ESRA: Comprehensive Centers

FY 2008 Program Performance Plan

Strategic Goal 1
Other
ESRA, Title II, Section 203

Program Goal: To improve student achievement in low-performing schools under

Objective 1 of 3: Improve the quality of technical assistance.
Measure 1.1 of 2: The percentage of Comprehensive Centers' products and services that are deemed to be of hig
stakeholders. (Desired direction: increase)
Actual
Year Target
(or date expected)
2006 Set a Baseline Not Collected Not Collected
2007 Set a Baseline (February 2008) Pending
2008 999 (February 2009) Pending
2009 999 (February 2010) Pending
2010 999 (February 2011) Pending
Source. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Comprehensive
Centers, independent review panel.
Frequency of Data Collection. Annual
Explanation. Independent panel reviews will be conducted as part of an evaluation of the program
through an ED contract with an outside firm.

Measure 1.2 of 2: The percentage of Comprehensive Centers' products and services deemed to be of high relevan
panel of qualified practitioners. (Desired direction: increase)
Actual
Year Target
(or date expected)
2006 Set a Baseline Not Collected Not Collected
2007 Set a Baseline (February 2008) Pending
2008 999 (February 2009) Pending
2009 999 (February 2010) Pending
2010 999 (February 2011) Pending
Source. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Comprehensive
Centers, independent review panel.
Frequency of Data Collection. Annual
Explanation.

Independent panel reviews will be conducted as part of an evaluation of the program through an ED
contract with an outside firm.

Objective 2 of 3: Technical assistance products and services will be used to improve results for
Measure 2.1 of 1: The percentage of all comprehensive centers' products and services that are deemed to be of h
target audiences. (Desired direction: increase)
Year Target Actual

U.S. Department of Education 1 02/05/2007

 (or date expected)
2006 Set a Baseline Not Collected Not Collected
2007 Set a Baseline (February 2008) Pending
2008 999 (February 2009) Pending
2009 999 (February 2010) Pending
2010 999 (February 2011) Pending
Source. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Comprehensive
Centers, survey of targeted audiences.
Frequency of Data Collection. Annual
Explanation.

Surveys of target audiences will be conducted as part of an evaluation of the program through an ED
contract with an outside firm.

Objective 3 of 3: Improve the operational efficiency of the program.

Measure 3.1 of 1: The percentage of Comprehensive Center grant funds carried over in each year of the project .
decrease)
Actual
Year Target
(or date expected)
2006 40 Measure not in p
2007 30 (July 2007) Pending
2008 20 (July 2008) Pending
2009 10 (July 2009) Pending
2010 10 (July 2010) Pending
Source. Submission by the grantees of their proposed budgets for carryover funds as part of their annual
performance reports.
Frequency of Data Collection. Annual
Data Quality.

Grantees submit their proposed budgets for expected carryover funds as part of their annual performance
reports 2 months before the end of the grant year. It is possible that unexpected events during the last 2
months of the grant year could cause an increase or decrease in carryover funds. However, using
proposed budgets for expected carryover funds appears to be more accurate than using the Grants
Administration and Payment System (GAPS) figures, because of long lag times before expenses incurred
during the grant year are billed, paid, and drawn down.

Target Context. Carryover funds from 2006 were high (40 percent), because the first year of the grants
lasted only 9 months, and work was delayed until negotiation of cooperative agreements with ED,
negotiation of work plans with the States, and hiring of staff were completed. ED program officers will
monitor Grants Administration and Payment System (GAPS) draw-downs and discuss expenditures
regularly with grantees to reduce carryover in the future.

U.S. Department of Education 2 02/05/2007