OMB Desk Officer Memo of Performance Report of Jan.31,2007

U NITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES

NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION RESEARCH

January 31, 2007

TO: Rachael Potter

OMB Desk Officer

RE: Annual Performance Reports/Final Reports for National Institute on Disability

And Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) Grantees

This request for clearance is for a revised version of the current form, collection number 1820-0675. Last year OMB granted a one-year provisional approval and we are now seeking a three-year approval for the form.

In order to better meet our information needs, and to minimize reporting burden, NIDRR has made a number of changes to the reporting form and web-based system used for FY 2005 reporting. Most importantly, the form has been redesigned so that information provided by grantees each year is automatically carried forward to the next. Under this design, grantees need only review and, if necessary, edit their previous year’s entries in order to complete subsequent annual reports. This change will be effective immediately, with all relevant information from FY 2005 reports carried forward to the new system in preparation for FY 2006 reporting.

The reporting form itself has also been streamlined, following a comprehensive review. Requirements for outcomes planning have been greatly simplified, and the level of detail requested on research and development/demonstration projects has been reduced. In the publications section, grantees need no longer report on materials that are not published by external sources. Finally, separate descriptions of accomplishments have been eliminated; instead, grantees will simply select their most important accomplishments from among the outputs they report.

Additional changes to the web-based system include:

• Preloading data from grant applications, including contact and budget information

• Adding system-generated summary tables to facilitate grantee and NIDRR staff review of information submitted.

• Carrying information forward from one section of the form to the next; for example, information on outcome-oriented goals will be carried forward for convenient linkage with projects/activities and publications.

If you require further clarification or have additional questions, please email or call Mary Darnell. Hopefully the process will be much easier this year.

Thank you,

Mary

[email protected]

202-245-7316

400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington. DC 20202

www.ed.gov

Our mission is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the Nation.