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and graduation rates, performance-based funding links funding for higher education institutionsdirectly to students’ performance. 9 If an ASAP-like model that was operated in another collegecould generate effects similar to those found at CUNY, the program would simultaneouslyimprove students’ outcomes and secure additional funds for the college. Of course, if manycolleges in a state adopted ASAP and it was as successful as it was at CUNY, funding formulasmight need to be revised or additional dollars might need to be secured.Helping an Array of StudentsMDRC’s evaluation has shown that ASAP was highly effective for students who neededone or two developmental education courses: Students in the program group moved throughtheir developmental courses more quickly, and after three years many more program groupmembers than control group members had completed their developmental education requirements.ASAP’s substantial effects on graduation were especially noteworthy because they werefound for a group of students who did not have all the basic skills they needed for college-levelcourses when they entered the study. (CUNY’s internal evaluation has found substantial effectsfor college-ready students as well. 10 It is unknown what ASAP’s effects would be for studentswho needed more remediation than did the students in the evaluation sample.)The higher education field has been struggling to develop initiatives that substantiallyhelp students with developmental education needs, and ASAP is a model to consider. ASAPprovides enhanced student services, including tutoring and financial supports, but it does notchange the curriculum or pedagogy in developmental education classrooms. There is still workto be done to improve what happens inside the community college classroom — and manyreforms are being tried — but the results from this study show that outcomes for students withdevelopmental education needs can be markedly improved, and students can even graduaterelatively quickly, with the right package of supports, requirements, and messages.It is notable that ASAP generated positive effects for all subgroups of students examined,including those defined by gender, high school diploma status, and number of developmentalcourses needed at the start of the study. As described earlier, the majority of students inthe evaluation sample were relatively young when they entered the study, lived at home withtheir parents, were unmarried, and did not have children. At the same time, however, the sampleincluded a substantial number of students considered to be nontraditional college students: 23percent of the evaluation sample were 23 or older when they entered the study, 26 percent didnot live with their parents, 31 percent were employed, 15 percent had at least one child, and at9 Doherty and Reddy (2013).10 Linderman and Kolenovic (2012).91