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

Description of 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 Veterans and Military Families open as you review this presentation. It can be found here: 2

Demonstrate the potential for CNCS- supported national service interventions to positively impact the quality of life of veterans and improve military family strength. 3

Grant activities will increase: The number of veterans and military service members and their families served by CNCS- supported programs, and The number of veterans and military family members engaged in service provision through CNCS-supported programs. 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 Veterans and Military Families measures fall into Tier 1 (Priority Measures) and Tier 3 (Pilot Measures) 5

V1: Number of veterans that received CNCS-supported assistance V8: Number of veterans family members that received CNCS-supported assistance V7: Number of family members of active duty military service members that received CNCS-supported assistance V9: Number of active duty military service members that received CNCS-supported assistance V2: Number of veterans engaged in service opportunities V10: Number of military family members engaged in service opportunities as a national Service Participant or volunteer 6

If an applicant has a program model focused on providing assistance to Veterans and Military Families, or engaging them in service, they MUST select from the priority measures provided. 7

V1 & V10 differ from the others measures because they treat Veterans as a service population, not recipients of service. Applicants that have programs that fit these Priority Measures are required to utilize them. 8

V3: Number of veterans assisted in pursuing educational opportunities V4: Number of veterans assisted in receiving professional certification, licensure, or credentials V6: Number of housing units developed, repaired, or otherwise made available for veterans Note: There are no Tier 2 Veterans measures. 9

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. 10

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 11

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. 12

Outputs are counts of the amount of service that members or volunteers have completed. For example: Number of veterans engaged in service opportunities They do not provide information on benefits to or other changes in the lives of members and/or beneficiaries. 13

Outcomes specify changes that have occurred in the lives of members and/or beneficiaries. For example: The change that occurs in veterans as a result of engaging in service opportunities They should be: Realistic Measurable during grant period Relevant to theory of change 14

Outcomes measure changes in: Attitude Behavior Condition Most programs should aim to measure a quantifiable change in behavior or condition 15

Since there are no national Veterans outcome measures, applicants and grantees will be required to develop their own outcome that is aligned with the selected national output. 16

Veterans are having challenges identifying educational opportunities Community Need Intermediate Outcome Output Member Activity AmeriCorps members provide one-on-one counseling on educational opportunitie s and resources to veterans V3: Number of veterans assisted in pursuing educational opportunities Number of veterans who enrolled in college classes 17

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