Reconsidering Program Design: Integrating Summer Bridge Elements into a Fall-Start Model
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| Title: | Reconsidering Program Design: Integrating Summer Bridge Elements into a Fall-Start Model |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Marie Bunner |
| Source: | Practitioner to Practitioner. 2026 15(1):14-16. |
| Availability: | National Organization for Student Success. P.O. Box 963, Northport, AL 35476. Tel: 205-331-5997; e-mail: practitioner@thenoss.org; Web site: https://thenoss.org/Practitioner-to-Practitioner |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 3 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Summer Programs, Transitional Programs, Program Design, College Admission, College Freshmen, Academic Achievement, Program Effectiveness |
| Geographic Terms: | Pennsylvania |
| Abstract: | The Academic Success Program (ASP) at West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a special admissions program with a legacy of supporting students' transition to college through a summer bridge experience, the first year, and beyond. For the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years, the program piloted a new model, offering the opportunity for students to select a summer-start or a fall-start term. Central to this change was the question of whether the summer session functioned as a barrier to admission for some students and whether similar benefits could be achieved through alternative program design. Findings show the summer-start model provides a stronger academic foundation, and students tend to perform better initially. Fall-start students begin with lower grade point averages (GPAs), and while they show improvement in the second fall, they never reach the summer cohort GPA levels. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1499760 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The Academic Success Program (ASP) at West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a special admissions program with a legacy of supporting students' transition to college through a summer bridge experience, the first year, and beyond. For the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years, the program piloted a new model, offering the opportunity for students to select a summer-start or a fall-start term. Central to this change was the question of whether the summer session functioned as a barrier to admission for some students and whether similar benefits could be achieved through alternative program design. Findings show the summer-start model provides a stronger academic foundation, and students tend to perform better initially. Fall-start students begin with lower grade point averages (GPAs), and while they show improvement in the second fall, they never reach the summer cohort GPA levels. |
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