By: 

Tania Jarosewich, PhD 

Hinckley, OH 44233 

Tania@CenseoGroup.com

Douglas Clay, PhD

AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides 

Impact Evaluation

Submitted to 

Bridget McFadden 

Director, AmeriCorps at College Now Greater Cleveland 

bmcfadden@collegenowgc.org 

November 16, 2016
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 

Table of Contents 

Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 1

Figure 1. Nine AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide Sites ........................................................................ 1

Evaluation Questions ................................................................................................................................ 2

Research Design ........................................................................................................................................ 2

Comparison Districts ............................................................................................................................. 2

Table 1. AmeriCorps Sites and Comparison School Districts ............................................................ 3

Publically-Available, School-Level, College Access and Completion Data ............................................ 4

Program Descriptions ............................................................................................................................ 5

Student Survey ...................................................................................................................................... 6

Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................................. 6

Limitations ................................................................................................................................................ 6

Timeline..................................................................................................................................................... 6

Figure 2. Project Timeline ................................................................................................................. 7

Results....................................................................................................................................................... 7

Program Descriptions ............................................................................................................................ 7

Table 2. Descriptions of Service in AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide Sites ........................................ 7

Outcome Measures ............................................................................................................................... 9

Table 3. Descriptive Statistics for Outcome Measures ...................................................................10

Figure 3. Graduation, FAFSA, and College Enrollment Rates in AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide 

Sites .................................................................................................................................................10

Figure 4. Graduation Rates in AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide and Comparison Sites ..................11

Figure 5. FAFSA Completion Rates in AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide and Comparison Sites ......12

Figure 6. College Enrollment Rates in AmeriCorps College Guide and Comparison Sites ..............13

Statistically Significant Outcomes .......................................................................................................14

Conclusion ...............................................................................................................................................14

Figure 7. AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide Impact on FAFSA Completion and College Enrollment 14

Recommendations ..................................................................................................................................15

Appendix A – AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides Logic Model ................................................................. 17

Appendix B – Data Tables .......................................................................................................................19
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 1 

Introduction 

AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides is funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service 

(CNCS), a federal agency that supports national service in six areas, one of which is education. College 

Now Greater Cleveland manages and coordinates the AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides program, which 

began in 2009 with 14 Ohio College Guides serving in three college access programs. During the 

2015-2016 school year, 70 Ohio College Guides served in nine communities across the state (Figure 1). 

The program serves schools with low graduation and low college-going rates, as well as with many 

students who are low-income, minority, or first-in their family to attend college. Ohio College Guides 

deliver college awareness and access programs, and counsel students in grades 6 through 12 to prepare 

for and navigate the college application process.1 This report summarizes outcomes of the AmeriCorps 

Ohio College Guide Program on completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) 

form. 

Figure 1. Nine AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide Sites 

 

1 https://ohiocollegeguides.wordpress.com/program-overview/ 
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 2 

Evaluation Questions 

The AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides logic model (see Appendix A) identifies activities and expected 

outcomes in the three areas in which College Guides serve: early awareness (grades 6 through 10), 

access (grades 11 and 12), and persistence/completion of postsecondary degrees. This evaluation 

focuses on the access category of service. 

The short-term goal of the access category is that a minimum of 7,000 served students complete at least 

one identified milestone along the path to postsecondary education. Examples of milestones include 

FAFSA, college entrance exam, attending a college fair, and conducting a college visit. The medium-term 

access outcome is that a minimum of 3,500 students complete at least two milestones, and the 

long-term outcome is that at least 2,100 served students enroll in a postsecondary institution after high 

school graduation. 

The purpose of this evaluation was to examine the impact of AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides on FAFSA 

completion. Completing a FAFSA is a critical milestone for students, particularly low-income students, to 

gain access to grants and loans to help pay college tuition. Historically, a large percentage of students in 

the AmeriCorps sites do not complete this step. The key evaluation question was: Are students served by 

AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides more likely to complete the FAFSA? The evaluation plan also included a 

second question – are students served by AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides more likely to enroll in college 

after graduating high school than students in comparison schools? 

Research Design 

The plan for the evaluation was to use a quasi-experimental design to compare the outcomes of 

students receiving AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide services (AmeriCorps sites) with outcomes of a 

matched group of students from similar districts who did not have the support of AmeriCorps Ohio 

College Guides (comparison schools). Since the AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide program does not 

randomize participation or deny services to students, both of which are required for an experimental 

research design, the quasi-experimental matched pairs design was the most rigorous available. The 

student matching process would statistically control for differences in demographics and academic 

preparation and allow the evaluation team to make conclusions about the impact of services. 

Comparison Districts 

The evaluation team, in collaboration with College Now staff, selected a set of school districts to invite 

as comparison schools. The team used a tool on the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) website2to

identify a set of similar districts (see Table 1) based on average daily membership (ADM), poverty as a 

percentage of ADM, percent of population with a college degree, and percent minority students. 

 

2 http://webapp2.ode.state.oh.us/similar_districts/Similar_Districts.asp 
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 3 

Table 1. AmeriCorps Sites and Comparison School Districts 

AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide Site N* Comparison District N 

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative 998 Dayton Public Schools and 

Toledo Public Schools** 

2,219 

College Now Greater Cleveland 2,402 

I Know I Can (Columbus) 2,692 

Mahoning Valley College Access Program 

(Youngstown) 

663 Painesville, Mansfield 351 

Connect to Success / Washington State 

Community College 

1,564 Mt Vernon, Vermilion, 

Indian Creek, Gallia, Franklin 

965 

Ninde Scholars Program (Oberlin) 92 Liberty, Finneytown 208 

Scholarship Central (Zanesville) 673 Lakeside, Sandusky, Sidney 

City, Whitehall 

916 

Stark Education Partnership 813 Fitch, Mansfield 541 

Greene County College Success Partnership 450 Woodridge, Fitch 544 

Note: 

*students in graduating class 

**DPS and TPS, the only “Big 8” districts that did not receive college access services from College 

Now Greater Cleveland, are comparisons for Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, College Now and I 

Know I Can. 

