Program Planning

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Program Planning Improvement Webinar Part III
-Selection Criteria - An informational Service-

• Presenters Barbara Purvis Ella Taylor
• Moderator Jon Harding

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AGENDA FOR TODAYS WEBINAR Disclaimer The
following information is taken directly from the
published CFDA 84.326C competition with
suggestions (only) on issues that new applicants
may want to consider as they plan their projects
and seek to provide more effective services to
children and youth who are deaf-blind

• Overview of the Selection Criteria Format
• Question/Answer period

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GENERAL GRANT WRITING SUGGESTIONS

• CRITICAL POINT To assist the reviewers to score
  your proposal with the review forms that they are
  given, it is recommended that you
• Use the selection criteria headings as a Table of
• Contents
• Use the same wording used in the RFP for the
  headings and sub-headings

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PROJECT ABSTRACT

• Provide a one-two page abstract of the proposed
  project that follows the description of that in
  the RFA. At a minimum, address
• Title of the program, the name of the absolute
  priority, and the CFDA number (CFDA 84.326C)
• Purpose of project, disability addressed, age
  group, geography, severity
• Proposed products (if any are to be developed)
• Proposed outcomes and potential impact
• Names and affiliations of key collaborators

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POINTS TO CONSIDER - ABSTRACT

• Abstract must include priority and named state
  project
• The RFP does not count the abstract as a page
  within the Part III page limit
• The abstract should state the significance of the
  project in one-three sentences
• The abstract should clearly articulate the major
  goals (purpose) of the proposal
• The abstract should address the intended impact
  of the proposed project
• The abstract should provide the reader with a
  concise overview of the project

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Selection Criteria to Evaluate Applications

• Criteria are those for new grants required by the
  EDGAR selection criteria menu.
• The maximum score for all of the criteria is 100
  points.
• The one-two page abstract should precede the
  application narrative
• Part III Application narrative should not
  exceed 70 pages
• The narrative should include the following
  sections in the given order

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PART III - PROJECT NARRATIVE

• Selection Criteria and Format for CFDA 84.326C
• (a) Significance (10 points)
• (b) Quality of project services (25 points)
• (c) Quality of project personnel (20 points)
• (d) Adequacy of resources (10 points)
• (e) Quality of the management plan (15 points)
• (f) Quality of project evaluation (20 points)

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(a) Significance (10)
The Secretary considers

• The potential contribution to increase knowledge
  of early education or educational problems/issues
  and effective strategies
• The likelihood of systems change or improvement
• The building of capacity to provide, improve, or
  expand services
• The utility of products
• The importance of the results/potential impact

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(a) Significance (10)

• Convince the reader that you can
• Use your states 2006 and 2007 Census data as
  part of your needs assessment process
• Verify the stated needs of the population,
  families, service providers, agencies (indicate
  your data sources)
• Show a direct relationship between the needs
  assessment results and the needs being addressed
• Consider summarizing the impact of your past
  project
• Show a direct relationship between the stated
  needs and the proposed objectives
• Show how the objectives of the proposed project
  correspond to the priorities
• Consider Dick Zellers findings from site review
  These were the common needs
• Asses state needs
• Assess child needs
• Measure child outcomes
• Research based practices
• Evaluate project effectiveness

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POINTS TO CONSIDER - SIGNIFICANCE

• Potential contribution of the proposed project to
  increase knowledge or understanding of
  educational problems, issues, or effective
  strategies.
• Analyze your states census data what needs are
  reflected here?
• What critical needs did your Site Review
  recommend?
• What potential SPP/APR determinants will be
  targeted in your state?
• What needs has the applicant identified from
  other state data (Assistive technology,
  developmental disabilities, PTI data)?
• Can the applicant show actual child/youth/family
  need data?
• How do your proposed objectives and activities
  address the needs and contribute to improvement?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER - SIGNIFICANCE

