Grants 101c: Evaluation
and Sustainability
Provided to constituents as part of a webinar
series, developed by the College Board’s Strategy,
Outreach and Response Unit
6 March 2012
Overview
Today, you will learn
•
the components of a quality grant evaluation and
•
how to plan for project sustainability after funding ends.
•
Recording of this webinar and the power point
presentation will be available within 48hrs at
www.collegeboard.org/grants
Today’s Presenters
•
Theodore Dwyer: Manager of Evaluation,
Assessment & Accountability, Hillsborough County
Public Schools, Tampa, FL
•
Lynn Fell: Senior Grant/Response Writer, The
College Board, Duluth, GA
First Steps – before developing your proposal
•
Get support and approval from your leadership
•
Identify your team (this includes your
Evaluator)
•
Read RFP thoroughly
•
Takes notes, highlight
•
Review and print all required forms
•
Get the team together for review
•
Ask questions!
Quality of the Evaluation
Project Evaluation
•
Defines your ability to participate in required national
evaluation activities
•
Describes continuous feedback loop used to ensure
project success
•
Should be both formative and summative
•
IMPORTANT: Contract with an experienced outside evaluator early
in the application process so that they can assist you in developing
the evaluation plan
•
Local university
•
American Evaluation Association
•
•
http://www.eval.org/
American Educational Research Association
•
http://www.aera.net/
The Role of the External Evaluator
•
Work with team as external consultant
•
Provide balance between being part of the team and being
external
•
Collect information for formative and summative parts of
the program
•
Provide periodic feedback to program personnel (at all
levels)
Common Criteria for Evaluation
1)
The extent to which the methods of evaluation are
thorough, feasible, and appropriate to the goals,
objectives, and outcomes of the proposed project
2)
The extent to which the methods of evaluation
will provide performance feedback and permit
periodic assessment of progress toward achieving
intended outcomes
What does this mean?
Extent to which the methods of evaluation are
thorough, feasible, and appropriate to the goals,
objectives, and outcomes of the proposed project
•
The best evaluations are mixed method
•
•
Qualitative – soft data (how participants feel about the
project , such as surveys, focus groups, etc.)
•
Quantitative – hard data (numbers; test performance; PD
completers, etc.)
What does this mean?
Extent to which the methods of evaluation will
provide performance feedback and permit
periodic assessment of progress toward achieving
intended outcomes
•
•
Informs progress, allows for course corrections
•
Provides platform for regular sustainability planning
A good evaluation ensures that:
•
Goals, objectives, and outcomes are clearly
specified and measurable
•
Goal – broad, generalized statement
•
Objective – SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic,
and Time-Bound)
•
GPRA, Program, Project
•
At least one goal restates the program purpose
•
GPRAs* (federally required outcomes) are evident in objectives
*Government Performance and Results Act
Sample Project Model
Need
Need
50%
of
students
currently
enrolled
50% of in AP
courses
are
students
white;
75% of
currently
students
enrolled in AP
passing
coursesAP
are
exams
are
white; 75% of
white
students
passing AP
exams are
white
Program
Purpose:
Increase
opportunities for
students to earn
postsecondary
credit through AP,
IB, or dual credit.
Goal
(Should link
to NEED)
Goal (should
Increase
link to need)
opportunities
Objective
Increase the Activity
Provide
(SMART)
percentage of training for
for all students
to
earn
Increase
postsecondary
opportunities
credit
for all through
students
enrollment
in
to earn
AP
courses
postsecondary
underreprese
nted students
Increase
the
in
AP
courses
percentage
by ____% each
of
year of the
underrepres
project
ented
credit through
enrollment in
AP courses
students in
AP courses
by ____%
each
yearthe
of
schedule
Increase
Provide waiver
the
project
students
intofor
percentage of for AP tests
underreprese AP
lowcourses
income
nted students students
Passing AP
tests by ____%
each year of
the project
GPRA:
Percentage of
students
enrolled in AP
courses by
ethnicity and
socio-economic
status
Objective
(SMART)
Activity
guidance
counselors
Provide
and
training
for
administrators
guidance
to
counselors
appropriately
and
schedule
administrator
into
sstudents
to
AP courses
appropriately
Partner/
Outcomes
Measure
Person
Responsible
Partner/
Project Director, Outcomes
Increase AP Measure
AP
Person
Supervisor of
enrollment
enrollmen
Responsible
Staff
by ___% over t data
Development,
Project
College Board
Director,
Supervisor of
Staff
Development,
College Board
baselineAPfor AP
Increase
each AYP
enrollment
enrollmen
subgroup
by ___%
t data
annually
over
baseline for
each AYP
subgroup
annually
Increase AP
AP Testing
level 3 and
data
above by
___% over
baseline for
each AYP
subgroup
annually
Sustainability
Importance of Sustainability Planning
•
Often a required criteria
•
Necessary to actually sustain the project after
funding ends
Common Supports for Sustainability
•
Items created with project funding
•
Curriculum
•
Assessments
•
Professional Development
•
Methodologies
Common Supports for Sustainability
•
Personnel in the project are needed to get the
project up and running – those personnel who are
vital to sustainability will be funded by the
applicant after federal funding ends
•
Training begun under project will continue; “train
the trainer” model
•
Advisory boards/stakeholder groups will continue
to provide guidance
Common Supports for Sustainability
•
Budget shows decreasing dependence on grant
funds to implement project
•
Expand grant writing resources to secure additional
grant funding (public and private sources)
•
Creation of foundation or other “giving group” that
is charged with raising private funds
Formalize Sustainability Planning
•
Build sustainability planning into your evaluation
plan
•
Sustainability plan should be finalized prior to the
last year of the project
Sustainability Planning as Milestone
Milestone
Responsible Party
Sustainability
Planning
Project Director,
Advisory Board,
Operating Team
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Qs 1-4,
2013
Qs 1-4,
2014
Qs 1-4,
2015
Q1,
2016
•Make Sustainability Planning part of your Milestones Timeline (usually a required
element)
•Make Sustainability Planning a regular agenda item in leadership meetings
•As the project nears its end, sustainability planning should be solidly in place
Remaining Webinars in the series
•
Wed, Mar 14, 1pm EST -Grants 101d: Finalization
and Submission: Tips and Strategies.
www.collegeboard.org/grants to register
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