The evaluation team anticipated obtaining FAFSA information from the Ohio FAFSA Completion 

Initiative, which was mandated in 2014 by the U.S. Department of Education’s FAFSA Completion 

Initiative. This initiative directed state agencies to create systems to share limited student-specific 

information with school districts and college access providers to support targeted assistance for FAFSA 

completion3. To address this initiative’s goals, the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) 

partnered with the Management Council of the Ohio Education Computer Network (MCOECN) and 

Battelle for Kids (BTK) to create a secure web portal through which to share FAFSA completion 

information. When the portal was completed in summer 2016, it became clear that in Ohio, as in 16 of 

the 39 states that created data sharing systems, only school districts could access data.45 College access 

networks could only obtain student-level FAFA completion data from school districts, not directly from 

the portal. 

To solicit the participation of comparison school districts, AmeriCorps program staff contacted multiple 

staff in each potential comparison school district (e.g., superintendent, assessment and accountability 

 

3 http://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/guid/secletter/140307.html

4 https://www.ohio-k12.help/fafsa/

5 www.collegeaccess.org/FAFSACompletionInitiative
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 4

staff, district data managers, counselors) by email and telephone to introduce the project. The team 

prepared a sample Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), identified the data that would be requested,

and created timelines for providing data (e.g., on May 1, submit name/DOB of each 12th grade student). 

AmeriCorps staff created a list of services that they could provide to comparison schools in the school 

year following the completion of the evaluation (e.g., National Clearinghouse data analysis, FAFSA 

workshops) to support college access efforts in the comparison schools.

Concurrently, the evaluation team explored the possibility of collecting de-identified student-level 

FAFSA completion and college enrollment data directly from ODE. In order to obtain student

demographic information; ACT participation and scores; and for the graduating class of 2015, not for 

earlier graduating classes, post-secondary enrollment data, the evaluation team would need the 

cooperation of school districts to obtain student identifiers (SSIDs).

Publically-Available, School-Level, College Access and Completion Data

Only one Ohio school district responded to the invitation by the AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides to 

participate as a comparison school. However, the small school district did not have the capacity to 

provide the necessary data, and data from only one district was insufficient for a comprehensive 

comparison group. Further, not all of the AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide sites had data-sharing MOUs in 

place with their partner school districts to be able to obtain student-level data from the FAFSA Initiative 

Completion portal. Since student-level FAFSA completion rates for project and comparison schools could 

not be obtained from the Ohio FAFSA Completion Initiative Project, school districts, or ODE, as a solution 

the team identified publically available datasets that would provide school-level data for analysis for 

AmeriCorps sites and those schools selected for comparison.

FAFSA Completion. FAFSA completion numbers were obtained from a public dataset available from the 

website of the Federal Student Aid office of the United States Department of Education6. This dataset 

identifies the number of FAFSA forms submitted and completed by first-time filing applicants no older 

than 18 who would receive their high school diploma by the start of the school year in which they were 

applying for aid. The spreadsheet for each state or territory identifies the number of completed FAFSAs

by name and city of the high school.

School FAFSA Completion Rate. The evaluation team downloaded a dataset from the ODE that identified

the number of twelfth-grade students in each high school. The evaluation team divided the number of 

completed FAFSAs in each school from the federal data, by the number of twelfth-graders in each school 

from the ODE data. This calculation of the percentage of students in each high school who completed 

the FAFSA allows for comparison across schools.

Graduation Rate. Although there is no expectation that AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides will impact high 

school graduation rates, this variable is included in the analysis because it is a necessary precursor to 

college enrollment and provides information about schools’ college-going culture. This data was 

obtained from the ODE.

 

6 https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/about/data-center/student/application-volume/fafsa-completion-high-school
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 5

ACT Completion and Scores. Beginning with the 2013-2014 state school report cards, ODE began to 

report data about student performance on a set of Prepared for Success7,8 measures, behaviors that 

lead to postsecondary college enrollment. One of these indicators is ACT participation and another 

average ACT test score, both of which school districts report to the ODE through the Education 

Management Information System (EMIS). The percentage of students in the graduation cohort who took 

the assessment is calculated as the number of students who took the ACT divided by the number of 

students in that graduation cohort. The ODE also provides an average ACT score for each high school. 

AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides advise and help support student participation in ACT, therefore 

completion rates are included as an indicator of short-term AmeriCorps Ohio Guide outcomes. 

ACT Remediation Free Scores. Another measures in the Prepared for Success category is the percentage

of students who earned a score on the ACT that the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) has 

identified as indicating readiness for college-level coursework. The calculation on the school Report Card 

is the number of students in the graduation cohort who scored remediation-free on all components of 

the ACT divided by the number of students in that graduation cohort. Students who earned remediation 

free scores in all subjects across multiple administrations are considered remediation free even if they 

do not earn the required score within the same administration. Although there is no expectation that 

AmeriCorps Ohio Guides have a significant impact on ACT scores, the remediation free rate is considered 

an intervening variable for college enrollment and indicates the general level of preparation for college 

level classes in a high school.