• (ii) Likelihood that the Project will Result in
  System Change or Improvement consider discussing
  the following
• Summarize data on effectiveness of system change
  in past 5 years in your state and your
  contribution to that improvement
• Provide the overall proposed framework in a logic
  model
• Discuss how you propose to link your activities
  with current systems of service (Part C Part B
  Sec. 619 Part B Voc Rehab PTI Centers
  University (IHE) Personnel Prep Assistive Tech)
• Discuss how your proposed activities are aligned
  with professional plans with other agencies in
  your state
• Discuss how the proposed objectives are linked to
  current systems initiatives within your state

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POINTS TO CONSIDER - SIGNIFICANCE

• (iii) Extent that the Project is Likely to Build
  Local Capacity to Provide, Improve, or Expand
  Services That Address Needs
• Are you proposing a model to build capacity
• Have needs changed based on current technology
• What capacity will you attempt to build
• How will you build capacity
• How will you know if you have built capacity
• Do the objectives reflect how the proposed
  project will build local capacity to address the
  needs of the target population?
• How does the applicant propose to collaborate
  with Parts B C, SPDIG, Personnel Preparation
  programs, adult agencies in order to build
  capacity?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER - SIGNIFICANCE

• (iv) Utility of the Products that will Result
  from the Project Products may include
  information, materials, process, or techniques
• Will you show that products/services are
• Useful
• Relevant
• High quality
• Cost effective?
• (v) Importance or magnitude of the
  Results/Outcomes
• How will other populations directly benefit?
• How might service providers and other families
  benefit?
• How will practices and services be improved as a
  result of the proposed project?
• What is the impact?

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(b) Quality of project services (25)
The Secretary considers

• The quality and sufficiency of strategies for
  ensuring equal access and treatment for eligible
  participants related to
• Race
• Color
• National origin
• Gender
• Age, or
• Disability

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(b) Quality of project services (25)
The Secretary also considers

• Appropriateness to the needs of the recipients
• Demonstration of support by those to be served
• Use of knowledge from research and effective
  practices
• Impact of the services on the intended recipients
• Collaboration of appropriate partners
• Use of efficient strategies, including those of
  technology and leveraging of resources

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Quality of Project Services (25)

• NOTE The Quality of Project Services should
  logically lead the reader from the stated needs
  and proposed objectives (outlined in the
  Significance section) to the activities necessary
  to carry out each objective. One or more Logic
  Models might be used to display the sequence and
  the causal connections.

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POINTS TO CONSIDER PROJECT SERVICES

• 1) Quality of the Services to be Provided
• Does the proposal address each required priority?
• How well is the proposal designed? Is a strong
  conceptual model included?
• Are the objectives and activities consistent with
  the stated needs?
• How well do the project objectives and activities
  correspond to the priorities?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER PROJECT SERVICES

• 2) Equal Access and Treatment for Eligible
  Project Participants
• Describe the projects provisions for providing
  equal access (GEPA)
• Describe how your website will address
  accessibility issues
• Describe strategies that the project will use for
  the recruitment of eligible project participants
  who are members of traditionally under
  represented groups (strategies should not refer
  only to children)?
• Discuss how the project will address cultural and
  language issues in your state?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER PROJECT SERVICES

• 3) The Secretary Considers the Following Factors
• The Extent to Which the Services to be Provided
  Are Appropriate To The Needs of the Intended
  Recipients
• Is there a correspondence between targeted
  results intensity of services?
• Are the diverse and unique needs of the
  population addressed
• Are the services to be provided consistent with
  IDEA2004, GPRA, State Performance Plans Annual
  Performance Report for Part C, Part B-619, Part
  B indicators?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER PROJECT SERVICES

• (ii) Extent to Which Entities Served by the
  Proposed Project Demonstrate Support
• Are letters of support/intent from parents and
  consumers included?
• Are letters from teachers, interveners, and
  service providers included?
• Do letters from agencies address how the project
  can build capacity and facilitate improved
  outcomes?
• Are letters of commitment from collaborative
  agencies included?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER PROJECT SERVICES

• (iii) Extent to Which the Services Reflect
  Knowledge from Research and Effective Practices
• Is research specific to technical assistance or
  professional development included?
• Are the educational approaches planned based on
  sound theoretical models and research that
  indicates they will be successful for the
  population to be served?
• Does the review of literature include research
  and effective practices that corresponds to the
  proposed activities?
• Does the proposal address innovative strategies
  for TA?
• How does the project propose to provide on-site
  coaching strategies?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER PROJECT SERVICES

