An overview of the National Performance Measures 118 NOVEMBER 2011 THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL & COMMUNITY SERVICE

Description of the Focus Area Priority and Pilot Measures Evidence Basis for Intervention Aligned Performance Measures Resources It will be helpful to have the 2012 National Performance Measures Instructions for Education open as you review this presentation. It can be found here: nofa_detail.asp?tbl_nofa_id=91 nofa_detail.asp?tbl_nofa_id=91 2

Grants will provide support and/or facilitate access to services and resources that contribute to improved educational outcomes for economically disadvantaged people, especially children. Note: The definition of students has been expanded to include both economically disadvantaged and those with special and exceptional needs. 3

Grant activities will improve: school readiness for economically disadvantaged young children, educational and behavioral outcomes of students in low-achieving elementary, middle, and high schools, and the preparation for and prospects of success in post- secondary education institutions for economically disadvantaged students. CNCS is particularly interested in program designs that support youth engagement and service-learning as strategies to achieve high educational outcomes. 4

National Performance Measures are organized into five Tiers Priority Measures (Tiers 1 & 2) roll up into the CNCS strategic plan Pilot Measures (Tier 3) are additional national performance measures in the Focus Areas Tiers 4 and 5 are for applicants not using national measures The Education measures are in Tiers 1 & 3 5

Only programs who can count students that complete their programs can opt into Tier 1 outcomes. Programs that only count enrollment will need to report in Tier 3. 6

School Readiness ED21 (output): Number of children that completed participation in CNCS-supported early childhood education programs ED23 (outcome): Number of children demonstrating gains in school readiness in terms of social and/or emotional development ED24 (outcome): Number of children demonstrating gains in school readiness in terms of literacy skills ED25 (outcome): Number of children demonstrating gains in school readiness in terms of numeracy (math) skills 7

Academic Performance ED2 (output): Number of students that completed participation in CNCS-supported K- 12 education programs ED4A (output): Number of disadvantaged youth/mentor matches that were sustained by the CNCS-supported program for at least the required time period ED5 (outcome): Number of students with improved academic performance in literacy and/or math 8

Academic Engagement ED2 (output): Number of students that completed participation in CNCS-supported K-12 education programs ED27 (outcome): Number of students in grades K- 12 that participated in the mentoring or tutoring or other education program, including CNCS- supported service learning, who demonstrated improved academic engagement ED6 (outcome): Number of students that improved their school attendance over the course of the CNCS-supported programs involvement with the student 9

If an applicant has a program model that fits the Education Priority Measures, they MUST select from the priority measures provided. 10

Outputs ED1: Number of students who start in a CNCS-supported education program ED2: Number of students that completed participation in CNCS-supported K-12 education programs ED3A: Number of disadvantaged youth/mentor matches that are commenced by CNCS-supported programs ED4A: Number of disadvantaged youth/mentor matches that were sustained by the CNCS-supported program for at least the required time period 11

Academic Engagement ED7: Number of students with no or decreased disciplinary referrals and suspensions over the course of the CNCS-supported programs' involvement ED8: Number of youth with decreased substance abuse, arrest, or gang involvement 12

High School Diploma/GED Attainment ED9 (outcome): Number of students graduating from high school on time with a diploma ED26 (outcome): Number of students acquiring a GED College Access ED10 (outcome): Number of students entering post- secondary institutions ED11 (outcome): Number of students earning a post- secondary degree 13

Tutoring Programs Must select Measures ED1 and/or ED2, and then at least one measure from ED7-ED11 or ED26. Mentoring Programs: Must select Measures ED3A and/or ED4A, and then at least one measure from ED7-ED11 or ED26. ED2 and ED4A can serve as outputs for both Tier 1 and Tier 3 outcomes. 14

ED12: Number of CNCS-Supported National Service Participants who begin serving as teachers through a Teacher Corps program ED13: Number of CNCS-Supported National Service Participants who completed serving as teachers through a Teacher Corps program ED14: Number of individuals teaching in high need schools ED15: Number of students in CNCS-supported teacher classrooms with improved academic performance Note: Teacher Corps programs that can report on the academic performance of students in literacy and math are encouraged to select ED 5 (priority measure), rather than ED 15 15

ED17: Number of teachers remaining in the education field, but not teaching in a school (school support staff, school administration, district administration policy, education nonprofits, etc.) after their term of service ED18: Number of teachers who have had a positive impact on student learning as determined by observation-based assessments of teacher performance ED19: Number of individuals receiving certification to teach in schools after their term of service 16

Teacher Corps Programs: Must use Measures ED1 and/or ED2, Measures ED12-ED14 AND Measure ED17. Measures ED15, ED18 and ED19 are optional. Teacher Corps programs can opt into non-Teacher Corps outcomes if it makes sense for them. 17

ED20: Number of children who start in a CNCS- supported early childhood education program ED 21: Number of children that completed participation in CNCS-supported early childhood education programs ED22: Number of children accessing high quality early childhood education programs Tier 3 Early Childhood Education Programs: Must choose measures ED20 and ED21 and then ED22. 18

Full-time, fixed amount grant applicants in Education are required to select National Performance Measures 19

In addition to documenting that the need exists, programs must describe how the interventions the AmeriCorps members and volunteers are engaged in are both evidence-based and will have a measureable impact. The term evidence-based refers to data that supports the presence of a cause and effect relationship between the intervention and the outcome. The evidence provided must support the programs theory of change, which articulates why the intervention (member and volunteer activities) will lead to the outcomes identified by the program. 20

Sources of Evidence May Include: Past performance measurement data Results from an impact evaluation of the program Research studies documenting the outcomes of similar programs Evaluations documenting the outcomes of similar programs 21

Programs must have at least one aligned performance measure that captures the measurable impact of their primary service activity. Aligned measures have two key components: Output and Outcome Alignment refers to whether: The outcome is likely to result from the intervention and output, and Whether the output and outcome measure the same population. 22

Outputs are counts of the amount of service that members or volunteers have completed. They do not provide information on benefits to or other changes in the lives of members and/or beneficiaries. Example: Number of students who complete participation in an AmeriCorps education program 23

Outcomes specify changes that have occurred in the lives of members and/or beneficiaries. They should be: Realistic Measurable during grant period Relevant to theory of change 24

Outcomes measure changes in: Attitude Behavior Condition Most programs should aim to measure a quantifiable change in behavior or condition Example: Number of students with improved academic performance in literacy and/or math 25

Documented low reading skills among 3 rd graders in the target community (leads to lifelong negative consequences) Community Need Intermediate Outcome Output(s) Member Activity ED1: 5,600 students will receive individualized research- based literacy interventions. ED2: 5,000 students will complete participation ED5: 4,500 students will have improved academic performance shown by growth rates that exceed a rate year's growth in one year's time. Members provide intensive one- on-one tutoring to children age 3 to grade 3 26

2012 National Performance Measures Instructions ding/nofa_detail.asp?tbl_nofa_id=91 ding/nofa_detail.asp?tbl_nofa_id=91 Other Performance Measurement Resources, including Webinars and Sample Instruments Information on the AmeriCorps Grant Competitions or