Students Enrolling in Two-and Four-Year Colleges. The 2016 ODE School Report Card contains a new 

measure that reflects the percentage of students by high school and district who were enrolled in a 

two-or four-year college for at least 60 days within two years of high school graduation. This information 

is gathered through the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center9. The service of the 

AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides contributes to this outcome, which is also influenced by many other 

intervening variables, and is the ultimate long-term goal identified in the program logic model. 

Program Descriptions

In collaboration with College Now staff, the evaluation team collected information from each

AmeriCorps site about the services that AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides offer - the schools in which 

they serve, the percentage of high school seniors served, and how students are chosen for services. 

AmeriCorps sites reported the information during the 2015-2016 school year and reviewed and updated 

the information in fall 2016. Since comparison schools did not agree to participate, the evaluation team 

has only data from the AmeriCorps sites. 

 

7 https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Data/Report-Card-Resources/Prepared-for-Success-Component

8https://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Data/Report-Card-Resources/Prepared-for-Success-Measure/T

echnical-Documentation-Prep-for-Success.pdf.aspx

9 http://nscresearchcenter.org/
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 6 

Student Survey 

Since comparison schools did not agree to participate in the evaluation, the survey component of the 

evaluation was not implemented. While a student survey simply from AmeriCorps sites may have 

provided interesting feedback, the lack of comparison data would not allow us to make concrete 

judgments about outcomes. Therefore, AmeriCorps stakeholders and the evaluation team chose instead 

to focus on securing outcome evaluation data. 

Data Analysis 

The evaluation team calculated average rates for each variable for each AmeriCorps site and comparison 

high school: FAFSA completion, graduation rate, percent of students taking the ACT, mean ACT score, 

percent of students scoring above the remediation measure (e.g., ready for college-level courses), and 

percent of the 2013 graduating class who enrolled in college within two years of graduation. 

The evaluation team conducted regression analysis to explain variance in FAFSA completion and college 

enrollment rates. 

Limitations 

1. Lack of student-level information hampered evaluators in conducting statistical analyses that could 

identify specific influences and outcomes of the AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide program. For 

example, the FAFSA completion rate is calculated for the entire school, not only for students who 

worked with an AmeriCorps College Guide to complete the application. Including students who did 

not receive direct services likely underestimates the impact of the AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides. 

2. Because no comparison schools agreed to participate in the evaluation, the evaluation team was 

unable to collect information about the types of college access services available for students in 

these schools. It is likely that school counselors and other service providers assist students in these 

schools with FAFSA completion and college access activities. However, we do not know the extent of 

these services. Not accounting for this variable in the analysis likely underestimates the impact of 

the AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides. 

Timeline 

Figure 2 shows the timeline for evaluation activities. The project began May 2015 and extended through 

November 2016. The evaluation team met with College Now staff throughout the project to discuss 

progress of engaging comparison schools, review evaluation processes, and modify plans to take 

advantage of available data optimally. 
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 7 

Figure 2. Project Timeline 

Results 

Program Descriptions 

Table 2 lists the AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide sites, the number of College Guides at each site who 

served students in grade 12, the estimated number of grade 12 students served by Ohio College Guides, 

and the types of services provided. Of the 70 Ohio College Guides, 53 contributed some time to grade 12 

students. Dividng the amount of time spent in these activities by the 1,700 hours required of fulltime 

members, the Guides devoted 39 Member Service Years (MSY) to this category of service. 

Table 2. Descriptions of Service in AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide Sites 

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative

 9 AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides 

 382 grade 12 students served 

Services: 18% of school in the district served using one-on-one advising, parent and student group 

sessions, classroom presentations, workshops, email, phone calls, and text message goal setting, to 

assist self-selected students with college and career information; college applications (e.g., research 

and essay-writing); planning, fundraising for, and chaperoning college visits; financial aid process; 

standardized test preparation (e.g., registration, tutoring); scholarship applications; and tutoring and 

mentoring. 

Cincinnati Arts and Technology Center is not included in analysis because it is not a public school. 
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 8 

College Now Greater Cleveland 

 24 AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides 

 2,316 grade 12 students served 

Services: 78% of CMSD schools (28 of 36) served through college visits, electronic communication, 

group advising/presentations, one-on-one advising, phone advising, special events, workshops for 

social service referral, Naviance, academic advising, graduation requirements, tutoring and homework 

help, career exploration, career search and selection, major search and selection, workplace / military 

/ armed forces visits and job shadowing, internship /enrichment /after-school activities, resume 

assistance, job application, financial aid overview and consultation, College Now Scholarship 

application, scholarship and loan search and application assistance, college aid award letter 

assistance, FAFSA /SAR assistance, CSS Profile assistance, postsecondary application and essay 

assistance, postsecondary admissions, college fair and college rep visit, enrollment assistance, 

housing assistance, postsecondary admissions – general, postsecondary search, ACT overview, 

postsecondary entrance exams, ACT / PSAT / SAT registration, overview, registration, scores, prep. 

Promise Academy is not included in the analysis because it is a charter school, not a public school. 

I Know I Can (Columbus)

 6 AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides 

 2,565 grade 12 students served 

Services: 100% of Columbus City School students served through classroom presentations, workshops, 

and one-one advising for self-selected students. Services include college/career road mapping, parent 

engagement workshops, Naviance lessons, ACT/SAT waivers and registration, college application 

assistance, IKIC Grant/Save Smart applications, FAFSA nights, FASFA one-on-one support, scholarship 

searches, and financial literacy assistance. 

