A RESOURCE GUIDE ON PROGRAM STRUCTURE, COMPONENTS, AND MANAGEMENT

FALL 2020

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The City University of New York Office of Academic Affairs November 2020

Original Guide prepared in 2015 by Daniela Boykin and Amy Prince with support from Complete College America.

Design by: Carrie Chatterson Studio

Photography by: Shannon Taggart

Copyright© 2020 by Office of Academic Affairs, The City University of New York. All rights reserved.

ASAP® is a registered trademark of The City University of New York.

A RESOURCE GUIDE ON PROGRAM STRUCTURE, COMPONENTS, AND MANAGEMENT

FALL 2020

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INSIDE ASAP ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to Complete College America for their support in developing this resource guide in 2015. Thanks also to the following individuals in the City University of New York (CUNY) Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) who helped draft the original guide: Daniela Boykin, Kara Heffernan, Zineta Kolenovic, Donna Linderman, Amy Prince, Diana Strumbos, and Daniel Voloch. The revision of the guide in 2020 was possible because of the efforts of the following members of CUNY OAA: Christine Brongniart, Clara Chen, Mary Hiebert, Zineta Kolenovic, Lesley Leppert, Donna Linderman, Francis Mosquito, Amy Prince, Shaun Rasmussen, Richard Suarez, Diana Strumbos, Alex Tavares, Theresa Williams, and Ryan Yeung.

Special thanks to the dedicated CUNY ASAP directors, advisors, career specialists, and other program staff at all of CUNY ASAP’s partner colleges: Borough of Manhattan Community College, Bronx Community College, College of Staten Island, Hostos Community College, Kingsborough Community College, LaGuardia Community College, Medgar Evers College, New York City College of Technology, and Queensborough Community College. They are responsible for making ASAP such a success year in and year out.

We are especially grateful to our ASAP students and graduates, who are the heart of this program, and whose voices make this guide come alive.

FROM THE MAYOR’S OFFICE FOR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY (NYC OPPORTUNITY)

When NYC Opportunity (formerly the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity) first invested in CUNY ASAP in 2007, it was funding a program that had a sound and comprehensive model, strong University and campus leadership, and a data-driven approach. These were qualities that NYC Opportunity believed would make ASAP successful and help more low-income New Yorkers earn a valuable college degree and improve their future economic prospects. ASAP is one of New York City’s most successful programs to date — with its impressive graduation rates, broad expansion at CUNY, and impact on the local and national dialogue on improving college completion rates.

As ASAP’s national visibility has grown, NYC Opportunity has been delighted to see widespread interest in the program from colleges across the country. This resource guide was developed by CUNY with them in mind. The CUNY team has distilled the core components of the ASAP model, and provided comprehensive guidance for colleges and others interested in learning more about ASAP’s fundamental framework.

Everyone at NYC Opportunity hopes that you find the guide useful, and for those colleges that are considering an ASAP replication, we hope that your program becomes as wildly successful as CUNY ASAP has proven to be.

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PREFACEIn 2007, the City University of New York (CUNY) set out to rethink how we could dramatically improve our community college graduation rates. With a pilot of 1,132 students across all of CUNY’s (then) six community colleges, Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) was born. It was an ambitious undertaking that set out to demonstrate that with the right mix of supports and resources, our students could earn their associate degrees in a timely manner. The program set a goal of graduating 50% of its participants within three years — twice the rate at which similar CUNY community college students were graduating at that time. ASAP has not only met, but consistently exceeded that ambitious goal. Across ten cohorts, ASAP has an average three-year graduation rate of 53% vs. 25% for a historically matched comparison group. Additionally, analysis of the first five cohorts shows that all subgroups of students benefit from the program, and that ASAP narrows existing graduation gaps for black and Hispanic males (Strumbos & Kolenovic, 2016).

Based on these types of dramatic program impacts, documented through rigorous evaluation, ASAP has been expanded to serve additional students both in and out of CUNY. Thanks to generous support from the City and State of New York, ASAP has scaled to now serve 25,000 students per academic year across nine CUNY partner colleges. ASAP has been adapted to the baccalaureate space at two CUNY senior colleges as Accelerate, Complete and Engage (ACE). The ASAP model has also been replicated in five states to date: Ohio, California, New York State (Westchester County), Tennessee, and West Virginia. Most recently, affirming the program as a national model, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation selected ASAP as the 2020 recipient of its Innovations in American Government Award.

The program’s success is the result of many dedicated and talented individuals. First, tremendous thanks to our college leadership, who have made ASAP a priority at their institutions. We also thank the dedicated college program staff and CUNY Office of Academic Affairs ASAP team who have been unwavering in their commitment to implementing a top-quality program. We are also grateful to our funders, specifically the City of New York, through the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (NYC Opportunity), the State of New York, as well as ASAP’s early philanthropic funders, including Robin Hood, the Helmsley Charitable Trust, and the Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation. Finally, we want to recognize the most important members of the ASAP family: our talented and tenacious students. It is a privilege to support them in their educational journeys and to see them succeed in such impressive ways. CUNY is a better place because of each and every one of them.

We are pleased to share this resource guide with policy makers, higher education practitioners, and other interested constituents across the country. It is our sincere hope that this guide provides organizational and operational program detail and lessons learned from ASAP to inform your own efforts to improve the completion rates of your students.

José Luis Cruz Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost City University of New York

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About this Resource Guide .................................. 1

ASAP Beginnings and the Theory Behind the Action ................................... 3

Chapter 1: Program Structure ............................ 6

Enrollment Targets and Eligibility ................. 7

Financial Resources ..................................... 9

ASAP College Staffing ................................ 10

College Integration ..................................... 11

ASAP Central Office/College Partnership .... 12

Program Costs ........................................... 14

Chapter 2: Program Components and Implementation ......................................... 16

Provide Structured Pathways to Support Academic Momentum .................. 17

Recruit and Engage Students Early ............. 19

Provide Comprehensive and Personalized Advisement ........................... 23

Connect to Timely and Relevant Supports ..................................... 26

Chapter 3: Evaluation and Data Use for Program Management and Continuous Improvement ..... 30

ASAP Evaluation and Program Management ............................... 31

Student Benchmarks ................................. 31

Data Collection and Management .............. 31

Internal Evaluation/ Quasi-Experimental Analysis ...................... 32

External Evaluation ....................................33

Interested in Replicating CUNY ASAP? ............34

References ....................................................... 41

1INSIDE ASAP

ABOUT THIS RESOURCE GUIDEThe City University of New York (CUNY) Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) has informed the national discussion on how to improve community college outcomes by consistently demonstrating three-year graduation rates that are more than double those of similar students. The program has been rigorously evaluated by internal and external researchers, and increasingly hailed as a model of evidence-based practice. This success has led community colleges across the country to replicate the program, and has led higher education leaders and faculty, policy makers, and public and private funders to express interest in learning more about ASAP.

This resource guide was developed with these audiences in mind, to provide an overview of the ASAP model and structure. Chapters are organized into three main areas: program structure, program components and implementation, and evaluation and program management. The guide concludes with a section for those interested in learning more about ASAP replication efforts. This section describes the assistance that the CUNY ASAP team provides to partner colleges committed to increasing graduation rates by replicating the ASAP model with a high level of fidelity. This section also details the successful outcomes from the earliest replication efforts in Ohio, maps the growth of the CUNY ASAP National Replication Collaborative, and articulates important considerations for building the foundations of a successful replication.

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ASAP BEGINNINGS AND THE THEORY BEHIND THE ACTION Community college enrollments have increased dramatically in recent decades; 44% of undergraduates in the 2017-2018 academic year were enrolled at community colleges (Community College Research Center, 2020). Despite their increasing popularity, community colleges continue to struggle with retention, persistence, and degree completion. As policy makers, public and private funders, researchers, and the general public shift their focus from access to graduation, community colleges must develop new ways of supporting students through degree completion.

ASAP Beginnings In 2007, with the support of NYC Opportunity (formerly the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity), the City University of New York (CUNY) launched Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) in order to significantly increase the timely completion rates of community college students. The program committed itself to more than doubling the three-year graduation rate of similar students at CUNY’s six community colleges.1 In 2007, only 24% of fully skills-proficient and 13% of all CUNY community college students graduated within three years. ASAP pledged to realize a graduation rate of at least 50% within the same time period.

