Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Highlights
- The study's objective was to examine the impact of Ohio’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) on credit accumulation and degree attainment.
- The study was a randomized controlled trial conducted at three community colleges in Ohio. Eligible students were randomly assigned to either the treatment or control groups. Using surveys, college records, and National Student Clearinghouse data, the authors conducted statistical models to compare outcomes between the groups over three years.
- The study found that participation in ASAP significantly increased credit accumulation and degree attainment over three years.
- This study receives a high evidence rating. This means we are confident that the estimated effects are attributable to Ohio’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP), and not to other factors.
Intervention Examined
The Ohio Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP)
Features of the Intervention
The Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) provides community college students with up to three years of financial and academic support. The goal is to help more students graduate within three years. In 2015, three community colleges in Ohio began implementing a model adapted from the City University of New York (CUNY) ASAP. Participation in the ASAP program required full-time enrollment, advising, tutoring, and career service engagement. Participants were strongly encouraged to take developmental courses early and to graduate within three years. Students also completed a first-year seminar with other program students. Students in the ASAP group received full tuition funding. Finally, they received a monthly $50 gift card for participation and got vouchers for textbooks. The program was run by the staff within three community colleges and targeted low-income degree seeking students willing to enroll full-time for up to three years and have less than 24 credits at recruitment.
Features of the Study
The study was a randomized controlled trial conducted at three community colleges in Ohio (Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Cuyahoga Community College, and Lorain County Community College). Eligible students were randomly assigned to receive ASAP services (treatment group) or conventional community college services (control group). The study sample included 1,501 community college students, 806 in the treatment group and 695 in the control group. Over half of the sample was female (64%), 46% were Black, 35% were White, and 10% were Hispanic. A third of the sample were first-generation college students (34%). The sample included nontraditional students, of which 27% had children and 60% were employed. Data sources included a baseline survey, college records, and National Student Clearinghouse data. The authors used statistical models to compare the outcomes of treatment and control group members.
Findings
Education and skills gains
- The study found that participation in Ohio ASAP significantly increased credit accumulation with the treatment group earning 8.5 more credits than the control group over the three-year period.
- The study also found a significant impact of Ohio ASAP on students’ degree completion with 35% of ASAP students earning a degree after three years compared with 19% of control group students.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is high because it was based on a well-implemented randomized controlled trial. This means we are confident that the estimated effects are attributable to Ohio ASAP, and not to other factors.