Services also provided at Columbus Downtown HS, Columbus Global Academy (vocational, credit 

recovery) and Columbus Scioto 6-12 School. Data for these schools was not available. 

Mahoning Valley College Access Program (Youngstown)

 2 AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides 

 438 grade 12 students served 

Services: college application, FAFSA, and ACT preparation 

Connect to Success/Washington State Community College 

 1 AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide 

 307 grade 12 students served 

Services: emails, phone calls, presentations, workshops, and one-on-one advising to provide access, 

retention and college credit plus services to self-selected students. Services provided at the 

community college and high schools.

Services also provided at Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT), Ohio Virtual Academy, home 

school, Washington County Career Center. These data are not included because there was no 

indication of how services provided and Career Center data are reported by students’ home school. 
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 9 

Ninde Scholars Program (Oberlin) 

 1 AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide 

 92 grade 12 students served 

Services: emails, phone calls, presentations, workshops, one-on-one advising for college application, 

FAFSA, ACT preparation, scholarships, college tours, career and job support in 50% of Oberlin City 

Schools. 

Scholarship Central (Zanesville) 

 4 AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides 

 118 grade 12 students served 

Services: access, financial aid, FAFSA, scholarship, and retention assistance to self-selected students at 

the school at resource center. 

Services also provided at Mid-East Ohio Vocational School Zanesville Campus (90% of 338 students) 

and Buffalo Campus (95% of 109 students). These data are not included in analysis because data are 

reported by students’ home school.

 Stark Education Partnership 

 3 AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides 

 468 grade 12 students served 

Services: email, phone calls, presentations, workshops, and one-on-one advising to support college 

application, FAFSA, dual enrollment, and career exploration to self-selected students 

Greene County College Success Partnership 

 2 AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides 

 462 grade 12 students served 

Services: presentations, one on one and group meetings for college application, FAFSA information 

and sign up, scholarship information, ACT/SAT registration and information to self-selected students. 

Services also provided at Greene County Career Center (100% -232 students). Data not included in 

analysis because data are reported for students’ home school not the career center.

Outcome Measures 

The AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides, which provided 39 MSY, served approximately 6,000 grade 12 

students across the state of Ohio – that is, on average, each MSY supported about 150 students with 

FAFSA completion, scholarship applications, college visits, financial aid discussions, and the other 

services identified by each site. These ratios were different among sites, but overall Ohio College Guide 

services were spread among a large number of students. 

Descriptive statistics for the outcome measures are summarized in Table 3. The rates of success on all of 

the indicators under study in this evaluation for AmeriCorps and comparison sites are included in 

Appendix B. 
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 10

Table 3. Descriptive Statistics for Outcome Measures 

AmeriCorps Sites 

(N=79 sites) 

Comparison Sites 

(N=29 sites) 

Total 

(N=108 sites) 

Mean (Std Deviation) 

FAFSA rate 52% (0.17) 45% (0.14) 50% (0.16) 

ACT Participation 60% (0.17) 49% (0.18) 57% (0.18) 

ACT scores 18.3 (2.81) 19.6 (2.67) 18.6 (2.81) 

% Remediation Free 11% (0.11) 15% (0.14) 12% (0.12) 

Graduation rate 79% (0.14) 80% (0.13) 79% (0.14) 

College enrollment 49% (0.18) 50% (0.14) 49% (0.17) 

The high school graduation, FAFSA completion, and college enrollment rates in the nine AmeriCorps 

Ohio College Guide sites are shown in Figure 3. Overall, high school graduation rates were higher than 

were FAFSA completion and college enrollment. The rates of FAFSA completion and college enrollment 

were generally similar within a site, with variability among sites. 

Figure 3. Graduation, FAFSA, and College Enrollment Rates in AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide Sites 

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

GradRate FAFSA Rate College Enroll %
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 11

Figure 4 shows the overall graduation rates at each AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide site and the 

comparison group for that site. The graduation rates varied among the sites, with schools that Greene 

County served showing an average graduation rate of 94%, and schools that Cincinnati Youth 

Collaborate served an average graduation rate of 69%, the lowest of all sites. High school graduation is a 

critical, necessary precursor to college enrollment and has a significant impact on students’

employability, lifetime earnings10,11, health12, and use of public assistance13

. 

Figure 4. Graduation Rates in AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide and Comparison Sites 

 

10 Mellville, Keith. (2006). The School Dropout Crisis. Retrieved from 

http://www.pew-partnership.org/pdf/dropout_overview.pdf). 

11 http://education.seattlepi.com/effects-high-school-students-not-finishing-high-school-3118.html 

12 Muennig, Peter. (October, 2000). Health Returns to Education Interventions Retrieved from 

devweb.tc.columbia.edu/manager/.../Files/81_Muennig_paper.ed.pdf. 

13 Rumberger, Russell W., (January 24, 2012). America cannot afford a stiff price of a dropout nation. Retrieved 

from http://toped.svefoundation.org/2012/01/24/america-cannot-afford-the-stiff-price-of-a-dropout-nation/ 

78%

78%

73%

78%

85%

91%

79%

88%

91%

69%

70%

75%

76%

86%

91%

92%

92%

94%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative

College Now Greater Cleveland

Mahoning Valley College Access Program

I Know I Can - Columbus

Stark Educational Partnership

Connect to Success / WSCC

Scholarship Central

Ninde Scholars

Green County College Success Partnership

Graduation Rates rates range from 69% to 94%

Comparison 
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 12

Another important variable in college enrollment, particularly for low-income students, is completing 

the FAFSA to access financial aid14,15. Since students who do not graduate do not have the option to 

attend a postsecondary institution, it is not surprising that FAFSA completion rates are lower than 

graduation rates in the nine AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide sites (see Figure 5). Students who do not 

graduate high school, have no need to complete a FAFSA. 