ASAP began with 1,132 fully skills-proficient students.2 To help students move quickly towards degree completion, the CUNY Office of Academic Affairs and partner colleges developed a

comprehensive program to support students from the moment they apply through graduation. Key program components include:

• Required full-time study (at least 12 credits per semester) in select majors;3

• An individualized schedule so that students can meet their family, work, and other responsibilities;

• Opportunities for students to register for blocked courses, or courses with fellow ASAP students;

• Full-time ASAP staff dedicated to comprehensive, personalized advisement and career development services;

• Financial resources including an ASAP tuition and fee gap scholarship, textbook assistance, MetroCards (to cover transportation costs), and tuition for winter and summer course-taking; and

• Special programs for ASAP students, including tutoring, targeted workshops, and leadership opportunities.

When the first cohort demonstrated a 30% two-year graduation rate, versus 12% for a comparison group, ASAP broadened its eligibility criteria to include students with some developmental needs.4 In 2011, after four years of consistently strong graduation rates for students with and without developmental needs, the New York City Office of the Mayor made ASAP funding a permanent CUNY allocation and former CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein announced a three-year expansion plan. As of fall 2019, ASAP has enrolled 25,000 students per academic year, representing almost 32% of all first-time, full-time degree-seeking community college students. The majority of students in ASAP (on average 80%) have some developmental support needs.

1 ASAP began at Borough of Manhattan, Bronx, Hostos, Kingsborough, LaGuardia, and Queensborough Community Colleges. 2 Twenty-eight percent of fall 2007 ASAP students had some developmental needs when recruited; these needs were addressed during the summer prior to fall enrollment. 3 ASAP supports most majors. 4 ASAP now accepts students with up to two developmental support needs.

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CUNY evaluation of ASAP demonstrates an average cross-cohort three-year graduation rate of 53.4% vs. 24.6% for similar cross-cohort comparison group students. As ASAP has expanded to serve a larger percentage of CUNY students, the program has contributed to an overall increase in the CUNY three-year associate system graduation rate from 12% for the fall 2007 cohort to 24.2% for the fall 2016 cohort. By 2022, ASAP expansion is projected to help increase the CUNY three-year associate system graduation rate to 36%.

Rigorous external evaluation has also validated the impact of the program and its cost effectiveness. In the final report of a five-year experimental design study, MDRC noted ASAP’s effects as “the largest MDRC has found in any of its evaluations of community college reforms” (Scrivener, Weiss, Ratledge, Rudd, Sommo, & Fresques, 2015, p. ES-11). Education economists Henry Levin and Emma Garcia (2012, 2013) found that ASAP demonstrates significant cost effectiveness as well as cost benefits to participating students and taxpayers.5

ASAP Theory of Action As cited by Kolenovic, Linderman, and Karp (2013), ASAP’s core components rest on three interrelated beliefs: 1) the importance of academic momentum; 2) the essential need for students to feel integrated into college life and culture; and 3) the value of timely and relevant support (p. 274). Coupled with the importance of regular and sophisticated data analysis for program evaluation and management, the ASAP theory of action allows for student-cen-tered continuous improvement.

1. Academic Momentum

Numerous researchers have identified academic momentum and credit accumulation during a student’s first year in college as key predictors of degree attainment (Adelman, 1999, 2006; Attewell, Heil, & Reisel, 2011; Calcagno, Crosta, Bailey, & Jenkins, 2007; Goldrick-Rab, 2007; Swanson, 2008). ASAP works to ensure academic momentum in the following ways:

• Full-time study in approved majors;

• Individualized course schedules to help students manage competing demands;

• Immediate and continuous enrollment in any required developmental supports;

• Winter and summer course-taking opportunities;

• Required advisement, career development services, and, if needed, tutoring; and

• Removal of key financial obstacles, such as textbook, transportation, and tuition costs, which can become stumbling blocks to degree momentum.

2. Integration and Belonging

ASAP’s cohort model and intensive supports are built, in part, on Vincent Tinto’s theory of integration and student persistence (Tinto, 1994; and Tinto & Pusser, 2006). Tinto argues that a student’s sense of connection to a college is critical to ensuring continuous enrollment and degree attainment. On commuter campuses, it can be very difficult for students to create relationships with their peers, faculty, and staff. It is especially important to develop a sense of connection early in a student’s college career. As Bloom and Sommo (2005) explain in their analysis of the impacts of learning communities, “…many experts believe that students’ academic and social experiences during their first semester of college often determine whether they will persist in school over the long term. According to this theory, students who develop strong initial connections — with other students, with faculty and staff, and with the material they are studying — are far more likely to continue and succeed” (p. 45).

5 ASAP evaluation reports are available at : www.cuny.edu/ASAP.

Graduating ASAP students report that the program benefits most important to their success were the financial resources and the services provided by their ASAP advisors. Ninety-five percent of students responding to a program survey indicated that it would have been difficult to graduate within three years without the support of ASAP.

– ASAP Student Exit Survey, Spring 2019

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ASAP develops an intentional community of support and promotes students’ sense of belonging in the following ways:

• Early engagement strategies including advisement meetings, workshops, and an ASAP Institute for incoming students;

• Blocked courses the first year, whereby students enroll in courses with fellow ASAP students;

• Study groups and tutoring (required for students in developmental or corequisite supports);

• Comprehensive and personalized advisement; and

• Special opportunities, such as the ASAP Peer Mentor and Ambassador programs, which allow ASAP students to develop presentation and leadership skills.

3. Timely and Relevant Support Services

As cited by Karp (2011), access to timely and relevant support services is a crucial component of college success, especially for “academically vulnerable” students (p.1). ASAP’s model is based on the belief that making student support services proactive, ongoing, and multi-faceted helps to create a coherent college experience that leads to stronger student outcomes.

ASAP provides comprehensive and streamlined supports including:

• A dedicated adviser who guides students from acceptance through graduation;

• A career specialist (CS) who provides individual employment expertise, a wide range of group career readiness services, and connections to industry-related events;

• Optional tutoring for all students and required tutoring for students identified as struggling or with developmental support needs; and

• Facilitated access to other campus services.

Program Structure and Use of Data for Continuous Evaluation and ImprovementHallmarks of ASAP include a well-defined program structure and rigorous evaluation. Since inception, ASAP has employed specific enrollment targets, clearly defined program policies and priorities, minimum thresholds for academic benchmarks, and strategies to ensure ASAP integration at the campus level.

Priorities and policies are established by the ASAP Central Office and re-visited each year with feedback from partner colleges to support program efficacy. The use of both qualitative and quantitative data tools, such as ASAP’s live and interactive web-based database, enables staff to monitor benchmarks in real time, keep close track of outcomes and program quality, and make data-driven adjustments to polices and services.

ASAP’s commitment to continuous improvement is supported by regular communication between the ASAP Central Office and partner colleges, including meetings and information sharing, as well as professional development opportunities.

CHAPTER 1

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

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Enrollment Targets and EligibilityASAP’s initial enrollment of 1,132 students in 2007 was intended to be large enough to demonstrate impact across all six of CUNY’s existing community colleges. As a result of the program’s success, in 2011 ASAP committed to an aggressive three-year growth model, which would increase the number of students served to 4,000 by fall 2014. Thanks to generous support from the City of New York, ASAP underwent a second major expansion from 2015-2019. The goal of this expansion was to serve 25,000 associate-degree students at nine CUNY colleges by the 2018-19 academic year. In addition, as part of this expansion, ASAP began to serve more Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors, and embarked on a campus-wide expansion at Bronx Community College to serve most incoming first-time, full-time freshmen.

Each year, ASAP sets specific recruitment targets and each partner college commits to admitting students who meet the criteria described below. ASAP consistently monitors enrollment targets, attrition, and graduation of continuing students and publicly reports on enrollments throughout the year. ASAP budget allocations are tied to meeting annual enrollment targets.

ASAP Eligibility Criteria 2020–21. Students must:

• Have applied and been accepted to a CUNY college that offers ASAP.

• Be eligible for New York City resident tuition (at the community colleges) or New York State resident tuition (at all other colleges).

