULL-TIME STUDY & MAJORS  Required full-time status (minimum of 12 credits per semester)  Summer classes encouraged  An array of majors (A.A., A.S., A.A.S.) available via different campuses and partner colleges

BLOCK SCHEDULE  Consistent, predictable, and convenient morning, afternoon, or evening blocks

COMPREHENSIVE ADVISEMENT  Students meet with experienced, full-time advisors twice a month for academic, social, and interpersonal support and transition after graduation

ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES  In- and out-of-class tutors  Weekly minimum of six-hours of supplemental instruction available  Regular interaction between faculty and advisors to identify those who need extra support  Dedicated space for homework assistance, study groups, and scheduled review sessions for individual courses  Mandatory tutoring for DE students, those who have experienced course failure, or struggling students

CAREER COUNSELING  Workshops on interviewing and job skills  Assistance with resumes and cover letters  Goals-shaping help  Acquisition of internships  Career and employment specialists work w/advisors and students for transfer to 4-year colleges and/or entering the work force

STUDENT LEADERS (new since 2012)  Student Leaders (new since 2012)  Helps student develop leadership skills  Recruit prospective students  Attend leadership training workshops that focus on teamwork, public speaking, and engagement strategies  Conduct informational sessions

SUMMER INSTITUTE  Themed 3-day orientation for program expectations and community building  Common readings infused into interactive workshops led by teaching artists from the CUNY Creative Arts Team (CAT) or EKOarts. performance approaches to explore issues such as openness to change, effective communication, and self advocacy

ADMINISTRATION & STAFFING

ADMININISTRATION & STAFFING  Coordinated effort between the CUNY Office of Academic Affairs (CUNY Central) and six participating community colleges.  CUNY Central and individual college ASAP directors meet monthly, make regular campus visits, and are in regular contact about program and evaluation matters.  The CUNY Central ASAP staff is led by a University Executive Director, who reports to the Senior University Dean for Academic Affairs.  College programs are led by directors who report to Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs and may receive day-to- day support from college Deans of Academic Affairs.

OPERATIONS AT EACH COLLEGE Fully-dedicated staff specifically for the program  director  co-director  1 – 3 clerical staff members (i.e. program secretary, assistant)  full-time faculty  2 – 5 academic advisors/counselors with an average caseload of 125 students  one job developer (career and employment specialist)

OUTREACH (targets staff, not students)  Counselor workshops  Benefits of ASAP  Steps to enroll in the program  Strategies for engaging students in conversations about college and post-secondary planning  Monthly e-newsletter  Student and counselor resources/promotional materials  Social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube)  “What’s Appening,” a weekly recommended college- related iPhone app  “Edu-tainment,” a weekly YouTube video that incorporates college life  “DoYou” posts about interesting majors available at CUNY and other career exploration tips

APPLICATION & PLACEMENT

APPLICATION CRITERIA 1) Be admitted to a CUNY community college 2) Meet ASAP NYC residency requirements 3) Academic requirements 4) Financial requirements

Meet ASAP Academic Requirements  BASIC SKILLS: All students must be skills proficient in reading, writing and math OR have no more than two developmental course needs based on their scores on the CUNY Assessment Test (CAT).  Each ASAP program determines allowable developmental course placements for their college.  Students with two developmental course needs at time of application must attempt at least one of their required courses in the summer before program entry (no charge).  MAJOR: All students must agree to enter into an Associates degree program (A.A., A.S., or A.A.S.) on a full-time basis (minimum 12 credits or equated credits * per semester) in an ASAP-approved major.

Meet ASAP Financial Requirements  Financial Aid: Students must receive some need- based financial aid as determined through completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form and a New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) application.  ASAP Tuition Waiver: Students must receive financial aid and have a gap need between their financial aid award amount and the amount they owe for tuition and fees.

WHAT ARE CUNY'S SKILLS REQUIREMENTS?  For the first college-level composition course, students must be proficient in both reading and writing.  Proficiency in reading and writing =  SAT I verbal score of 480 or higher or Critical Reading score of 480 or higher  ACT English score of 20 or higher  N.Y. State English Regents score of 75 or higher  CUNY Assessment Tests (CATs): Reading Test score of 70 or higher and Writing Test score of 56 or higher.

CUNY ASSESSMENT TESTS (CATs) PLACEMENT

 An un-timed, multiple-choice, computer-based test of reading; Must score 70 or more.  Measures reading comprehension from several multidisciplinary texts from commonly assigned first- year college courses.  Asks students to determine implicit meanings, to draw conclusions, and to make comparisons and generalizations. CAT in READING

CAT in WRITING  A 90-minute standardized written essay test in which students are asked to respond to a reading passage. Must score a total score of 56 or more.  No preparation for prompt  Read, understand, and respond to a passage of words  Read the passage and instructions and then write an essay responding to the passage while following the instructions.  A non-electronic dictionary is allowed

TEST PREP  Online test preparation resources  Each college has a testing information center with resources to help prepare for the CATs.  A sample of the writing assignment (along with the scoring guide and sample papers for each score point) and some tips on taking the CAT in Writing is included in the Student Handbook prepared by CUNY faculty.

DE & COLLEGE-LEVEL READINESS Exit from DE and ESL Course Sequences  All students take the CAT(s) at the end of the semester and must pass to take college composition.  Faculty at each college decide the requirements for passing each top-level remedial, developmental, or ESL course.  Sometimes, passage of the skills test is required to pass the course; sometimes it is not. Retesting  Generally, students must receive at least 20 hours of instruction between retests (no more than two times during a semester).

Evaluation  ongoing internal analysis by CUNY utilizing a quasi- experimental constructed comparison group design,  a five-year experimental design random assignment study led by MDRC, and  cost-benefit analysis led by Professor Henry Levin and the Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education (CBCSE) at Teachers College Columbia University.

RELEVANT FINDINGS  After only one semester, ASAP increases the proportion of students who have completed their developmental education courses by 15 percentage points (15 more students out of every 100 are ready to take college-level courses.)  Increased number of credits students earned during the first semester and boosted their rates of full-time enrollment in the first and second semesters.  Increase in retention, movement through developmental course work, credit accumulation, and graduation rates.  Cross-cohort three-year graduation rate = 51% vs. 22% for comparison group students.  After three years, 47% of ASAP students with developmental needs graduated vs. 19% of comparison group students with developmental needs.  Students from underrepresented groups appear to gain more benefit from ASAP than other students.  When graduation and transfer are considered together, 63 out of every 100 students who began ASAP three years earlier have either graduated, transferred to a baccalaureate program, or both—versus 44 comparison group students.  Most importantly, ASAP students graduate at more than double the rates of non-ASAP students.

BENEFIT-COST ANALYSIS Although ASAP requires more resources per student than the traditional associate program, the cost per graduate was found to be lower because of its much higher effectiveness in producing graduates.  higher tax revenues and lower costs of spending on public health, criminal justice, and public assistance  by taxpayer return is between three and four dollars and around twelve dollars for each dollar invested by the individual  A cohort of 1,000 students enrolled in ASAP would generate fiscal benefits for the taxpayer of more than $46 million beyond those of investing an approximately equal amount in the conventional degree program.