Among the nine AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide sites, FAFSA completion rates were highest at Ninde 

Scholars, with 77% of students at this site completing FAFSA forms. Ninde is the smallest site – serving 

under 100 students – and one that has a strong connection with Oberlin University, which is located in 

the community. 

FAFSA completion at the other sites hovered around 45%-55%, with students in the Mahoning Valley 

having the lowest rate at 36%. For the most part, the rates in the comparison schools were similar to 

those at the AmeriCorps sites except at Ninde Scholars and Scholarship Central, at which the FAFSA 

completion rates were higher at the AmeriCorps site. 

It is likely that Ohio College Guides need to use different strategies and face greater systemic challenges 

in schools with very low graduation and FAFSA participation rates. The culture in these schools, which 

includes the support of peers, parents, teachers, as well as other variables such as overall academic 

success, presents increased challenges. 

Figure 5. FAFSA Completion Rates in AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide and Comparison Sites 

 

14 http://publications.nasfaa.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=jsfa 

15 http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Documents/JCA-FAFSA-Article-Jan-2016-Summer-Melt.pdf 

35%

49%

46%

46%

46%

52%

40%

55%

54%

36%

45%

46%

46%

49%

52%

56%

58%

77%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Mahoning Valley College Access Program

Stark Educational Partnership

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative

I Know I Can - Columbus

College Now Greater Cleveland

Connect to Success / WSCC

Scholarship Central

Greene County College Success Partnership

Ninde Scholars

FAFSA Completion Rates are Highest at Ninde Scholars AmeriCorps

Comparison
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 13

Nationally, in 2014, 74% of students who graduated from higher income, low minority, suburban schools 

enrolled in college immediately after high school graduation16. In schools in which over 50% of students 

are eligible for free or reduced price lunch, which is generally the population served by AmeriCorps Ohio 

College Guides, college enrollment rates are lower. In 2014 an average 58% of students from these 

schools enrolled in college after high school graduation17. 

Among the nine AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide sites, the highest college enrollment rate (see Figure 6) 

were at Ninde Scholars and Greene County, both of which had the highest graduation and FAFSA 

completion rates. The rates of college enrollment in these sites was higher than the national average for 

low-income students. College enrollment rates at Scholarship Central and Connect to Success were 

similar to the national rate for low-income students. Rates at the other sites were lower than the 

national average. 

Figure 6. College Enrollment Rates in AmeriCorps College Guide and Comparison Sites 

 

16 https://nscresearchcenter.org/hsbenchmarks2015/ 

17 https://nscresearchcenter.org/hsbenchmarks2015/ 

36%

48%

51%

51%

51%

52%

43%

58%

56%

37%

49%

41%

43%

45%

53%

54%

68%

73%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Mahoning Valley College Access Program

Stark Educational Partnership

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative

I Know I Can - Columbus

College Now Greater Cleveland

Connect to Success / WSCC

Scholarship Central

Greene County College Success Partnership

Ninde Scholars

College Enrollment was highest at Ninde Scholars

Enrollment ranged from 36% to 68% at other sties AmeriCorps

Comparison
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 14

Statistically Significant Outcomes 

A multiple regression analysis was conducted to compare the presence of an AmeriCorps Ohio College 

Guide and the other variables of interest on FAFSA completion. The presence of an AmeriCorps Ohio 

College Guide as well as the overall school graduation rates were statistically significantly related to 

FAFSA completion [F(6, 101) = 16.98, p = 0.00]. These two variables together accounted for 71% of the 

variance in FAFSA completion. 

A second multiple regression analysis was conducted to measure the impact of the variables on college 

enrollment. In this case, only the FAFSA completion rate and remediation free ACT scores were 

statistically significantly related to enrollment [F(3, 104) = 93.34, p=.000]. That is, the percentage of 

students who completed the FAFSA and the percentage who scored remediation-free on the ACT were 

both significant predictors of college enrollment, accounting for 85% of the overall variance in this 

outcome measure. 

Conclusion 

In the 2015-2016 school year, fifty-three AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides provided services to support 

FAFSA completion, college application completion, college visits, and other activities related to 

postsecondary enrollment in nine sites across Ohio. These 53 college guides, 39 MSY, offered services to

over 6,000 students in 79 schools. The percentage of grade 12 students served and the way in which 

AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides provided serves varied among schools. 

The results of the evaluation indicate that the presence of an AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide had a 

significant positive impact on FAFSA completion, as did the overall high school graduation rate. The 

presence of AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides was indirectly related to postsecondary enrollment. 

AmeriCorps College Guides supported FAFSA completion, which, in addition to the rate of 

remediation-free ACT scores impacted college enrollment. 

Figure 7. AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide Impact on FAFSA Completion and College Enrollment 
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 15

These results are based on the 2015-2016 cohort of AmeriCorps College Guides. Each cohort serves for 

11 months, and each year a new team is trained and deployed to the schools. Therefore, results could 

vary from year to year due to the relatively short-term of service. 

This evaluation supports the assertion that in addition to information about the FAFSA, assistance in 

completing the application is an effective means of increasing FAFSA completion rates18,19. In schools 

with high graduation rates, having the support of an AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide resulted in higher 

FAFSA completion rates. Through this support, AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides support college 

enrollment the fall after high school graduation. 

The analysis likely underestimated the effects of the AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides on FAFSA 

completion and college enrollment because of the level of data available to the evaluation team. 