• Agree to enroll in a full-time associate degree program in an ASAP-approved major.

• Be proficient in math and/or English OR require no more than two developmental supports.

— Students with deep developmental need are encouraged to join CUNY Start or Math Start, pre-matriculation programs which help students eliminate or reduce developmental course needs. CUNY Start and Math Start provide a pathway into ASAP, and the programs partner to ensure that eligible students transition smoothly.

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) application.

— Students under the New York State Dream Act may be eligible to receive aid from New York State.

• If a continuing or transfer student, have no more than 15 college credits at the point of application and entry, and a minimum GPA of 2.0.

1,132

909 1,185

1,250

1,286 2,20

43,20

5 4,352 8

,016

15,473

21,51425,477

25,623

ASAP Enrollment by Academic Year AY 2007-2008 to AY 2019-2020

2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 (Premlim)

“ If I weren’t an ASAP student, I don’t know where I’d be. I was able to get to school, work, home, and more with my MetroCard. I didn’t have to worry about books, and I had an academic advisor that I call my friend now that I have graduated.”

– Trevor Pascal, Kingsborough Community College, class of 2019

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Profile of ASAP Students: Fall 2007 to Fall 2019 Cohorts1

Total Enrollment2 N 59,120

Gender

Male % 43.1

Female % 56.9

Ethnicity

American Indian/Native Alaskan % 0.4

Asian/Pacific Islander % 12.2

Black % 32.6

Hispanic % 44.1

White % 10.7

Age Group

18 or younger % 47.3

19 % 16.0

20 to 22 % 18.2

23 to 29 % 11.8

30 or older % 6.7

Mean Age Mean 20.6

Admission Type

First-time Freshman % 66.8

Transfer Students % 8.3

Continuing Students % 24.9

Developmental Students3

Initial Remedial Need4 % 74.2

At Time of Entry into ASAP % 42.3

College Admissions Average5 mean 75.1

GED Recipients % 6.2

Pell or TAP Receipt6 % 86.4

1 Includes ASAP students admitted in fall 2007 through fall 2019. Medgar Evers College joined in fall 2014 and NYC College of Technology and College of Staten Island joined in fall 2015.2 Data for the fall 2019 cohort not yet reflected in the profile. Also, excludes a small percentage of students from other cohorts whose data were not available.3 Students who required developmental coursework. Developmental need data comes from CUNY’s Administrative Data Warehouse. Includes students from cohort 1 who were required to address all developmental needs prior to entering ASAP. Data for cohorts 11 and 12 are not yet available and therefore excluded from the average.4 Initial remediation need is based on first CUNY Skills Assessment test taken and/or test exemption.5 Data is not available for all students; Data is missing for most transfer students and students who applied as direct admits to the college.6 Students who received either a Federal Pell Grant and/or a New York State Tuition Assistance Program Grant. Based on a preliminary data source.

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Financial ResourcesResearch has shown that part-time enrollment and excessive work hours significantly increase the risk that students will drop out before completing a degree. Community college students from families with the lowest incomes have thousands of dollars in unmet need each year, when considering the full cost of college attendance (Orozco & Cauthen, 2009; Nichols, Anthony, & Schak, 2019). According to the Community College Research Center (2020), approximately 80% of community college students work, and over 60% enroll in college part time.

ASAP provides a number of financial supports to help ensure that students are able to enroll full time each semester and devote sufficient time to their studies.

Tuition and Fee Gap Scholarship

ASAP students who receive need-based financial aid, and have a gap between their award amount and tuition and fees, have the remaining balance covered. Because the majority of ASAP students are eligible for a federal Pell grant, most students receive enough federal and state aid to cover their tuition and fees.

Textbook Assistance

Students receive an average of $600 in textbook assistance every year. ASAP works with each campus bookstore to set up an account that allows students to purchase books and materials for required courses while they are enrolled in the program. To keep textbook costs down, ASAP encourages students to rent or purchase used books when available. Students can also return books at the end of each semester and use any buy-back credits toward future textbook needs.

MetroCards 

ASAP students are eligible to receive an unlimited Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) MetroCard that can be used for all of their public transportation needs. In the initial years of ASAP, students received a monthly MetroCard; now, ASAP students receive a semester-based MetroCard. According to student surveys, of all the benefits and services that ASAP provides, the MetroCard is one of the most important. To receive a MetroCard, students must meet all program requirements, including attending regular advisement sessions.

Summer/Winter Tuition 

Students are strongly encouraged to enroll in winter and summer sessions in order to retake failed courses, complete remaining developmental supports, or accelerate credit accumulation. ASAP funds winter and summer course-taking for eligible students whose financial aid does not cover the cost of enrollment. ASAP winter and summer course-taking is consistently high. In recent years, approximately 45% of ASAP students attempted at least one intersession course during their first two years in the program.

“ Our students come to us determined to succeed and create better opportunities for their futures and families. Despite access to financial aid, they still face financial challenges that can derail their dream of a college education. The financial supports that ASAP provides bridge the financial gap, eliminate the need to add a job, and provide the freedom to focus on learning.”

– Carey A. Manifold, Ed.D., Director, ASAP, Kingsborough Community College

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ASAP College StaffingASAP requires a fully dedicated college staff to deliver its high-touch support and comprehensive programming. ASAP college staff are employees of their respective colleges and typically work under the Vice President for Academic Affairs.7

Each ASAP college team includes, at a minimum, a director, enough advisors to support a caseload of up to 150 students per advisor, a career specialist, as well as data and administrative support. Key ASAP college staff positions are described below.

ASAP Directors

ASAP directors are responsible for implementing the program at their college. Directors manage effective delivery of all ASAP services, use data to evaluate the program, cultivate and maintain relationships with all college units, ensure enrollment of new ASAP students, and communicate program priorities to ASAP staff. Directors also work closely with college leadership and the ASAP Central Office to maintain program quality.

ASAP Advisors

The close relationship between ASAP advisors and their students is the heart and soul of ASAP. Students work with the same advisor from entry through graduation, with many students remaining in touch with their advisors after they leave the program. Each advisor works with a caseload of up to 150 students. Advisors review student progress, track student use of academic support services, conduct outreach to faculty and other college staff, refer students to campus resources, and support the recruitment of new students. While ASAP advisors are not expected to be trained counselors or social workers, they must have the background and skills necessary to build rapport and trust with students. This bond ensures that students feel comfortable discussing both academic and personal challenges. ASAP actively recruits candidates with strong youth development, advisement, and school counseling experience.

ASAP Career Specialists

The career specialist is the main point of contact and provides expertise at each ASAP partner college for career-related content. Led by the career specialist and using an integrated approach, ASAP staff offer career-related materials and activities to help students learn how their chosen major aligns with career and professional goals. Throughout the program, students have opportunities to develop career skills that align with current National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) core competencies, in an effort to ensure that they graduate with skills and abilities that employers are looking for.

Additional ASAP Staff Positions

As ASAP expanded to serve 25,000 students across nine CUNY campuses, new staff positions were created to ensure that the program could continue to provide individualized support to increasing numbers of students. When ASAP partner college programs grew to over 700 students each, associate directors were hired to supervise the work of the ASAP advisement team, oversee recruitment, coordinate retention and engagement initiatives, and assist the director in key administrative areas such as reporting and collaboration with other college units. Other full-time positions added at ASAP partner colleges include: recruitment specialists, who collaborate with the admissions office, promote ASAP in the local community, and guide students through the enrollment process; financial aid specialists, who liaise with the financial aid office, help students complete aid applications, and support the administration of the ASAP tuition and fee gap scholarship; and engagement specialists, who host student events, lead special initiatives, or provide additional support to vulnerable student populations.

7 For more information on ASAP staff and careers with ASAP, visit www.cuny.edu/asap.

“ Having the CUNY ASAP family behind me, guiding me to where I can go next, means the world to me.”

– Lorie Agosto, Bronx Community College, class of 2019

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College IntegrationASAP relies on the strong support of college leadership, specifically presidents and chief academic officers, to ensure successful integration at the campus level. Critical decisions and support include: selection of a highly capable ASAP director and hiring of fully dedicated staff; identification of appropriate work space for program success, taking into account the highly personalized and intensive nature of ASAP services; and facilitating collaboration between ASAP, academic departments and other key college units.

