Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Performance Report

\FITW APR/FPR Forms

1. Report Checklist and Instructions

2. Budget Dates

3. Budget Summary

4. Performance Narrative Instructions

5. Performance Narrative File Upload

6. Evaluation Report Instructions

7. Evaluation Report File Upload

8. Other Documents Instructions

9. Performance Data

10. Partners

11. Final Performance Report

Report Checklist

Grantee:
Report:

Indicates completed sections - all sections must be checked before the report can be submitted.
Section	Status	Update	Preview
Project Description		Review/Update Project Description		Instructions
You must click the link above and review your abstract, subjects, Web sites, and contacts before you can submit your report.
Budget Summary		Update Budget Summary		Instructions
Partners		Update Partners		Instructions
Project Data		Update Project Data		Instructions
Performance Narrative		Upload Performance Narrative		Instructions
Evaluation Report		Upload Evaluation Report		Instructions
Other Documents (Optional)		Upload Other Documents	Preview Other Documents	Instructions Top of Form
FINAL PERFORMANCE REPORT		Upload Performance Report		Instructions

Instructions

Recipients of discretionary grants must submit an Annual (FINAL) Performance Report that demonstrates that substantial progress has been made toward meeting the objectives of the project. These instructions have been designed so that the Annual (FINAL) Performance Report will provide FIPSE with the information it needs to determine whether recipients have made such progress.

Please complete the following sections of the Annual Performance Report:

1. Project Description. As part of your Annual (FINAL) Performance Report, you must complete the entry of all activities and accomplishments on the project description in the FIPSE database. When editing, please remember that this is the public face of your grant and is likely to be viewed by Department of Education officials, members of Congress, postsecondary education professionals, and the general public.
   
   This section involves a multi-step review and update:

   1. Review your abstract. If it needs to be updated, click the 'Edit Abstract' button, enter your changes and click the Save button. Please review the instructions on this page before you update your abstract. When finished, click the "Continue to Project Web Sites" button.

   2. Review your list of Web sites. Update your web sites, if necessary. If you list a project Web site, please make sure that you have properly cited FIPSE support on your project Web site. When finished, click the "Continue to Project Subjects" button.

   3. Review your project categories. Click the 'Edit Subjects' button to change them. When finished, click the "Continue to Project Contacts" button.

   4. Review your project contacts. Update your list of contacts, if necessary. When finished, click the "Return to Checklist" button.

2. Budget Summary. You must include a budget summary as part of your report. The annual performance report must show (1) the budget for the current budget period/year, (2) expenditures from the first day of the current year to the current date, (3) obligations and projected expenditures from the date of this report to the end of the current year. Balances, in the last column, will be automatically calculated. You must also upload a budget narrative spreadsheet with a detailed breakdown of how funds were spent for each category. Please explain in the document your reasons for any unexpended funds and any significant differences between the original budget and final expenditures. You will not be able to submit your report until the budget narrative spreadsheet has been uploaded.
   
   

3. Project Data. This is statistical information about outreach to other institutions, additional funding, dissemination, media coverage, awards, educational products and resources, and satisfaction with FIPSE program management.
   
   

4. Performance Narrative. The performance narrative contains up to eight parts: (1) objectives, (2) institutional resources, (3) student selection and recruitment, (4) language and cultural instruction, (5) curriculum development, (6) impact on educational practice, (7) project outreach, and (8) final cumulative results from research study.
   
   

5. Evaluation Report. This report is written by the independent evaluator, not the project director. The report should be an evaluation of the learning outcomes of your project. It should not be a list of project activities or overall project management unless they relate to learning outcomes. It should contain more than a satisfaction survey. If you have received feedback from ED’s FITW Evaluation TA Provider, you should be sure to address those areas of project evaluation that were considered weak, unclear, or absent in previous submissions. Please upload your outside evaluator's report in this section.
   
   

6. Other Documents (Optional). You may upload electronic copies of important materials and resources developed during the time of the project, memorandum of understanding (1st year reports only), short-form resume of the outside evaluator (1st year reports only, unless there is a change of personnel), course outlines, books, media materials, and other significant products.
   
   

7. Preview Report. Click the "Preview Report" button to view your report information. Make sure all of the information is correct before you submit your report.
   