• (iv) Impact of Services on the Intended
  Recipients
• Are project objectives clearly stated and
  measurable?
• Does the proposal clearly state the results for
  which the applicant is responsible?
• Does the proposal clearly indicate that proposed
  activities will result in significant impact.
• Note Since the RFA includes significant points
  for Evaluation, this sub-section might refer the
  reader to the Evaluation section for the
  discussion of specific objective measures of
  impact.

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POINTS TO CONSIDER PROJECT SERVICES

• (v) Extent to Which the Services Involve
  Collaboration of Appropriate Partners for
  Maximizing the Effectiveness of Project Services
• Are the specific agencies and collaborative
  partners clearly indicated and are their roles
  clearly stated?
• Have these agencies committed in writing?
• Are the anticipated outcomes from any joint
  collaborations clearly addressed?
• Are the goals and roles of the Advisory Council
  provided (if one is proposed to address multiple
  perspectives for implementation and evaluation?)

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POINTS TO CONSIDER PROJECT SERVICES

• (vi) Extent to Which the TA Services Involve the
  use of Efficient Strategies, including
  Technology, and Leverage Non-Project Resources
• Are TA strategies based on research?
• How will distance learning be addressed?
• How is the project proposing to use technology?
• What specific technology needs to the
  children/youth have?
• Are these current needs being addressed by the
  project?
• How will services impact educational practices?
• Does the project describe which effective
  strategies will be used?
• Describe how your University DOE/SEA support
  your project?

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(c) Quality of project personnel (20)
The Secretary considers

• The quality of the personnel
• Recruitment of individuals from
  under-represented groups
• Qualifications, training and experience of key
  personnel
• Qualifications, training and experience of
  consultants
• Current vitae

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Quality of Project Personnel

• NOTE This section is worth a number of points
  for the length. Staff on a project should have
  the experience and skills (a) to provide
  technical assistance to service providers or
  families working with children (b) to have the
  knowledge and skills to address a range of
  disabilities reflected in the population who are
  deaf-blind (c) to demonstrate a working knowledge
  with the age-span of children who are deaf-blind
  (d) to deliver inservice training and follow-up,
  and (e) to evaluate the effectiveness of the
  project.

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POINTS TO CONSIDER - PERSONNEL

• 1) Quality of Personnel
• Has the applicant included short paragraphs
  summarizing the skills and experience of key
  staff?
• Does the staffs experience reflect skills in
  managing grants and in work specific to DB
  content, local capacity building and system
  change?
• Has the applicant included a table (remember to
  double space this) or text of time each staff
  will commit to project? (See Person Loading Chart
  on page C-6)
• Does the application include personnel summaries
  for key donated or in-kind staff?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER - PERSONNEL

• 2) Extent to Which Applicant Encourages
  Applications
• Does the applicant describe active strategies for
  encouraging applications from members of groups
  that have traditionally been under represented
  based on race, color, national origin, gender,
  age, or disability? Strategies must be included
  here, not just a sentence that you encourage
  applicantshow?
• Does the applicant specify how a parent(s) may be
  included as staff?
• What specific accommodations for personnel may
  need to be considered and budgeted?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER - PERSONNEL

• 3) The Secretary also Considers the Following
  Factors
• (i) Qualifications of key personnel
• Describe major roles and responsibilities of key
  personnel with FTE
• Does staff expertise match the major objectives
  and work scope of the project?
• Are key staff on the project at sufficient FTE?
• How does staff experience/skill correspond to
  objectives?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER - PERSONNEL

• (ii) Qualifications of the consultants or
  subcontractors
• Do you have letters of commitment and vitae from
  consultants?
• Has the applicant clearly outlined how
  consultants will be selected and utilized?
• Are the relevant training and experience of the
  consultants discussed or are their vita included?

