Script Outline Notes for Tutorial 4

Donald Pratt

Informations

• Publié par: Tebib
• Nombre de lectures: 23
• Langue: English

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Tutorial Script: Reporting Results for AmeriCorps*VISTA

1. Welcome to this tutorial on reporting results for AmeriCorps VISTA. In this tutorial

you will learn how to report on the VISTA project plan using eGrants.

2. This tutorial does not tell you everything you need to know about the VISTA

progress report. For assistance with the project plan, progress reports, and other

performance measurement needs, contact your Corporation state office, or contact

Project STAR at 1-800-548-3656. For assistance with the eGrants system, contact

the eGrants Help Desk at 1-888-677-7849.

3. We are looking at the eGrants welcome screen. We’ve already logged into eGrants.

To begin working on a progress report, click the

Progress Report

link under

Reporting to CNCS

.

4. We are presented with a list of all grants for which progress reports are available.

We locate the grant we wish to report on in the list, and click it. Next, we click

edit

to

begin working on the progress report.

5. The progress report is organized into 6 sections. This tutorial focuses on the Project

Plan, the fourth section.

6. Now we are in the Project Plan section of the report. Each goal is listed in this

section. In this example we have one goal, labeled mentoring. This goal contains

performance measures, as indicated by the asterisk.

7. To report results for this goal, we click the link to

enter/edit progress to date

. This

part of the report opens in a new window.

This VISTA project is building a volunteer recruitment system to secure a steady

supply of mentors for children of incarcerated parents. The project runs from

October 1 to September 30. We are completing a mid-year report covering October

1 through March 30.

8. This screen shows the original VISTA project plan and provides spaces for reporting.

For each result we fill in:

•

The

Actual period of accomplishment

,

•

The target

actual to date

, and

•

Progress this reporting period

.

If the result is not a performance measure then we do not get a box for the target.

Now let’s consider how to fill in these blanks.

November 30, 2007

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Tutorial Script: Reporting Results for AmeriCorps*VISTA

10. You are looking at a template developed by Project STAR to help you complete the

project plan section of the progress report. You are not required to use this template,

but it can help you organize reporting information.

Question 1 asks if we have collected data to measure the result. This is a simple

yes-or-no question.

Answer question 1.a. if you have not started to collect data for this result. Briefly

describe how you are preparing to collect data and when you expect to begin

collecting data for this result.

Answer question 1.b if you have started collecting data. Describe your results and

compare them to the anticipated results. If this is a performance measure, compare

the actual results to the original target. If you’ve fallen short of the target, explain this

as best you can and say what you plan to do to address this going forward.

Question 2 asks us to describe who data were collected, who collected the data,

what tools were used, and when data were collected. Provide enough information

here so the reader can understand how results were tracked or measured. This is

also a good place to note challenges encountered in collecting data.

Use a copy of this template for each output and outcome.

You can download this template from the same web page where you accessed the

tutorial. Let’s see how this template can be used to develop reporting information.

11. Here’s how the reporting template looks when filled out. I’ve highlighted information

to help you see what’s been added by the VISTA project director. The non-

highlighted information is from the blank template.

Reading through the highlighted text we see information about:

•

What results were achieved, and whether or not the original target was met, and;

•

How data were collected, including what instrument was used, who collected the

data, when, and how often.

The text does not wander from the original project plan. Instead, it addresses the

same result identified in the original project plan.

You can pause the tutorial to read this example, or you can download it from the

web page where you accessed this tutorial.

12. We start transferring information into eGrants by filling in the first two boxes.

The actual period of accomplishment is

March 2007

.

The number of volunteer systems created or revised is

3

.

Now let’s copy-and-paste everything else into the big text box.

Notice I’m including the information from the blank template as well as the

information that was entered to address the template questions.

Now let’s save our work.

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Tutorial Script: Reporting Results for AmeriCorps*VISTA

13. Now let’s transfer the information for the next set of results

Since these two outputs are not performance measures, we chose to keep them

together in one box when we developed the project plan. That means we need to

make sure we address both results in one box when writing the progress report.

14. Let’s look at the next result.

It is an intermediate outcome, stating that new and revised volunteer recruitment

systems will become operational, as evidenced by volunteers being recruited using

the new systems. The target states that 40 volunteers will be recruited with the new

system by the end of May.

Five volunteers had been recruited by March 31

st

. Since we are still working towards

achieving this result, we enter the date when we expect to achieve this result in the

box for

actual period of accomplishment

.

We are eager to mention that 10 additional volunteers have been recruited since

March 31

st

, the end-date for this report, but we don’t put all 15 volunteers in the

target box. Instead, we report the 5 who were recruited as of March 31

st

and mention

the other 10 in the narrative box.

We also describe how data were collected, and note any discrepancies compared to

the original project plan.

Remember, you can pause the tutorial at any time to read the example, and you can

download the template and example from the website.

15. Let’s transfer all this information into eGrants,

16. Now let’s save again.

17. Finally, let’s look reporting for the end outcome.

18. The end outcome states that volunteers recruited with the new systems will serve for

at least 3 months. The target is 75 percent.

Results are not available yet because not enough time has passed to determine how

many volunteers will stay on board for at least 3 months. Again, since results are not

available yet, we enter the date when we expect to accomplish this result. We leave

the target box blank.

Next, we transfer the narrative information to the big box.

And, we save again.

Note that we’ve reported to the fullest possible extent for this mid-year report. We try

to avoid leaving any blanks. Since we expect to have end outcome data for the year-

end report, we mention this in the big textbox.

It is a common mistake to believe that intermediate outcomes are reported at mid-

year and end outcomes are reported at the end of the year. These terms don’t tell us

when to report results. Instead, we report on every result each time we do a

progress report. If we don’t have data for a particular result, then we tell the reader

when data will be available, and we describe what we’re doing to prepare for data

collection.

November 30, 2007

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Tutorial Script: Reporting Results for AmeriCorps*VISTA

November 30, 2007

Page 4

19. We are just about at the end of this tutorial. Before we go, let’s consider a couple of

additional progress reporting tips.

20. Sometimes when you write a progress report for the end of the year, you may find

that there is nothing new to say about a result. This can happen if there was no new

activity or no new data were collected since the last report. In this situation, we

recommend that you copy the information from the last report and paste it into the

new report. Be sure to note that the information is repeated from your previous

report. Doing this saves the reader from having to go back to old reports to get a

complete picture of your project.

21. And, here’s a tip for brand new VISTA projects when completing a first progress

report. If you are still bringing VISTA members on board and do not have a lot to

report for the project plan, then use question 1.a. from the template to describe what

you are doing to prepare for data collection and when you expect to collect data to

measure the result. In addition, use other sections of your progress report to

describe startup efforts in greater detail.

22. Check with your Corporation State Office if you are not sure when progress reports

are due.

23. This concludes the tutorial. Thank you for your attention!

Remember, you can download the reporting template, examples, and a complete

transcript of this tutorial from the same web page where you accessed this tutorial.