Topic: Academic Performance, Foster Care, School Culture
Target Population: Adults, Young Adults
Sector: School-Based
This program is for college students who need academic, social, and financial support in order to complete a full-time associate degree program and is intended to impact college students and the school community.
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP), a school-based program, is an academic-support program designed to remove barriers to help students remain on schedule for graduation.
In 2009, one randomized control trial evaluated the effects of the ASAP program at three campuses of the City University of New York (CUNY), which is a community college system that includes 25 colleges. There were 896 participants who were evaluated at 3- and 6-year follow-ups. The evaluation found that, compared to participants in the control group who received typical college supports, the ASAP students showed a significant increase in graduation rates and a lower than average time to earn a degree at the 3-year follow-up. In addition, they earned significantly more cumulative credits than students in the control group by the 6-year follow-up.
By offering financial, academic, and social support, ASAP intends to remove systemic and personal barriers to promote timely degree completion. These supports include the following:
Students are offered additional support such as career advisement and application and enrollment support as they near degree completion in order to help them transition into the workforce or to a bachelor’s degree program. If students enroll in a bachelor’s degree program, they can participate in the Accelerate, Complete, and Engage (ACE) program, which is an adaptation of the ASAP program that is offered at some participating 4-year colleges.
The ASAP program started in 2007 at CUNY colleges and, now, includes 13 ASAP participating colleges and colleges in California, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
For schools that intend to replicate the program, the CUNY ASAP replication team can support the new site’s ASAP staff by offering guidance, data-management support, technical assistance, and access to resources that were created by the CUNY team. Additional training details were not located. Please see details in the Contact section for more information.
Considerations for implementing this program include obtaining the CUNY ASAP replication team support, hiring staff who have completed associate degree programs to facilitate the program, finding space that can accommodate individual advising and group activities, and understanding funds may be needed to facilitate this program.
The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email clearinghouse@psu.edu
If you are interested in implementing ASAP, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you! Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email clearinghouse@psu.edu
Students are assigned a low, medium, or high level of need after their first semester in their associate degree program, and this result determines how often they meet with an advisor. Students are connected to the ASAP program throughout the duration of their associate degree program, which is typically 2 years. Time to meet with advisors, tutoring, and other support activities varies.
Details regarding implementation costs were not located. For information, please see details in the Contact section.
To move ASAP to the Effective category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence at least one external evaluation must be conducted that demonstrates sustained, positive outcomes. This study must be conducted independently of the program developer.
The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email clearinghouse@psu.edu
Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program. Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: clearinghouse@psu.edu
You may also contact Christine Brongniart, University Executive Director, by mail City University of New York University Offices, 205 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017, phone 1-800-286-9937, email christine.brongniart@cuny.edu, or visit https://www1.cuny.edu/sites/asap/contact/#central-office
Miller, C., & Weiss, M. J. (2022). Increasing community college graduation rates: A synthesis of findings on the ASAP model from six colleges across two states. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 44(2), 210-233. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737211036726
Weiss, M. J., Ratledge A., Sommo, C., & Gupta H. (2019). Supporting community college students from start to degree completion: Long-term evidence from a randomized trial of CUNY's ASAP. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 11(3), 253-97. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20170430
Miller, C., Headlam, C., Manno, M., & Cullinan, D. (2020). Increasing community college graduation rates with a proven model: Three-year results from the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) Ohio demonstration. MDRC. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED603027
Scrivener, S., Weiss, M.J., Ratledge, A., Rudd, T., Sommo, C., & Fresques, H. (2015). Doubling graduation rates: Three-year effects of CUNY’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) for developmental education students. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED558511
