Veterans Upward Bound Program

Veterans Upward Bound Program

Application Technical Review Form

(CFDA No. 84.047V)

Applicant / Application Number
PO47V
Descriptive Name of Project
Address (City and State)

Instructions: This form is furnished for your use in evaluating each assigned application. Please complete all pages. Be as thorough and explicit as possible in your responses. We are requesting your professional evaluation of the applicant’s need for the project, strengths and weaknesses of the plan to address these needs through the proposed project, and the plans to evaluate the project’s success. For each of the criterion, please indicate in what ways the application does or does not meet the acceptable standards. Be as specific as possible in your comments since they will be used in discussing the application with the applicant without reference to the source. If you have any questions concerning the application, please contact the ED staff person assigned to your panel.

Summary Ratings
Maximum Points / Score
A. Need / 24
B. Objectives / 9
C. Plan of Operation / 30
D. Applicant and Community Support / 16
E. Quality of Personnel / 8
F. Budget and cost effectiveness / 5
G. Evaluation Plan / 8
H. .Quality of Project Design / 5
Total Maximum Score for Selection Criteria / 105

A.Need -(Total maximum of 24 Points)

Evaluates the need for an Veterans Upward Bound project in the proposed target area on the basis of clear evidence that shows—

(1) The proposed target area lacks the services for eligible veterans that the applicant proposes to provide;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (6) Reviewer’s Score:

(2) A large number of veterans who reside in the target area are low income and potential first generation college students;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (6) Reviewer’s Score:

(3) A large number of veterans who reside in the target area have not completed high school or have completed high school but have not enrolled in a program of postsecondary education; and

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (6) Reviewer’s Score:

(4) Other indicators of need for a Veterans Upward Bound project, including the presence of unaddressed academic or socio-economic problems of veterans in the area.

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (6) Reviewer’s Score:

Objectives (Total maximum of 9 Points)

Evaluate the quality of the applicant’s objectives and proposed targets (percentages) in the following areas on the basis of the extent to which they are both ambitious, as related to the need data provided under paragraph (a) of this section, and attainable, given the project’s plan of operation, budget, and other resources:

(1) Academic performance (Standardized Test Scores);

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (2) Reviewer’s Score:

(2) Education Program Retention and Completion;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (3)Reviewer’s Score:

(3) Post -Secondary enrollment;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (3)Reviewer’s Score:

(4) Post-secondary completion;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (1)Reviewer’s Score:

C.Plan of Operation (Total maximum of 30 points)

Determine the quality of the applicant’s plan of operation by assessing the quality of --

(1) The plan to inform the faculty and staff at the applicant institution or agency and the interested individuals and organizations throughout the target area of the goals and objectives of the project;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (3)Reviewer’s Score:

(2) The plan for identifying, recruiting, and selecting participants to be served by the project;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (3)Reviewer’s Score:

(3) The plan for assessing individual participant needs and for monitoring the academic progress of participants while they are in the Veterans Upward Bound project;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (3)Reviewer’s Score:

(4) The plan for locating the project within the applicant's organizational structure;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (3)Reviewer’s Score:

(5) The curriculum, services and activities that are planned for participants in both the academic year and summer components;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (3)Reviewer’s Score:

(6) The planned timelines for accomplishing critical elements of the project;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (3)Reviewer’s Score:

(7) The plan to ensure effective and efficient administration of the project, including, but not limited to, financial management, student records management, and personnel management;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (3)Reviewer’s Score:

(8) The applicant's plan to use its resources and personnel to achieve project objectives and to coordinate the Veterans Upward Bound project with other projects for disadvantaged students;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (3)Reviewer’s Score:

(9) The plan to work cooperatively with parents and key administrative, teaching, and counseling personnel at the target schools to achieve project objectives; and

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (3)Reviewer’s Score:

(10) A follow-up plan for tracking graduates of the Veterans Upward Bound project as they enter and continue in postsecondary education.

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (3)Reviewer’s Score:

D.Applicant and Community Support (Total maximum of 16 points)

Evaluate the applicant and community support for the proposed project on the basis of the extent to which—

(1) The applicant is committed to supplementing the project with resources that enhance the project such as: space, furniture and equipment, supplies, and the time and effort of personnel other than those employed in the project.

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (8)Reviewer’s score:

(2) Resources secured through written commitments from community partners.

Note:

(i) An applicant that is an institution of higher education must include in its application commitments from the target schools and community organizations;

(ii)An applicant that is a secondary school must include in its application commitments from institutions of higher education, community organizations, and, as appropriate, other secondary schools and the school district;

(iii)An applicant that is a community organization must include in its application commitments from the local schools and institutions of higher education.

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (8)Reviewer’s score:

E.Quality of Personnel (Total maximum of 8 points)

Evaluate the quality of the personnel the applicant plans to use in the project on the basis of the following—

(1) The qualifications required of the project director, including formal training or work experience in fields related to the objectives of the project and experience in designing, managing, or implementing similar projects;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (3)Reviewer’s score:

(2) The qualifications required of each of the other personnel to be used in the project, including formal training or work experience in fields related to the objectives of the project;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (3)Reviewer’s score:

(3) The quality of the applicant's plan for employing personnel who have succeeded in overcoming barriers similar to those confronting the project's target population.

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (2)Reviewer’s Score:

Budget and cost effectiveness (Total maximum of 5 points)

Evaluate the budget on the basis of the following:—

(1) The budget for the project is adequate to support planned project services and activities; and

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (3)Reviewer’s score:

(2) Costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives and scope of the project.

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (2) Reviewer’s Score: ______

G.Evaluation Plan (Total maximum of 8 Points)

Evaluate the quality of the evaluation plan for the project on the basis of the extent to which the applicant’s methods of evaluation-

(1) Are appropriate to the project and include both quantitative and qualitative evaluation measures;

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (4)Reviewer’s score:

(2) Examine in specific and measurable ways the success of the project in making progress toward achieving its process and outcomes objectives.

H. Quality of Project Design (Total maximum of 5 points)

Evaluate to what extent the applicant has demonstrated the quality of the design of the proposed project and the extent to which the proposed project is supported by strong theory. As stated in the Notice Inviting Applications, Strong Theory means a rationale for the proposed process, product, strategy, or practice that includes the logic model. Logic Model (also referred to as theory of action) means a well-specified conceptual framework that identifies key components of the proposed process, product, strategy, or practice (i.e., the active ingredients that are hypothesized to be critical to achieving the relevant outcomes) and describes the relationships among the key components and outcomes, theoretically and operationally.

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Maximum points (5)Reviewer’s score:

VETERANS UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM

APPLICATION TECHNICAL REVIEW FORM

(CFDA NO. 84.047V)

Reviewer Panel No. ______PR No.______

Print Name

Telephone Number ______Work Home

I have reviewed this application in accordance with the “Scope of Work” statement that I have signed and returned to the Department of Education

______

Signature of Reviewer Date

I have reviewed this technical review form in accordance with the check sheet provided by the Director, TRIO Upward Bound and Educational Opportunity Centers Division

______

Signature of ED Staff Person Date

______

Control Room Signature of ED Staff Person Date