Analysis of student-level data (e.g., GPA, individual ACT, number of AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide 

guidance sessions), would have given the evaluation team the opportunity to apply a stronger research 

design that could have examined more fine-grained differences between the AmeriCorps and 

comparison sites, for example, using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) or other methods to analyze 

contributions of specific variables for specific students. 

Recommendations 

The evaluation team offers the following recommendations to support more rigorous evaluation in 

subsequent grant-funded efforts. 

1. AmeriCorps Ohio College Guide sites are encouraged to have in place a data-sharing MOU with 

each school district in which they work to support more rigorous, student-level outcome 

analyses. A number of the current sites have these documents in place, but historically, data 

sharing agreements take a good deal of discussion and assurances to ensure data quality and 

secure delivery and storage. 

2. Begin now to build relationships with school districts that could provide comparison data to 

show impact of the efforts of the AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides. The team could apply the 

methods planned for the current evaluation – having ready sample MOUs, offering services 

after the completion of the study, and having clear data collection and analysis plans. 

3. Fully account for potential costs of securing student-level data, which is complicated and can be 

costly. At the start of this current evaluation, the team counted on access to student-level FAFSA 

completion data from the Ohio FAFSA Completion project. When the site was completed, 

mid-evaluation, and it became clear that the data would be unavailable, the team was 

challenged to find alternate sources of data that would allow for the desired type and level of 

analyses. 

 

18 http://publications.nasfaa.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1586&context=jsfa 

19 http://publications.nasfaa.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=jsfa 
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 16

4. The team is encouraged to pursue other types of evidence to show the impact. For example, 

case studies within one or more sites could help investigate the mechanism by which 

AmeriCorps College Guides impact FAFSA completion and college enrollment. 

The team also recommends that the College Now team review possible additional, direct interventions 

to increase the direct impact of AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides on college enrollment. For example, 

addressing summer melt, that is the lack of enrollment in college of students who graduated on time, 

were accepted to college, and applied for financial aid. Research suggests that simple, low-cost 

interventions consist of individualized telephone or text messages to reach out to students during the 

summer after high school and throughout the first year of college can substantially impact enrollment 

and persistence.20 Additional consideration should be given to mechanisms to involve parents, who are 

an essential element of the FAFSA completion process and attendance in a postsecondary institution in 

the fall after graduation. 

 

20 http://publications.nasfaa.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1586&context=jsfa 
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 17

Appendix A – AmeriCorps Ohio College Guides Logic Model 
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 18
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 19

Appendix B – Data Tables 

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative

% Complete 

FAF

Graduation 

Rat

% Took

ACT

ACT 

Mean

% ACT / SAT 

Remediation Free

% Enrolled College 

w/in 2 Years of Grad

Cincinnati Aiken High School 37.5% 53.8% 47.6% 15 3.6% 35.8%

Cincinnati Gilbert A. Dater High School 46.9% 69.5% 67.5% 18 10.1% 35.3%

Cincinnati Hughes STEM High School 52.4% 74.5% 68.6% 16 3.8% 41.3%

Cincinnati James N. Gamble Montessori High School 55.8% 76.7% 80.5% 18 6.1% 55.8%

Cincinnati Oyler School 30.0% 45.7% 33.8% 17 3.4% 21.4%

Cincinnati Riverview East Academy 31.4% 66.7% 47.0% 16 3.4% 29.3%

Cincinnati Shroder Paideia High School 60.2% 79.5% 76.2% 17 4.6% 60.9%

Cincinnati Withrow University High School 50.2% 80.0% 62.5% 16 3.9% 51.2%

Cincinnati Woodward Career Technical High School 37.9% 54.2% 41.1% 15 0.6% 29.0%

District Totals 45.9% 68.5% 58.7% 16.3 4.2% 40.9%

College Now Cleveland

Cleveland Cleveland Early College High 100.0% 100.0% 55.7% 23 27.8% 93.0%

Cleveland Cleveland School of Architecture & Design 79.7% 100.0% 86.6% 19 12.7% 78.8%

Cleveland Cleveland School of Science & Medicine 88.5% 100.0% 93.6% 22 35.1% 88.2%

Cleveland Cleveland School Of The Arts High School 82.8% 100.0% 99.5% 19 14.8% 82.6%

Cleveland Collinwood High School 45.9% 62.4% 61.7% 15 1.7% 39.4%

Cleveland Design Lab @ Health Careers 63.6% 75.0% 75.3% 15 1.2% 66.7%

Cleveland East Technical High School 37.9% 60.3% 52.8% 14 0.4% 23.9%

Cleveland Garrett Morgan Schl Of Science School 50.6% 80.0% 75.6% 17 5.2% 34.3%

Cleveland Ginn Academy 57.4% 94.4% 92.7% 15 1.0% 57.1%

Cleveland Glenville High School 37.3% 61.4% 56.3% 15 1.7% 36.1%

Cleveland James Ford Rhodes High School 42.4% 67.5% 67.6% 17 6.2% 43.5%

Cleveland Jane Addams Business Careers High School 41.5% 69.8% 76.1% 15 0.9% 50.7%