Working with Academic Departments

Although ASAP is not directly involved with curriculum or instruction, academic departments are essential partners in ASAP student success. ASAP directors work closely with academic departments to:

• Reserve sections for first-year ASAP blocked courses, so that ASAP students can take courses together;

• Identify faculty for ASAP blocked courses; and

• Ensure there are faculty feedback mechanisms and strategies for engaging with faculty to support student success.

Effective faculty feedback loops provide ASAP staff with early indicators of students’ class attendance, participation, and performance — all of which inform academic and career advisement. The timeliness of faculty feedback is crucial, so that ASAP advisors are aware of students’ challenges as early as possible and can support them accordingly. Each ASAP director develops a system to make it easy for faculty teaching blocked courses to provide regular feedback on student performance. This system may include online, email, phone, and in-person options to ensure that faculty have multiple ways to communicate with ASAP advisors.

ASAP advisors also coach students to help them become more comfortable reaching out to faculty. Regular communication among advisors, faculty, and students helps ASAP staff understand, and support their students to address, common academic challenges.

“ When I came to college, I felt completely lost. I was not ready at all. I believe if I were not an ASAP student, my grades would have severely reflected my hardships. If it weren’t for ASAP, I wouldn’t have had the immense support to study something that is my passion and things that interest me.”

– Gina Rodriguez, Bronx Community College, class of 2017

“ While ASAP has its own unique identity and model on campus, we work in concert with our campus partners to provide students with the best possible support and learning environment. The success of our students, as well as ASAP, cannot be achieved in isolation — it takes an entire campus, a coordinated system, and true collaborative spirit.”

– Ivan-Scott Lee, Ed.D., Director, ASAP, College of Staten Island

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Working with Non-Academic Departments

The ASAP director also cultivates relationships with non-academic departments that are critical to the program’s success. The admissions, testing, financial aid, and information technology offices play important roles in supporting recruitment and determining students’ eligibility. The registrar and bursar help to coordinate early course registration and ensure that students receive appropriate ASAP tuition and fee gap scholarships and their MetroCards. Learning centers are key for ensuring that students have access to quality academic support services, and the textbook vendor helps to coordinate students’ textbook needs each semester.

ASAP Central Office/College PartnershipASAP’s management structure is an essential part of the program’s success. This structure includes collaboration between the ASAP Central Office and a set of partner colleges. A clear division of roles and responsibilities, and

regular communication among all stakeholders, has allowed the program to operate at a high level of efficiency.

ASAP staff at partner colleges are responsible for implementing the program at their campuses. This includes program recruitment and enrollment, coordinating provision of financial benefits,

providing all program services to students, tracking student data to monitor engagement and progress towards graduation, and building relationships with campus colleagues to

ensure that ASAP is fully integrated into the college.

The ASAP Central Office is responsible for overall program administration, program-wide evaluation and data management, fiscal oversight and reporting,

cultivation of external partnerships and funding, management of common resource needs (e.g., MetroCards, textbooks, and promotional materials),

and citywide outreach for program awareness.

The ASAP Central Office team is overseen by a CUNY Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, led by the ASAP Executive Director, and includes staff who focus on the following areas: program management and staff development, fiscal administration, external engagement, data systems, research and evaluation, foster care initiatives, STEM initiatives, and replication.

The ASAP Central Office communicates regularly with partner colleges to discuss program priorities and policies and to support

ASAP implementation at the campus level. The ASAP Central Office and partner colleges communicate using a variety of methods, including

monthly administrative emails with key deliverables and important program information, monthly directors’ meetings, regular gatherings and professional

development sessions for advisors and career specialists, and an annual policy memo outlining essential ASAP policies and program priorities. Communication

across the colleges is encouraged through resources such as a listserv and a shared drive, so that expertise and best practices can be shared.

“ With the guidance of my brilliant CUNY ASAP advisor, amazing career specialist, and spectacular ASAP staff, I was able to tap into my hidden potential. Realizing that I can push myself past set limits, achieve success in and outside of campus, and light a path for other students to follow. ASAP accelerates more than just the college experience!”

– Mark Pollock, College of Staten Island, B.S., class of 2019

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SPOTLIGHT: PROFESSIONAL AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT

As part of the strategic, programmatic and policy support that the Central Office provides to all campus sites, the ASAP program management team offers a variety of professional development opportunities to partner college staff. One of these is a standardized onboarding series for advisors, developed during a wave of expansion that brought dozens of new advisors into the program during a short period of time. It became necessary to design a foundational training that gave all new advisors the information, knowledge, and program background to begin their work on campuses. The training series includes: a comprehensive overview of the ASAP program elements, services, and benefits; an introduction to the advisement model, with practice determining students’ support level groups using case studies; a discussion of the building blocks of effective advising sessions; time management best practices; equity in advisement, and more. This training series continues to evolve, including the development of online modules and training webinars.

In addition to this training for new advisors, the team conducts regular needs assessments with ASAP directors, associate directors, advisors, career specialists, and other staff to ascertain their interests around specific topics and skills. The team uses this information to develop workshops, working groups, presentations, and projects that reflect staff’s needs and desires. Some of these trainings are led by Central Office staff. In other cases, industry experts are brought in to facilitate sessions.

Sample professional development offerings have included:

• The integration of career and academic advisement

• Diversity, equity, and anti-racism in advisement

• Counseling skills

• Stress management and avoiding burnout

• Working with special populations

• Facilitation and workshop curriculum development

• Best practices in supervision

• Conflict resolution and having difficult conversations

The Central Office also works with ASAP campus staff to develop and lead workshops for their peers, and supports them, when possible, in designing conference presentations, writing pieces for publication, and pursuing other professional development as it relates to their work with ASAP.

14 INSIDE ASAP

Program CostsDue to the comprehensive nature of the program model, ASAP has greater overall costs than the traditional community college pathway. The annual ASAP cost per student (above usual CUNY full-time equivalent, or FTE, allocations) has declined with expansion and is, as of 2020, approximately $3,440 per student. The ASAP budget covers all program personnel (including fringe benefits) and other than personnel services (OTPS) costs required to run the program. Approximately 37% of the budget is allocated for personnel, 59% for student financial resources (including MetroCards, textbook assistance, and tuition and fee gap scholarships), and remaining funds cover additional program-related costs.

In 2012, leading education economist Henry Levin at the Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education (CBCSE) at Teachers College, Columbia University, conducted a comprehensive cost-benefit study of ASAP. Dr. Levin and his coauthor, Dr. Emma Garcia, concluded that despite higher costs, ASAP is a wise upfront investment when considering the cost per graduate and lifetime benefits to students and taxpayers, rather than solely the short-term cost of supporting enrolled students.

On the cost effectiveness of ASAP, Levin and Garcia (2012) state:

“Without question ASAP has shown that it provides an investment that not only raises the number of completed associate degrees, but also reduces the cost per degree, on average, because its proportionately added effectiveness in degree production exceeds the added costs. If CUNY plans to expand the number of students who graduate within three years through an ASAP expansion, the added cost of ASAP services is more than compensated for by a higher production of degrees. The larger investment will result in a lower cost per degree and large aggregated savings of degree production for CUNY community colleges” (p. 21).

On ASAP cost benefits to students and the taxpayer, Levin and Garcia (2013) find:

“From the comparison of benefits over a lifetime we can conclude that, for both taxpayer and students, the benefits far exceed the investment costs. For each dollar of investment in ASAP by taxpayers, the return was between three and four dollars. For each dollar of investment by students, the return was much more, even when including student foregone earnings as the major component of student costs. Using available data on which public constituencies receive the benefits — federal, New York State, and New York City governments — we believe that all constituencies receive benefits that exceed their cost contributions to the investment” (p. 9).

Please visit the CUNY ASAP replication webpage for additional information regarding program costs.

“ For both taxpayer and students, the benefits far exceed the investment costs.”– Henry M. Levin and Emma Garcia in “Benefit-Cost Analysis of Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) of the

City University of New York (CUNY),” 2013.