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(e) Adequacy of resources (10)
The Secretary considers

• Support, facilities equipment and other resources
  of the applicant
• Adequacy of the budget
• Reasonableness of the costs in relations

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Adequacy of Resources

• NOTE Consider both human and non-human
  resources. Consider how strong collaborations
  can serve as a resource.

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POINTS TO CONSIDER - RESOURCES

• (i) Adequacy of Support
• Has the applicant discussed all resources?
• Does the agency have a history in carrying out
  projects?
• Has the applicant adequately described their
  facilities, equipment, support services, and
  overall agency-resources?
• How can the Advisory Counci be considered a
  resource?
• Can the applicant adequately carry out project
  activities in terms of word processing, data
  storage and analysis, duplication, and travel?
• What types of resources are available from the
  collaborating agencies?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER - RESOURCES

• (ii) Extent to Which the Budget is Adequate
• How has the applicant addressed the budget in
  relation to the work scope?
• Has the budget been addressed in relation to all
  activities?
• Has the applicant convinced the readers how the
  allocated budget will be used to accomplish the
  projects objectives?
• Does the budget reflect costs for interpreters,
  access issues, etc.?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER - RESOURCES

• (iii) Extent to Which Costs are Reasonable
• Has the applicant discussed how costs are
  reasonable in terms of the projected numbers of
  children, parents, service providers,
  administrators, paraprofessionals to be served?
• Can project resources meet TA requests?
• Has the applicant indicated donated and in-kind
  dollars and sources of these dollars?
• Clearly indicate how your SEA and agency (have
  and will) provide additional resources to assist
  in the support of your proposed project.

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(d) Quality of the management plan (15)
The Secretary considers

• Adequacy of the plan to achieve objectives
• On time
• Within the budget
• With clearly defined responsibilities
• In relation to specific timelines, and
• With milestones for accomplishing tasks

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Quality of the management plan

• NOTE Whereas a number of tables may be included
  in the Management Section (and it is worth 15
  points), you may want to show a snap shot of the
  specific timelines of one or two objectives and
  place the more extensive timeline table in the
  appendix. However, do give the reader a feel for
  what you are doing and what it will look like so
  they are tempted to look in an appendix. Put
  what is critical into the pages allowed. Put
  what complements, reinforces and clarifies in the
  appendix. However, do not over-do the appendix
  section, more is not necessarily better.

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POINTS TO CONSIDER MANAGEMENT PLAN

• (i) Adequacy of the management plan to achieve
  the objectives
• How will the applicant use its resources and
  personnel to achieve the objectives, with clearly
  defined responsibilities?
• Has the applicant developed an effective
  management plan with realistic timelines?
• Are communication strategies included?
• Has the applicant included a personnel loading
  chart by objective? (See page C-6)
• Has the applicant included timelines?
• Has the applicant provided measurable milestones
  for accomplishing tasks?
• Is the project within the budget?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER MANAGEMENT PLAN

• (ii) Adequacy of Procedures for Ensuring Feedback
• How will staff assignments and assigned
  responsibilities be monitored?
• What feedback systems are in place, such as the
  Goal Attainment Scale, GPRA indicators or other
  tools?
• How are activities monitored?
• How are data used to make decisions?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER MANAGEMENT PLAN

• (iii) Adequacy of Mechanisms for Insuring High
  Quality Products and Services
• Does the project have strategies in place to
  determine the quality of the services? These may
  be needs assessments, surveys, focus groups,
  staff reviews, systematic reviews of the data for
  decision-making.
• Does the proposal include a dissemination plan?
• How do larger staffs communicate and supervise
  work activities?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER MANAGEMENT PLAN

• (iv) Extent to Which Time Commitments of the
  Staff are Appropriate and Adequate
• Does the applicant show the time commitments for
  staff across administrative and TA activities?
• Does the applicant show the time commitments for
  all staff across other federal and non-federal
  projects (See C 5)?
• Are the staff time commitments adequate?
• Do letters from agencies indicate their time
  commitment?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER MANAGEMENT PLAN

• (v) Insure a Diversity of Perspectives
• How does the applicant include stakeholders,
  including parents and consumers, in all aspects
  of the project?
• How does the project solicit cultural
  perspectives?
• How are the needs of underserved families met?
• How does the project work with their PTIs to
  address these issues?