Cleveland John Adams High School 44.5% 65.5% 66.5% 15 1.2% 33.3%

Cleveland John F Kennedy High School 33.8% 66.9% 66.4% 15 0.3% 35.1%

Cleveland John Marshall High School 43.4% 67.3% 62.2% 16 3.8% 37.6%

Cleveland Lincoln-West High School 34.3% 54.9% 49.2% 15 0.9% 27.5%

Cleveland Max S Hayes High School 21.7% 56.5% 64.5% 15 0.9% 37.7%

Cleveland MC^2 STEM High School 82.1% 92.3% 85.4% 18 10.9% 68.1%

Cleveland New Technology HS@East Tech 57.1% 57.1% 75.5% 15 0.0% 26.3%

Cleveland New Technology West 55.3% 72.3% 76.3% 17 5.2% 56.0%

Cleveland SuccessTech Academy School 35.6% 62.2% 72.9% 15 2.1% 48.9%

Cleveland Washington Park 48.3% 65.5% 65.4% 14 3.8% 38.0%

Cleveland Whitney Young School 91.7% 100.0% 98.3% 22 37.3% 88.1%

District Totals 48.5% 70.8% 68.2% 16.2 5.5% 45.1%

I Know I Can - Columbus

Columbus Beechcroft High School 46.8% 77.8% 46.8% 16 1.9% 47.9%

Columbus Briggs High School 29.0% 63.7% 36.8% 17 3.7% 26.3%

Columbus Centennial High School 63.2% 92.2% 72.1% 21 25.5% 69.4%

Columbus Columbus Africentric Early College 63.1% 72.3% 65.3% 17 6.6% 45.2%

Columbus Columbus Alternative High School 76.7% 94.0% 86.5% 23 43.4% 66.9%

Columbus Columbus North International School 50.5% 84.2% 56.4% 18 7.6% 0.0%
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 20

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative 

% Complete 

FAF

Graduation 

Rat 

% Took 

ACT 

ACT 

Mean 

% ACT / SAT 

Remediation Free 

% Enrolled College 

w/in 2 Years of Grad

Columbus East High School 41.4% 65.5% 37.6% 16 1.1% 42.5%

Columbus Eastmoor Academy 65.4% 92.9% 79.9% 18 7.8% 60.1%

Columbus Fort Hayes Arts and Academic HS 61.0% 87.9% 70.7% 18 5.4% 55.1%

Columbus Independence High School 39.2% 68.0% 52.3% 16 1.5% 36.1%

Columbus Linden-Mckinley STEM Academy 24.8% 50.5% 39.7% 15 1.5% 27.0%

Columbus Marion-Franklin High School 38.8% 72.7% 49.6% 16 3.1% 27.8%

Columbus Mifflin High School 38.0% 69.3% 39.6% 16 1.8% 43.0%

Columbus Northland High School 50.2% 79.2% 54.6% 18 6.9% 50.6%

Columbus South High School 45.7% 69.1% 46.8% 16 1.4% 29.8%

Columbus Walnut Ridge High School 37.7% 70.5% 48.9% 16 1.9% 38.4%

Columbus West High School 25.0% 56.5% 28.0% 17 2.6% 24.9%

Columbus Whetstone High School 43.2% 79.1% 46.7% 21 14.8% 42.5%

District Totals 46.4% 75.6% 53.1% 17.7 8.4% 42.5%

Mahoning Valley College Access Program 

Warren Warren G Harding High School 41.7% 74.6% 51.5% 19 8.9% 39.9%

Youngstown Chaney Campus VPA & STEM 55.9% 95.6% 75.0% 16 3.7% 44.2%

Youngstown East High School 21.8% 69.0% 21.8% 16 0.2% 31.9%

Project Totals 35.6% 74.6% 42.6% 17.6 5.1% 37.3%

Connect to Success / WSCC 

Belpre Belpre High School 52.9% 89.7% 49.1% 21 16.6% 54.7%

Caldwell Caldwell High School 58.3% 95.0% 59.4% 22 19.5% 57.4%

East Guernsey Buckeye Trail High School 41.0% 91.4% 44.1% 22 16.4% 58.0%

Eastern Eastern High School 47.3% 94.5% 54.5% 21 19.6% 74.6%

Federal Hocking Federal Hocking High School 59.7% 89.6% 31.6% 20 4.5% 55.4%

Fort Frye Fort Frye High School 42.9% 92.3% 46.5% 22 16.3% 49.4%

Marietta Marietta High School 50.6% 87.0% 47.9% 22 21.5% 54.9%

Meigs Meigs High School 43.7% 85.7% 34.0% 20 8.8% 46.0%

Morgan Morgan High School 46.5% 88.4% 37.7% 21 13.4% 40.6%

Noble Shenandoah High School 53.8% 92.3% 53.6% 20 14.6% 47.1%

Rolling Hills Meadowbrook High School 38.4% 89.0% 45.0% 20 10.7% 40.1%

Southern Southern High School 64.3% 91.1% 40.2% 19 6.5% 64.3%

Switzerland of Ohio Monroe Central High School 97.5% 82.5% 66.7% 21 25.0% 80.9%

Switzerland of Ohio River High School 89.5% 81.6% 59.7% 22 19.4% 66.7%

Warren Warren High School 57.1% 95.6% 62.5% 22 27.5% 57.1%

Wolf Creek Waterford High School 57.4% 92.6% 52.3% 21 20.7% 55.1%

Project Totals 51.8% 90.0% 48.0% 21.1 16.8% 53.3%

Ninde Scholars 

Oberlin Oberlin High School 77.2% 92.4% 62.7% 23 24.9% 72.7%

District Totals 77.2% 92.4% 62.7% 23 24.9% 72.7%

Scholarship Central 

East Muskingum John Glenn High School 58.7% 95.3% 67.7% 23 31.0% 63.0%

West Muskingum West Muskingum High School 57.6% 94.4% 61.5% 22 26.1% 55.5%
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 21