CHAPTER 2

PROGRAM COMPONENTS AND IMPLEMENTATION

17INSIDE ASAP

Provide Structured Pathways to Support Academic MomentumASAP students are required to study full time in an approved major that can be completed within three years. (Most majors are supported; see the ASAP college websites for a list of current ASAP majors.) Students work with their advisors to create their class schedules and often take several blocked courses, or courses with other ASAP students, in their first year. Students are required to address any developmental support needs as early as possible, and are encouraged to enroll during winter and summer sessions in order to build academic momentum.

Approved Majors and Academic Maps

ASAP offers a broad range of degree options that have common general education requirements, allow students to take blocked courses in their first year, and can be completed within four to six semesters. Students may change majors as long as they can complete their degree within three years.

Advisors work in consultation with academic departments to map out each approved major over four to six semesters, including developmental supports (if any), general education requirements, and degree courses. Advisors then work with students during initial intake meetings and at the start of each semester to create course schedules that will keep students on track for graduation.

Blocked Courses and Individualized Course Scheduling

ASAP offers the opportunity for first-year students to take blocked courses when possible. Blocked courses allow ASAP students to take courses together and to develop close and supportive relationships with peers and faculty. Every semester ASAP directors work with department chairs to reserve regularly scheduled course sections, or in some cases a number of seats within a section, for ASAP students.

Making use of early registration, ASAP students also work with their advisors to register for an individualized class schedule that allows them to balance school, work, and family obligations.

Immediate and Continuous Enrollment in Developmental Supports

ASAP students are required to immediately and continuously enroll in any required developmental supports. Each ASAP program determines appropriate developmental supports for their students based on offerings at their college, including co-requisite courses. The goal of these supports is to help students reach skills proficiency in English and math within their first year.

Winter and Summer Courses

Winter and summer sessions are used to ensure that students stay on track for timely graduation. As mentioned in chapter one, ASAP covers tuition and fees, and also provides MetroCards and textbook assistance based on funding availability.

“ I’m gradually gravitating towards my dream, and ASAP made it happen.”– Obed Gyedu Larbi, Bronx Community College, class of 2019

18 INSIDE ASAP

SPOTLIGHT: SUPPORTING STEM STUDENTS

ASAP’s expansion to serve more CUNY students has included a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) majors, with the goal to enroll, retain and graduate more STEM students. Although demand for a skilled workforce to fill STEM-related jobs has increased, the number of students entering and staying in STEM majors at institutions of higher education has not risen to meet this demand.1

In order to support more ASAP students to enter and successfully complete degrees in STEM majors, the program has developed a four-pronged approach: 1) expand and strengthen the STEM pipeline into ASAP, and upon graduation from ASAP, into STEM bachelor degree programs; 2) expand and leverage existing tutoring and academic support services for STEM; 3) increase engagement of STEM faculty/departments and provide opportunities for students to engage with faculty outside of class; and 4) connect students with opportunities that will provide them with the knowledge and skills to become competitive members of the global marketplace.

A recent brief from the ASAP research and evaluation team (Kolenovic & Strumbos, 2020), which focused on a cohort of ASAP STEM students entering in fall 2015, outlined the following findings:

• ASAP had significant and positive effects on STEM students’ early academic outcomes, including retention, credit accumulation, and GPA.

• ASAP had a significant effect on STEM students’ re-enrollment in STEM majors through the fourth semester.

• ASAP had a significant effect on STEM students’ first-year enrollment and pass rate in math gateway courses.

• ASAP had a large and significant effect on STEM students’ two and three-year graduation rate, as well as a significant effect on graduating with a STEM degree.2

1 Data show that between 2000 and 2010, STEM-related jobs in the US have increased at three times the rate of non-STEM jobs (Langdon, McKittrick, Beede, Khan, & Doms, 2011). However, not enough students are entering and staying in STEM majors. Carnevale et al. (2011) report that 75% of high school students with strong math skills will not enter a STEM major, and of those who do, 50% will leave their STEM major.

2 See the full brief, ASAP Students in STEM Majors: Results from the Fall 2015 Cohort, on the evaluation page of the CUNY ASAP website.

“ Some students come for the MetroCard, but they stay for the advisors. They really want you to succeed.”

– Adonis Diaz, Hostos Community College, class of 2017

19INSIDE ASAP

Recruit and Engage Students EarlyASAP recruits students through citywide outreach led by the ASAP Central Office and through campus-based recruitment efforts. Because ASAP is a post-admission option, the goal is to ensure that students are identified in sufficient time to take advantage of early engagement activities.

All students who meet ASAP eligibility and wish to join the program are invited to start the enrollment and onboarding process at their college of attendance. Upon completing this process, students are involved in a range of structured activities to help them adjust to college life and understand ASAP expectations. Starting with a comprehensive intake process, ASAP staff identify the strengths and challenges of new students and use this information to connect students to campus-based resources.

Early engagement builds community, promotes campus integration, and helps students gain academic momentum. Blocked courses, group advisement, and other program components continue to promote community building through students’ first year.

Citywide Outreach

Led by the ASAP Central Office, citywide outreach serves to increase program visibility among prospective students, caregivers, high school and community-based organization (CBO) counselors, and city agencies. ASAP provides several opportunities for stakeholders to learn about the benefits of ASAP and its enrollment process.

• Outreach Strategies and Workshops Outreach strategies include an ongoing and broad distribution of promotional resources, including monthly e-newsletters, and targeted text messaging to counselors, prospective students, and city agency partners. ASAP also offers counselor networking events to provide updates on eligibility benefits, enrollment steps, and university systems. ASAP resources include brochures and videos to help counselors engage students in conversations about college and post-secondary planning.

ASAP’s Central Office digital engagement efforts are critical components of the program’s robust citywide outreach activities. Social media is used to recruit, engage, and connect prospective

and current ASAP students. From Facebook to Instagram, Twitter, and other emerging platforms, social media meets students where they are and allows the program to share information and build relationships.

The ASAP website, embedded in the general CUNY website, links to ASAP college webpages and offers a comprehensive set of resources and information for students and general audiences.

• Strategic Relationships In addition to engaging city agencies, high schools, high school equivalency (HSE) programs, and CBOs, ASAP works in close coordination with several university programs, including CUNY Start and Math Start, which prepare students for college-level coursework and to meet CUNY’s proficiency milestones. CUNY Start and Math Start provide a pathway into ASAP, and staff from all programs work together to ensure students transition smoothly.

Although ASAP has established a strong reputation with multiple stakeholders across New York City, a robust, multi-faceted recruitment strategy is essential to meet enrollment targets. Building an effective network of college access counselors and advisors ensures that students have the support they need to complete all enrollment steps as early as possible.

“ Since the early connection is extremely important for student success, all of our recruitment experiences have been designed with that in mind, from the information session and registration through the summer engagement series ... We design this process to be comprehensive, easy to navigate, and fun.”

– Alexandra Pyak, Executive Director, ASAP, Queensborough Community College

INSIDE ASAP 20

Campus-Based Recruitment

ASAP campus-based recruitment efforts are multi-faceted and typically begin the semester before students enroll, with each college developing a comprehensive plan that identifies strategies to target both new (first-time freshmen and transfer) and continuing students. ASAP staff works with critical college units such as admissions, testing, financial aid, and information technology to obtain lists of eligible students. Each college offers on-campus recruitment activities for prospective students, such as open houses, information sessions, and campus tours. ASAP is also present at any regularly scheduled new student orientation.

• Identifying Eligible Students Through collaboration with information technology and other noted departments, ASAP staff at partner colleges obtain lists of eligible students for targeted recruitment via email, mail, phone calls, and text messages. After an initial review of proficiency, admissions, and financial aid data, staff invites eligible students to begin the enrollment process. Prospective students can also arrange to meet individually with an ASAP staff member as needed.

• Use of Promotional Materials and Website ASAP promotional materials are placed in high-traffic campus areas and are distributed to potential students through targeted mailings and email. Each ASAP college office also has a local webpage with essential ASAP eligibility and enrollment information.

• ASAP Student Ambassadors ASAP capitalizes on the strength of peer messaging by utilizing student ambassadors as a critical component of campus-based recruiting. The Student Ambassador Program provides opportunities for students to explore and build leadership skills as members of their college’s ASAP recruitment team. Student Ambassadors participate in a series of workshops to prepare them for recruitment activities, such as leading information sessions, staffing tables at recruitment events, and sharing their own ASAP stories with prospective students.