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(f) Quality of Evaluation (20)

• The Secretary
• Considers the quality of the evaluation to be
  conducted in the proposed project
• Considers the following factors

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POINTS TO CONSIDER EVALUATION

• Extent to which the methods of evaluation are
  thorough, feasible, and appropriate to the goals,
  objectives and anticipated outcomes
• Are both formative and summative evaluation
  measures included?
• Are the proposed evaluations aligned with the
  level of TA intensity?
• How are the intended outcomes being measured?
• Are the proposed evaluation strategies reasonable
  in relation to project resources?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER EVALUATION

• (ii) Extent to which the method of evaluation
  provide performance feedback and permit periodic
  assessment (such as the GAS, GPRA or other tools)
• Have targeted outcomes been established across
  major activities? How are these incorporated into
  the annual Grant Performance Report?
• Does data include GPRA indicators (high quality,
  relevant, useful)?
• Are measurement systems in place?
• Are data consistently and regularly put into the
  system?
• Are the data analyzed for progress each quarter?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER EVALUATION

• (iii) The extent to which the methods of
  evaluation will provide timely guidance for
  quality assurance
• Are the stated objectives and activities being
  implemented and evaluated as stated?
• Are timelines being implemented as stated?
• Are data analyzed for the Grant Performance
  Report?
• Are decisions being made based on data?
• How are challenges, barriers, issues being
  documented?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER EVALUATION

• (iv) Extent to which evaluation will provide
  guidance about effective strategies for
  replication or testing in other settings
• How are TA strategies documented?
• How are baseline data collected?
• Are any model demonstration activities planned in
  collaboration?
• Is there some change in performance (of teachers,
  of interveners, of families) after the strategy
  was used?
• How are effective strategies used to scale
  up? or to replicate in other LEAs or classrooms?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER EVALUATION

• The extent to which the methods provide for
  examining the effectiveness of project
  implementation
• Are the timelines for activity initiation being
  met?
• How is the Logic model used for formative
  evaluation?
• Is fidelity of implementation of coaching
  strategies being measured or probed?
• How are both the efforts and effects being
  examined for effectiveness?

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POINTS TO CONSIDER EVALUATION

• (vi) The extent to which the methods of
  evaluation include the use of objective
  performance measures that are clearly related to
  the intended outcomes and the TA provided
• Are objective measures (not subjective) being
  used to measure the performance of service
  providers and children/youth for critical TA
  activities?
• Are probes included if projects lack resources
  for ongoing objective performance measures?
• Are both effort and effect used as performance
  measures?
• Are both qualitative and quantitative data being
  collected to the extent possible?
• How is evaluation reflected in the logic models?

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Protection of Human Subjects (IRB) What is
research?

• If an activity follows a deliberate plan whose
  purpose is to develop or contribute to
  generalizable knowledge it is research.
• Definitions for DOE Supplemental Information for
  SF 424

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Protection of Human Subjects (IRB)

• If an activity involves obtaining information
  about a living person by manipulation that person
  or that persons environment, such as might occur
  when a new instructional technique is tested, or
  by communicating or interacting with the
  individual, as occurs with surveys and
  interviews, the definition of human subject is
  met.
• If an activity involves obtaining private
  information about a living person in such a way
  that the information can be linked to that
  individual the definition of human subject is
  met.
• Definitions for DOE Supplemental Information for
  SF 424

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Exempt or Non-exempt?

• Do you track individual student progress?
• IF yes, NON-EXEMPT
• Answer the 7 questions under Non-exempt
• IF no, do you track individual service provider
  or family progress?
• IF yes, NON-EXEMPT
• Answer the 7 questions under Non-exempt
• IF no to both, then you are Exempt. Provide a
  brief paragraph explaining the involvement of
  human subjects
• NOTE You do not need to get IRB approval before
  submitting, but you do need to address human
  subject protection in the Supplemental
  Information form

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• TIME FOR QUESTIONS

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THANK YOU!

• Good Luck with Your Application!