   

8. Submit Report. After you have completed the required sections of the report, a Submit button will display. Click this button to submit your report to FIPSE. When you click on the submit button, a cover sheet will be generated automatically for your review, based on the information you provided. Make sure that all parts of the cover sheet are complete before you submit.

Enter your authorized representative. Then click the "Submit Report" button. A confirmation email will be sent after the report is submitted.

Report Budget Information

Please enter the budget period start, end, and reporting dates. The budget period start and end dates are defined by the start and end dates of the current fiscal period. The budget period reporting date is the date specified by FIPSE for your annual report.

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Budget Period Start Date:	(mm/dd/yyyy)
Budget Period End Date:	(mm/dd/yyyy)
Budget Period Reporting Date:	(mm/dd/yyyy)

Budget Summary

Grantee:
Report:

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Instructions
The performance report must show (1) the budget for the current budget period/year, (2) expenditures from the first day of the current year to the current date, (3) obligations and projected expenditures from the date of this report to the end of the current year, and (4) an estimate of the balance. Indirect costs are limited to 8%. You must also upload a budget narrative document with a breakdown of each category.
Project Funds Awarded by FIPSE
Expense	(1) Original Budget 10/01/14 09/30/15	(2) Expenditures 10/01/14 09/01/15	(3) Obligations & Projected Expenditures 09/01/15 09/30/15	(4) Estimated Balance
Personnel	$	$	$	$
Fringe Benefits	$	$	$	$
Travel	$	$	$	$
Equipment	$	$	$	$
Supplies	$	$	$	$
Contractual	$	$	$	$
Other	$	$	$	$
Indirect Costs	$	$	$	$
Total FIPSE funds	$	$	$	$

Upload a budget narrative spreadsheet with a detailed breakdown of how funds were spent for each category. Please explain in the document your reasons for any unexpended funds and any significant differences between the original budget and expenditures. This file is required before your report can be submitted.
Budget Narrative File:
	Valid file types are MS Word, MS Excel, and PDF.

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Performance Narrative

Grantee:
Report:

	Instructions The main purpose of the performance report is to summarize and describe the progress of your project for the current reporting period. In a narrative of no more than 10 pages, relate the activities, successes, and difficulties that your project experienced during the past year. Please use double-spacing. After word processing your narrative, upload the document by clicking on the "Upload" button at the bottom of this screen.
	Components of Your Essay Please integrate into your essay a discussion of each of the following issues: Report your progress in accomplishing the objectives of the project. For each project objective, describe project activities and outcomes since the submission of the last performance report or (if you are currently in the first budget period) since the start of the project. Include quantifiable data in your narrative when available. Discuss the reasons for any setbacks or hurdles you have experienced and describe significant changes that occurred this year (e.g., changes in project leadership, staffing patterns, strategies, activities). Discuss any significant changes proposed for the coming year. Why are changes necessary? Have you experienced delays? Discuss how your project is improving the quality of teaching and learning within your institution. (Your outside evaluator’s report will go into this in more detail, but you may summarize the most significant findings here.) Describe how your project is making an impact on educational practice in other institutions. Please describe the evidence of impact: adaptation or adoption by other institutions or organizations; adaptation or adoption by other units (programs or departments) on the campus of the original reform project; growth of the original project, resulting in enlarged scale. To what extent and by what means are materials and practices developed in your project being disseminated to others? How is your evaluation proceeding? Are you experiencing any difficulties working with your outside evaluator? How often do you collect evaluation data on your project? Are you experiencing any difficulties gathering data on your objectives? Are there any changes or delays from your original evaluation plan? You may include some selected evaluation findings here, but the bulk of the evaluation evidence should be in the independent evaluator's report. FIPSE is evaluated on the extent to which its individual projects are institutionalized and sustained after federal funding ends. Please discuss in detail how your project will be sustained over the long term.
Performance Narrative
Grantee: Report:

Upload your narrative essay as one or more attachments in MS Word (DOC/DOCX), MS Excel (XLS/XLSX), Rich Text Format (RTF) or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Total maximum size of each attachment is 10 MB. You may upload as many files as you need, provided that they are files in the acceptable formats. Appendices may be integral parts of a single narrative essay file or individual files may be attached as well, if they are in any of the three accepted formats. Enter a descriptive title for each file (e.g., Appendix A: Questionnaire) in the "Document Title:" field. Select the file from your computer using the “Browse…” button. The "Save" button uploads your attachment to the server. Please be patient; it can take a few minutes depending on the size of the attachment and your connection speed. Top of Form
Document Title:
File to Upload:
Evaluation Report Grantee: Report: Instructions This report must be written by the outside evaluator, not the project director. The report should be an evaluation of the learning outcomes of the project. It should not be a list of project activities or project management issues unless these relate to learning outcomes. It should contain more than a satisfaction survey. The report should discuss the 2-5 main project goals centering on educational outcomes for postsecondary students or professional development for those working in the field of postsecondary education. If the project impacts K-12 students or teachers, you may discuss that here, but it should not be the sole focus of your evaluation since FIPSE grants are to improve postsecondary education. We are looking for assessment that focuses on gains or changes in knowledge, skills, behaviors, and/or attitudes. In this report you should explain the data gathering procedures you are using to monitor and assess progress toward the educational aims of the project. When describing the measurement instruments you are using (surveys, interviews, focus groups, assessments of e-portfolios or capstone projects, measures of class performance, scores on standardized tests, etc.), be sure to mention why they are appropriate to gauging the success of your endeavor. If you or the project director has received prior feedback from FIPSE staff regarding the project, the final section of this report should be sure to address those areas of project evaluation that were considered weak, unclear, or absent in previous submissions. Components of your outside evaluation report. Complete contact information for the independent project evaluator. Your independent evaluator must be someone who does not stand to gain personally or professionally from the project or its results. Annual evaluation reports: Year 1 Evaluation Report - The Evaluation Report contains a revised evaluation plan, details of baseline data collection, and draft data collection instruments. Year 2 Evaluation Report - The Evaluation Report contains your early evaluation findings and a discussion of the resulting adjustments to project activities that were recommended and those that were implemented in order to increase the impact of the project. Year 3 Evaluation Report - The Evaluation Report updates your evaluation findings to date and discusses any further adjustments to project activities that were recommended and those that were implemented in order to increase the impact of the project. FINAL Evaluation Report If you or the project director has received feedback on an evaluation plan from ED’s FITW Evaluation TA Provider, please be sure to address those issues that she flagged as absent, unclear, or weak in her feedback. She will be comparing her previous assessment with this report and filling in the missing information. Finally, the final evaluation report should include findings for the ENTIRE grant period. Note 1: A short-form resume of the outside project evaluator is required in the first year as well as with a change of personnel. Upload the resume separately under "Other Documents." Note 2: Include the grant number and institution name at the top of the document. Only documents formatted in MS Word for Windows (DOC), Rich Text Format (RTF), Excel (XLS), or PDF may be uploaded separately as digital documents, using the "Upload Evaluation Report" button below. Bottom of Form

Evaluation Report

Grantee:

Report:

Upload your evaluation report as one or more attachments in MS Word (DOC/DOCX), MS Excel (XLS/XLSX), Rich Text Format (RTF) or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Total maximum size of each attachment is 10 MB. You may upload as many files as you need, provided that they are files in the acceptable formats. Appendices may be integral parts of a single narrative essay file or individual files may be attached as well, if they are in any of the three accepted formats. Enter a descriptive title for each file (e.g., Appendix A: Questionnaire) in the "Document Title:" field. Select the file from your computer using the “Browse…” button. The "Save" button uploads your attachment to the server. Please be patient; it can take a few minutes depending on the size of the attachment and your connection speed. Top of Form
Document Title:
File to Upload:
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Other Documents (Optional)

Grantee:
Report: 2015 Annual Report

Instructions
As noted earlier, you may submit copies of important materials or resources generated during the time of the project, e.g., course outlines, journal articles, books, CD-ROMs, software, and other significant products. Your short-form resume for your outside evaluator may be uploaded here. NOTE: Include the grant number and institution name at the top of each document. Only documents formatted in MS Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF may be uploaded.

Performance Data

Grantee:
Report:

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Instructions
Please answer all of the following questions. If any questions do not apply to your project, enter "N/A" for text answers and "0" for numeric answers. In each text box, leave a space between paragraphs.

Section 1 - Financial Data

1.

Did your organization expend more than $750,000 in Federal funds during the last fiscal year?

 

Yes No N/A

2.