ASAP promotional materials. Student stories and videos are available at the CUNY ASAP YouTube channel.

EARN YOUR COLLEGE DEGREE!

AND YOURMETROCARD.

AND YOUR BOOKS.

WE’VE GOTYOUR BACK.

CUNY ASAP provides students with dedicated advisors, textbooks, free unlimited MetroCards and more.

THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

Learn how you can join: cuny.edu/asapcunyasap cunyasap

GO FURTHER FASTER AT CSI

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?As an ASAP student, you will receive a variety of support to help you succeed:

• A dedicated ASAP advisor

• Career development and academic support services

• Early registration options and consolidated schedules

• Classes with fellow ASAP students

• A free unlimited MetroCard or campus parking decal

• Assistance to reduce (or eliminate) the cost of textbooks

• A tuition gap waiver (for students in receipt of financial aid)

* Students who join ASAP at College of Staten Island will have the opportunity to earn both an associate and bachelor’s degree within four years.

WHAT IS ASAP?Since 2007, Accelerated Study in

Associate Programs (ASAP) has been transforming the college experience

of CUNY students, helping thousands to graduate in three years or less.*

Think of our team as trusted guides who support you from the moment you

join to ensure that you stay on track until you earn your degree AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

WE’VE GOTYOUR BACK.cuny.edu/asap cunyasap cunyasap

AND YOUR BOOKS.

AND YOUR METROCARD.

STAY ON TRACK. GRADUATE ON TIME.

Learn how you can join: cuny.edu/asapcunyasap cunyasap

CUNY ASAP provides students with dedicated advisors, textbooks, free unlimited MetroCards and more.

AND YOURMETROCARD.

AND YOUR BOOKS.

WE’VE GOTYOUR BACK.

THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

21INSIDE ASAP

DID YOU KNOW?

Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) removes the financial, academic, and personal obstacles to earning a degree.

Since 2007, ASAP has helped thousands of CUNY students to stay on track and graduate as quickly as possible.

A free unlimited MetroCard

Special registration options that help you get the classes you need that also fit your schedule

Opportunities to take classes with fellow ASAP students to foster community and build your network

Enhanced career development and academic support services

Textbook assistance to reduce (or eliminate) the cost of textbooks

A dedicated ASAP advisor to guide your progress from entry to graduation*

A tuition gap waiver (for students in receipt of financial aid)BENEFITS:

GO FURTHER FASTER WITH ASAP

* Students connected to Foster Care may be eligible for additional benefits. Speak with your ASAP Advisor to learn more.

Is there a catch?There is no catch! In exchange for all of ASAP’s resources, you will need to:

• Re-apply for financial aid each year (FAFSA and TAP), and accept any federal and state grant aid awarded (Pell, SEOG, TAP)

• Enroll full time each semester and maintain good academic standing

• Enroll immediately and continuously in any developmental supports

• Meet regularly with your advisor, career specialist, and tutors, and attend any required enrichment activities

STEPS TO JOIN ASAP...

STEP 1Apply to a CUNY college

that offers ASAP.

STEP 2Complete the FAFSA

(www.fafsa.gov) and TAP application (www.hesc.ny.gov),

and accept any federal and state grant aid awarded

(Pell, SEOG, TAP).

STEP 4*If you have not

already heard from the ASAP office at the CUNY college you will attend,

reach out to them to learn more about attending an

ASAP Information or Orientation session.

STEP 3Accept your offer of

admission to the CUNY college at which you

applied and complete all admissions requirements.

www.cuny.edu/asap cunyasap cunyasap

THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

www.cuny.edu/admissions

You may be eligible for ASAP if you answer YES to the following questions:

• Have you applied and been accepted to a CUNY college that offers ASAP?

• Are you a New York City resident and/or eligible fo in-state tuition?

• Do you agree to enter into a full-time associate degree program in an ASAP-approved major?

• Are you proficient in Math and/or English or require no more than two developmental supports?

• If you are a continuing or transfer student, do you have no more than 15 college credits and a minimum GPA of 2.0?

* Visit your college’s ASAP website to learn about any college-specific requirements.

Check out programs like CUNY Start and MATH Start to eliminate or reduce remedial needs.

22 INSIDE ASAP

STEPS TO ENROLL IN ASAP

Eligible students who have applied and been accepted to a CUNY college that offers ASAP will be invited to:

ASAP Info Session

Complete a program application and attend an ASAP information session

Individual Intake

Meet with an ASAP advisor to discuss expectations and academic plan

Engagement

Attend classes to address any developmental support needs

Meet with program staff as required

Attend the ASAP Institute

Early Engagement and Community Building

Although early engagement options vary by college, all sites offer a mix of social, academic, and personal development activities before a student’s first semester in ASAP. Activities include a comprehensive intake process and an ASAP Institute experience, as detailed below. In addition, ASAP partner colleges offer a variety of other workshops, events, and activities to keep students informed and engaged leading up to the first day of classes.

• Comprehensive Intake Through individual intake meetings with an advisor, students review ASAP requirements, expectations, and services. Advisors conduct their first assessment of student needs during this process, noting strengths, challenges, and potential barriers to success. During intake, the advisor confirms the student’s intended major, encourages the student to enroll in summer developmental supports as needed, assists with registration, identifies any outstanding college enrollment needs (e.g., immunization), and provides necessary campus referrals.

This meeting is usually the first one-on-one interaction between a student and their ASAP advisor and sets the foundation for this crucial relationship.

• Enrollment in Developmental Supports As previously noted, ASAP students are required to immediately and continuously enroll in any developmental supports. Students are encouraged and supported to address any developmental support needs in the summer, when possible.

• ASAP Institute Every ASAP partner college offers a one-day orientation called the ASAP Institute. Although content may vary slightly by college, all ASAP Institutes include community-building activities, a review of essential college and program policies, and opportunities for students to meet staff and each other. Colleges may also assign a reading or video as the basis for shared discussion. Activities are designed to reinforce program requirements, define college expectations, and set the tone for future meetings with ASAP advisors and career specialists. Staff members from other campus offices also attend ASAP Institutes to share information and resources with students.

ASAP students are considered conditionally accepted until they have completed all enrollment steps, participated in early engagement activities, and signed the student contract at the completion of the ASAP Institute.

“ When students go through the ASAP Institutes, they not only obtain resources and instructions on how to be successful in the program but are prompted to think about their career paths as well. When classes begin, we hope that students will feel the truth of our slogan, We’ve Got Your Back.”

– Chrystal Joseph, Associate Director, ASAP, Hostos Community College

23INSIDE ASAP

Provide Comprehensive and Personalized Advisement

Comprehensive and personalized advisement lies at the center of the ASAP model and is the component most often cited by students as key to their success. The most important facet of the approach is the advisor-student relationship. Students are assigned one advisor with whom they work from program enrollment through graduation. This establishes consistency and provides the opportunity for advisors to gain a deep understanding of each student’s personal and academic strengths and challenges. ASAP advisement employs this intensive model in order to:

• Assess students’ academic, career-related, and personal strengths and needs in an ongoing and consistent fashion;

• Help students develop long- and short-term goals and identify strategies for reaching them;

• Address challenges, from mild to urgent, in a timely and proactive manner; and

• Foster students’ academic and personal growth so that they can complete their studies within three years and be prepared for their next step, whether it be further study, training, or work.

To accommodate larger advisement caseloads — each ASAP advisor has a caseload of approximately 150 students — as a result of ASAP’s expansion, a support level advisement model was implemented in 2012 that has been refined on an ongoing basis.13 Using established criteria, advisors assign students to support level groups (high, medium, or low) each semester; all students in their first semester of ASAP are placed in the high support level group. This model allows all students to be in regular contact with their assigned advisor and allows advisors to determine the frequency and best modes of contact for each student.

Identifying Student Support Levels

The transition into college can be very challenging, so ASAP places all students during their first semester in the program in the high support level group. During that time, advisors have contact with each student twice per month. This not only helps the advisor and advisee establish a strong bond, it also gives advisors an opportunity to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the student’s strengths, challenges, and specific needs. After students’ first semester, their advisors assign them to support level groups based on three criteria: 1) academic progress, 2) personal resiliency, and 3) active engagement with ASAP program components.