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative 

% Complete 

FAF

Graduation 

Rat 

% Took 

ACT 

ACT 

Mean 

% ACT / SAT 

Remediation Free 

% Enrolled College 

w/in 2 Years of Grad

Franklin Philo High School 54.4% 94.1% 62.5% 21 25.1% 48.3%

Zanesville Zanesville High School 54.1% 87.3% 60.4% 20 15.3% 50.2%

Project Totals 55.9% 92.1% 62.8% 21.3 23.3% 53.6%

Stark Educational Partnership 

Alliance Alliance High School 33.0% 83.0% 50.9% 19 10.9% 40.0%

Canton McKinley High School 50.3% 86.2% 56.8% 19 12.8% 49.7%

Massillon Washington High School 46.7% 87.0% 60.3% 20 16.7% 53.6%

Project Totals 44.9% 85.7% 56.6% 19.4 13.7% 48.8%

Green County College Success Partnership 

Bellbrook-Sugarcree

k 

Bellbrook High School 66.0% 98.0% 81.5% 25 56.1% 80.5%

Fairborn Fairborn High School 52.2% 90.5% 54.3% 21 20.4% 58.1%

Project Totals 58.2% 93.8% 66.2% 22.8 36.0% 67.9%

EXPERIMENTAL GROUP TOTALS 51.7% 79.3% 59.6% 18.3 11.0% 49.0%

COMPARISON GROUP SCHOOLS 

Comparison Group for Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus 

Dayton Belmont High School 26.0% 56.5% 40.6% 16 4.3% 32.2%

Dayton David H. Ponitz Career Technology Center 65.5% 86.8% 63.1% 16 4.2% 68.1%

Dayton Dunbar Early College High School 51.9% 74.8% 51.1% 15 0.9% 47.3%

Dayton Meadowdale High School 37.5% 55.9% 30.9% 16 1.7% 33.8%

Dayton Stivers School For The Arts 78.8% 91.2% 71.1% 20 21.5% 73.8%

Dayton Thurgood Marshall High School 59.2% 73.9% 45.1% 16 2.4% 53.3%

District Totals 53.6% 73.8% 50.9% 16.5 5.6% 52.2%

Toledo Bowsher High School 44.4% 74.3% 45.0% 20 10.1% 48.5%

Toledo Jesup W. Scott High School 22.0% 62.2% 33.2% 16 1.7% 41.9%

Toledo Rogers High School 35.4% 76.4% 37.2% 17 3.0% 43.8%

Toledo Start High School 42.9% 76.5% 44.9% 20 12.3% 43.8%

Toledo Toledo Early College High School 31.8% 97.7% 96.2% 24 63.3% 84.2%

Toledo Toledo Technology Academy High School 56.0% 92.0% 52.5% 22 24.6% 65.7%

Toledo Waite High School 25.3% 58.4% 29.8% 18 3.6% 33.8%

Toledo Woodward High School 23.5% 57.4% 25.3% 16 1.0% 27.3%

District Totals 35.5% 71.0% 40.4% 18.7 9.0% 43.3%

Comparison Group for MVCAP 

Painesville Harvey High School 31.6% 71.1% 18.8% 18 3.3% 32.8%

District Totals 31.6% 71.1% 18.8% 18 3.3% 32.8%

Comparison Group for Connect to Success 

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon High School 48.7% 87.8% 57.7% 24 34.3% 47.5%

Vermilion Vermilion High School 57.6% 92.7% 52.5% 23 25.9% 53.1%

Indian Creek Indian Creek High School 54.3% 85.5% 40.7% 22 18.3% 59.2%

Gallipolis Gallia Academy High School 54.8% 92.4% 66.0% 22 31.4% 57.0%

Franklin Franklin High School 49.2% 95.2% 48.4% 21 14.6% 46.6%
Censeo Group AmeriCorps Outcome Evaluation 11.16.2016 p. 22

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative 

% Complete 

FAF

Graduation 

Rat 

% Took 

ACT 

ACT 

Mean 

% ACT / SAT 

Remediation Free 

% Enrolled College 

w/in 2 Years of Grad

Group Totals 52.4% 90.5% 53.2% 22.6 25.6% 52.0%

Comparison Group for Oberlin

Liberty Liberty High School 56.4% 92.1% 73.1% 20 18.5% 56.8%

Finneytown Finneytown Secondary Campus 51.4% 83.2% 73.7% 21 29.0% 56.0%

Group Totals 53.8% 87.5% 73.4% 20.5 23.9% 56.4%

Comparison Group for Scholarship Central 

Ashtabula Lakeside High School 36.2% 77.4% 42.4% 21 13.1% 40.5%

Mansfield Mansfield Senior High School 38.4% 75.0% 32.6% 19 7.8% 40.0%

Sandusky Sandusky High School 40.4% 77.9% 33.4% 20 10.0% 43.2%

Sidney Sidney High School 38.7% 82.3% 37.1% 22 17.6% 44.9%

Whitehall Whitehall Yearling High School 47.3% 81.3% 47.1% 19 10.8% 44.8%

Group Totals 39.5% 78.9% 38.5% 20.5 12.5% 42.6%

Comparison Group for Stark Educational Partnership 

Austintown Fitch High School 53.3% 89.9% 58.9% 21 20.1% 51.9%

Group Totals 53.3% 89.9% 58.9% 21 20.1% 51.9%

Comparison Group for Green County 

Woodridge Woodridge High School 59.3% 93.4% 78.9% 22 35.6% 72.4%

District Totals 59.3% 93.4% 78.9% 22 35.6% 72.4%

CONTROL GROUP TOTALS 45.4% 79.7% 49.2% 19.6 15.3% 49.8%