When was your most recent OMB Circular A-133 audit?

 

Fiscal Year:

3.

Were there any findings under your most recent audit?

 

Yes No N/A

4.

Have all the findings been resolved through corrective actions?

 

Yes No N/A

5.

Does your organization maintain time distribution records for each employee to account for the total activity for which an employee is compensated from the present grant award?

 

Yes No N/A

6.

Does your organization have procedures in place to minimize the time elapsing between the transfer of funds to your organization by a Federal agency and your organization’s expenditures of such funds?

 

Yes No N/A

7.

Does your organization have a current negotiated indirect cost rate agreement?

 

Yes No

 

Expiration Date:

8.

How much did your organization expend on for-profit(s)? (Any funds from the present grant award that are expended to for-profit groups/individuals/organizations/companies.) (No commas)

 

Equipment: $

 

Consultants: $

 

Contractual: $

Section 2 - Performance Data

1.

Was there a change in the project director this year?

 

Yes No

If yes, please follow the instructions in the How to Change your Project Director Guide to change your project director.

2.

Was there a change in your evaluator?

Yes No

If yes, enter your new evaluator on the Evaluator screen.

3a.

Select your primary absolute priority for underrepresented, underprepared, or low-income students.

3b.

Select your other absolute priorities for underrepresented, underprepared, or low-income students.

Press the "ctrl" key and click to select more than one.

4a.

How many students did you propose to serve in your control group?

4b.

How many students did you propose to serve in your comparison group?

5a.

How many students did you actually serve in your control group?

5b.

How many students did you actually serve in your comparison group?

5c.

If the actual number of students served is less than the proposed number of students, please explain why.

6a.

How many underrepresented, underprepared, or low-income students did you actually serve in your control group?

6b.

How many underrepresented, underprepared, or low-income students did you actually serve in your comparison group?

7.

Rate all of the intervention activities that you are using.

	Intervention Activity	Highly Effective	Very Effective	Effective	Slightly Effective	Not Effective
	Intervention Type 1
	Intervention Type 2
	Intervention Type 3
	Intervention Type 4
	Other:
	Other:

8a.

Has your logic model changed?

Yes No

8b.

If yes, upload your new logic model document.

Note: the file uploaded must be a MS Word or PDF document.

9a.

Have you had any significant delays?

Yes No

9b.

If yes, please explain them.

10.

Please check all of the following activities which your project conducted this year.

Changes to the curriculum

Changes to the institutional policy

Other:

Other:

 

Form Completed (must be checked in order to submit report)

Grant Partner List

Grantee:
Report:

Click the "Add a Partner" button to add a partner. Click the "Update" link to update information about a partner. Click the "Delete" link to remove a partner.

Partner Name:	Role:	Activities:
University of Virginia	UVA role information	list of UVA's activities	Update | Delete
Virginia Tech	VT role information	list of VTech's activities	Update | Delete

Add a Grant Partner

Grantee:
Report:

Enter the following information for your partner and click the "Save" button.
Partner Name:
Partner Role:
List your partner's activities:
Is this partner actively engaged?	Yes No
If yes, list the partner's objectives:
If no, list the issues and challenges:

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Grantee:
FINAL PERFORMANCE REPORT

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Instructions Please answer all of the following questions.
Section 1 -
1.	Select the research design used in your study.
	RCT QED RDD Other
2.	Will your research study produce a publication for review by WWC? Please provide date for submission to WWC.
	Yes No N/A Submission Date:
3.	Please provide the link to the widely-publicly available article that will be reviewed by WWC.
4.	Please provide the links to all articles associated with your FITW grant.
5.	Please upload all articles associated with your FITW grant to Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) https://eric.ed.gov/.
6.	Did you find the technical assistance delivered by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and their contractor (ABT) helpful to design your research study?
	Yes No N/A
7.	Please provide what type of services delivered by IES and ABT were most helpful and why? What, if any, types of technical assistance were missing? If the Department offered this type of grant program in the future, what type of technical assistance would be most helpful?

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number.  Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 40 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  The obligation to respond to this collection is required to obtain or retain benefit (Title VII, Part B of the Higher Education Act of 1965). Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to regulations.gov during the public comment period for this collection of information.  If you have specific questions about the form, instrument or survey, please contact the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20202.

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