13 Earlier ASAP advisor caseloads averaged 75 to 80 students.

“ Considering all ASAP support, the advisement meant the most to me. I was an immigrant and had little understanding of the American school system. My advisor was there when I needed the simplest to the most complex questions answered. When she did not know the answer, she sent me to the right people.”

– Loukman Lamany, Bronx Community College, class of 2011

“ What sets our model apart is our students remain with the same advisor from their first semester all the way until graduation. Time and time again our students share with us that the advisement ASAP provides outweighs the financial benefits.”

– Jessica Cabrera, Associate Director, ASAP, Bronx Community College

24 INSIDE ASAP

SPOTLIGHT: GROUP ADVISEMENT

In the first years of ASAP’s operation, the College Success Seminar brought all ASAP students together in groups of 25 to explore academic, personal, and career-related topics. The seminar also served to strengthen students’ sense of belonging, and gave them practice in transferable skills such as critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and leadership.

ASAP’s expansion prohibited the possibility of a weekly seminar for every student; scheduling and staffing limitations necessitated changes to this model. Some campuses selected specific topics from the seminar to continue to offer as standalone sessions; others offered some of the sessions during their ASAP Institute and throughout the semester as opt-in offerings, and still others incorporated parts of the seminar into orientation and intake sessions.

Expansion also made it increasingly difficult for advisors to see all students individually with the frequency required by the model. As a result, group advisement, either with small groups of three to seven students and their assigned advisor, or larger, advisor-facilitated groups, has become a staple of ASAP advisement. It allows students to interact with each other and engage in focused conversation around specific topics.

Every group advisement offering aims to preserve ASAP’s developmental approach, keeping the students at the center of the conversation, including a variety of interactive elements, and viewing the students through a holistic lens that takes their academic and personal strengths and challenges into account.

“ ASAP advisement is more than letting a student know what is the next set of classes to take. It’s about an advisor-advisee relationship that can be authentic, motivational, encouraging and just the truth a student needs to hear. Many students communicate with their advisors after many years to let them know how impactful they have been.”

– Ray Bartholomew, Academic Advisement Director, ASAP, Borough of Manhattan Community College

25INSIDE ASAP

ASAP SUPPORT LEVELS

High Support

• All new students (first semester)• On academic probation• Has difficulty with self assessment• Has difficulty articulating academic

and personal goals

• Has personal circumstances that may impede academic progress

Medium Support

• Midrange GPA/good academic standing• Has academic and professional goals,

but needs guidance

• Responds to program requirements, but needs coaching

• Has unstable family situation or is in a transition period

• Has personal circumstances that may impede academic progress

Low Support

• High GPA/performing well academically• Has clearly defined academic and

personal goals

• Responds to program requirements, with little encouragement

• Seeks opportunities to be engaged in ASAP and college communities

ASAP’s advisement model is consistently identified by both staff and students as the most impactful program service offered. ASAP staff describe advisement as:

• Student-focused • Strengths-based• Intense • Holistic

Minimum Levels of Advisor Contact and Modes of Support

The CUNY ASAP advisement model is based on minimum levels of advisement support for each group. Students in the high support group have at least two contacts per month, with at least one being individual, whether in person or remote. Students in the medium support level group have at least two contacts per month, with the type of contact determined by the advisor. Students in the low support level group meet with their advisor at least every other month, preferably once prior to the withdrawal deadline and once prior to the end of the semester.

Advisors work with students to determine the appropriate mode of advisement contact, such as individual or group meeting, phone, email, or video conference. In this way, advisors can continue to customize supports for students while managing larger caseloads. Advisors can also make adjustments at any time, requiring more contact with a particular student if they deem it necessary. Advisors review their caseloads each semester to re-assess every student’s support level group placement and develop an advisement strategy for the following semester.

Types of ASAP advisement contact include:

• Individual in-person meetings with an assigned advisor;

• Group meetings with an assigned advisor to discuss common issues;

• Individual meetings with the ASAP career specialist;

• Participation in ASAP workshops;

• Attendance at approved non-ASAP college workshops; and

• Email, phone, and remote contact with assigned advisor (if it is part of a pre-approved communication plan).

“ I can’t stress enough that the one-on-one advising is the most important feature of the program. I spent meaningful time speaking to my advisor about school and life. He helped me make good decisions and made sure I was taking the right classes. It was enlightening to hear of his college experience and career path.”

– Jamel James, Kingsborough Community College, class of 2012

26 INSIDE ASAP

Advisors document the date and method of contact (individual, group, phone, and electronic) in the ASAP database. Advisors also indicate the nature of the meeting and support provided to the student through selection of one to two meeting and action codes from a drop-down menu. This documentation allows staff to obtain a clearer picture of student needs and advisement activities used across the program, as well as to assess whether all students are being served. Documentation also allows advisors to see trends and provide additional and timely services.

Connect to Timely and Relevant Supports

In addition to comprehensive and personalized advisement, ASAP provides a range of proactive academic, career, and social supports to ensure that students stay on track for graduation and have a successful college experience.

Academic Support Services

ASAP students enrolled in developmental supports, as well as those who have failed a course or are otherwise identified as struggling in some way, are required to attend academic support sessions. At some ASAP colleges, ASAP directors work with the campus learning centers to identify qualified tutors who allocate specific time periods to work with ASAP students. Other ASAP directors may hire tutors directly to work with ASAP students in a designated location at scheduled times. Some partner colleges also offer additional opportunities such as Supplemental Instruction (SI), particularly to support students in introductory STEM courses. SI, an academic support approach developed at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, offers small group, peer-led study sessions designed to support the success of all students in challenging courses. Ultimately, each ASAP partner college sets its own academic support policy and tracks participation for each student.

ASAP Career Development Services

Career services are an integral part of a student’s experience in ASAP. Each ASAP college has a career specialist (CS) who works with students both individually and in groups, offering an array of career exploration, work readiness, and other activities to build students’ career awareness and preparation. The CS plays an essential role in ASAP’s advisement strategy, both by working in collaboration with advisors to support students in their career

exploration and skill development, and by connecting students to networking opportunities, internships, jobs, and other career-related activities. As students near graduation, career specialists provide support for students seeking to enter the workforce.

Each career specialist also serves as the program’s career expert; they stay up to date on regional and national best practices, cultivate relationships with campus career service centers and other relevant faculty and staff, and share their insights with ASAP program staff through trainings, co-led offerings for students, and the sharing of materials and resources.

“ ASAP academic support aims for more than just helping students get good grades; really we look to cultivate a sense of independent confidence in students when approaching academic inquiries.”

– David Ayar Roze, Coordinator of ASAP Resource Center, ASAP, LaGuardia Community College

“ The Career Specialist fosters an environment that promotes professional and career development through meaningful major to career conversations. Through proactive engagement the CS empowers the student to highlight skills gained throughout their classwork, part-time employment, volunteer opportunities, extra-curricular activities, and civic engagement experiences.

– Rocio Rosado, Career Specialist, ASAP, LaGuardia Community College

27INSIDE ASAP

Connecting Students to Supports Outside the Program

ASAP advisors connect students with campus-based services in order to ensure that students are taking advantage of available resources and developing a connection to the broader college community. Partner colleges refer students to campus childcare, counseling, disability services, and financial services such as Single Stop, an on-campus center that provides free tax preparation and screens for social service benefits. ASAP advisors also refer students to trusted community-based resources for a variety of needs, including but not limited to legal, medical, mental health, and social services. Finally, ASAP advisors encourage students to take advantage of opportunities such as student clubs, student council, and community service projects.

ASAP Peer Mentors

The ASAP Peer Mentor Program provides an opportunity for ASAP students or recent alumni to support key ASAP advisement and career development activities. Under the guidance of a Peer Mentor Coach (an ASAP staff member) on each campus, peer mentors serve as role models and help ASAP students navigate college life and access critical services. The peer mentor position was developed during ASAP’s expansion to support the high retention and graduation rates of ASAP students, increase advisement and career development capacity, and strengthen student connections to ASAP and the campus community. The Peer Mentor Program is also designed to be a beneficial and meaningful experience for peer mentors themselves, who participate in a series of cross-campus training sessions to support their development.

28 INSIDE ASAP

29INSIDE ASAP

SPOTLIGHT: FOSTER CARE INITIATIVE

The ASAP Foster Care Initiative (FCI), generously funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, is committed to increasing the graduation rates of students who have experienced foster care, and offers a range of wraparound services structured to meet the financial, academic, and personal needs of students connected to care. Students receive guidance through the CUNY and financial aid application processes; FCI also provides students with support to enroll in ASAP, and dedicated advisement to maintain academic enrollment and persist towards graduation. FCI creates an environment where students can have a voice and have access to resources they need to thrive.

As part of the commitment to provide extensive direct support to FCI students, dedicated engagement specialists and/or retention specialists provide supplemental one-on-one support at the campuses with the largest numbers of FCI students. They assist ASAP advisors with student follow up, engagement activities, and identifying broader trends, strategies and best practices. At ASAP partner colleges without a dedicated FCI engagement specialist, an ASAP advisor serves as an FCI liaison to ensure that students are connected to all available supports.

Additional FCI resources, including information about the FCI enrollment pathway as well as tips for supporting enrolled students, are available at the ASAP FCI webpage.

For more information, please contact the Foster Care Initiative Program Coordinators.

Email: fci@cuny.edu Phone: 718.254.7791

www.cuny.edu/FCI

The Foster Care Initiative (FCI) connects youth between the ages of 17-25 who are currently or were formerly part of the New York City foster care system to CUNY Start and/or ASAP.*

• Fee waivers (CUNY application fee, CUNY Start/Math Start fee)

• Free unlimited MetroCards

• Dedicated advisors from entry to graduation

• Opportunities for free summer and winter courses

• Tuition assistance and financial supports

• Paid, on-campus internships

• Opportunities to connect with peers in special events

• Link to on-campus housing

The CUNY Start-ASAP Foster Care Initiative is made possible thanks to generous support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

*Students with ACS involvement in a justice setting will be considered.

cuny.edu/cunystart cuny.edu/asap

cunystart cunystartprogram cunyasap cunyasap

TM

A STRONG PATH TO

GRADUATION

CHAPTER 3

EVALUATION AND DATA USE FOR PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

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ASAP Evaluation and Program ManagementASAP uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to measure success. The program has a robust internal evaluation agenda that includes ongoing collection and analysis of data by a fully dedicated research and evaluation team housed in the ASAP Central Office. ASAP collects student baseline data at time of program entry and carefully tracks a variety of other data in real time. Key data include information on student contact with advisors and career specialists, as well as details on student enrollment, academic performance, and graduation projections.

ASAP establishes clear enrollment targets, benchmarks for key student outcomes, and minimum thresholds for delivery of program services. All data are collected and reports are generated on a scheduled basis. The schedule allows staff to conduct ongoing assessments, measure and monitor benchmarks in real time, keep close track of outcomes and program quality, and make adjustments to policies and service delivery.

Student BenchmarksASAP has developed minimum benchmarks that students are expected to meet each semester. These benchmarks are based on data points that are closely connected to college completion and use of key program supports. The ASAP Central Office regularly generates and reviews reports with partner colleges to highlight progress towards established minimum benchmarks. Both academic and student engagement data are captured and inform decision-making about policy and program changes. ASAP directors share report findings with their own staff and college leadership, and the ASAP Central Office shares data with CUNY leadership.

ASAP monitors the following data:

• Key academic outcomes such as retention, credit accumulation, movement through developmental supports, and graduation;

• Advisement and career development contacts with students;

• Feedback from faculty and use of academic support services (monitored locally by ASAP partner colleges); and

• Responses on student satisfaction and exit surveys.

Data Collection and ManagementASAP staff members enter data into ASAPi, a live and interactive web-based database connected to University data. ASAPi allows colleges to house all program data in one convenient location and allows report generation on established benchmarks in real time. ASAPi includes basic student information such as contact information, gender, date of birth, major, developmental support need at time of application and program entry, exit dates and reasons for program departure, and expected and actual graduation dates. In addition, ASAPi includes optional tables and queries that can assist ASAP partner college staff in managing their caseloads and in preparing data for reports submitted to the ASAP Central Office each semester. Because regular reporting is essential to program success, the ASAP Central Office disseminates an administrative calendar to all partner colleges that includes submission dates for data and dates when key reports will be generated by the ASAP research and evaluation team.

“ Through data you are able to understand your population better, leading to better informed decision making.”

– Kwesi Samuels, Director, ASAP, New York City College of Technology

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Internal Evaluation/Quasi-Experimental AnalysisASAP’s early internal evaluation agenda included ongoing quasi-experimental analysis of ASAP student outcomes compared with those of constructed comparison groups (by cohort) using official CUNY student-level data. Additionally, ASAP’s internal evaluation included annual student focus groups, and currently includes annual student surveys. All analyses are closely reviewed with partner college staff on an ongoing basis (usually monthly) and are used to assess college, cohort, and program-wide efficacy. Findings are summarized in written reports and articles, and ASAP staff regularly present at conferences. ASAP also conducts more focused research and publishes findings in short research briefs.

Recent briefs have included:

• ASAP Students in STEM Majors: Results From the Fall 2015 Cohort (Kolenovic & Strumbos, 2020)

— The major findings from this brief are detailed on page 18 of this guide.

• Six-Year Outcomes of ASAP Students: Transfer and Degree Attainment (Strumbos & Kolenovic, 2017)

— Findings:

1. ASAP students earned their associate degrees at higher rates than non-ASAP students, even when a longer timeframe was considered.

2. ASAP students earned their associate degrees more quickly than non-ASAP students within a six-year timeframe.

3. ASAP students transferred to baccalaureate programs at higher rates than non-ASAP students and earned their bachelor’s degrees at higher rates.

4. Six years after entering, ASAP students were more likely to have earned undergraduate degrees than non-ASAP students.

• ASAP Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity, Gender and Pell Status (Strumbos & Kolenovic, 2016)

— Findings:

1. All subgroups of students within ASAP met or nearly met the 50 percent three-year graduation rate goal.

2. ASAP had a significant and positive effect on three-year graduation rates for all subgroups.

3. Within ASAP, white-black and white-Hispanic three-year graduation rate differences were small or non-significant, but there were large differences in graduation rates between Asian students and other subgroups.

4. ASAP appears to have had larger effects on some subgroups of students than others, but results were mixed.

All briefs and publications produced by the ASAP research and evaluation team are available on the ASAP evaluation webpage.

“ Quantitative data is crucial and has been used to make great improvements programmatically ... Qualitative data gives us a window into how to address the social, emotional and academic needs of our student body.

– Glenda Wallace, Associate Director, ASAP, Medgar Evers College

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External EvaluationASAP has also partnered with respected external researchers. Findings from key projects include:

• In a five-year random assignment study involving 900 students at three partner colleges, MDRC found that ASAP improved academic outcomes, including retention, credits earned, and, most importantly, two-and-three-year graduation rates (Scrivener, Weiss, Ratledge, Rudd, Sommo, & Fresques, 2015). Based on these results, MDRC researchers concluded, “ASAP’s effects are the largest MDRC has found in any of its evaluations of community college reforms” (p. ES-11).

• As described in chapter one, in a cost-benefit study by the Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, Levin and Garcia (2012, 2013) found that ASAP is a cost-effective investment in college completion efforts. Levin and Garcia also found that an investment in ASAP has large financial returns for the taxpayer and the student, based on increased earnings and tax revenues, and reduced costs of public health, criminal justice, and public assistance spending. As cited in their 2013 report, “Not only is ASAP less costly per additional graduate and twice as effective in the production of associate degrees, but from the perspective of both taxpayer and student, the benefits generated by ASAP represent a very productive public investment with a high monetary return” (p. 9).

INTERESTED IN REPLICATING CUNY ASAP?

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CUNY ASAP’s success in increasing degree completion rates has led to great interest in replicating the program at colleges across the country. In order to support this important work, the CUNY ASAP Central Office houses a replication team, who partner directly with institutions committed to increasing graduation rates by replicating the ASAP model with a high level of fidelity. The replication team includes specialists who focus on meeting the needs of replication partners, and experienced college program staff who help operate, manage, and provide training for ASAP internally at CUNY.

The successful outcomes from the earliest replication efforts in Ohio, supp