List of Change Application

CHANGES TO OMB-APPROVED MCNAIR APPLICATION
DRAFT PAGE	SECTION TITLE	CHANGE	REASON FOR CHANGE
2	Table of Contents	Heading changed to “Prior Experience for Currently Funded Grantees”	Accuracy and Clarification
3	Dear Applicant Letter	“and the inclusion of a Logic Model” language added to sentence	Accuracy
4	Dear Applicant Letter	Sentence added: “An additional five points may be awarded for the inclusion of a Logic Model.”	Accuracy
5	Competition Highlights	Language added: “60 pages, which includes the Logic Model. Additionally, any application addressing the competitive preference priority (CPP).” may include up to four additional pages to address the CPP.	Response to Public Comment; Accuracy and clarification
7	Competition Highlights	Sentence changed to: “The McNair Program Profile form, found in the application booklet, contains the funded number criterion and the four standardized objectives for the program, as well as other information that is needed by the Department.”	Accuracy
8	Competition Highlights	Sentence changed to: “All applicants are required to propose the percentage at which each of the four standardized objectives will be met as related to the participants’ involvement in research or scholarly activities, acceptance and enrollment in a graduate program, continued enrollment in a graduate program, and the attainment of a doctoral degree.”	Response to Public Comment; Accuracy and clarification
21	Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards (Notice)	Sentence changed to: “Consistent with 34 CFR 75.210, the Secretary will use the selection criteria outlined in 34 CFR 647.21 to evaluate the applications submitted for new grants under this program.”	Accuracy
26	Notice	Sentence changed to: “For an applicant currently receiving a McNair Program grant and not applying to serve a different campus, the maximum award is the amount equal to the applicant’s grant award amount for FY 2016 (i.e., 2016-17). “	Clarification
26	Notice	Sentence changed to: “This funding will serve at least the same number of participants that was approved for the current project in FY 2016 (i.e., 2016-17).”	Clarification
28	Notice	Sentence changed to: “You must limit the application narrative, which includes the budget narrative, to no more than 60 pages using the following standards: “	Response to Public Comment; Accuracy and clarification
43	Notice	Language added: “1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition total 110 points and are from 34 CFR 647.21 and 34.CFR 75.210: (a) Need (16 Points). The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to which the applicant can clearly and definitively demonstrate the need for a McNair project to serve the target population. In particular, the Secretary looks for information that clearly defines the target population; describes the academic, financial and other problems that prevent potentially eligible project participants in the target population from completing baccalaureate programs and continuing to postbaccalaureate programs; and demonstrates that the project's target population is underrepresented in graduate education, doctorate degrees conferred and careers where a doctorate is a prerequisite. (b) Objectives (9 points). The Secretary evaluates 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) (2 points) Research or scholarly activity. (2) (3 points) Enrollment in a graduate program. (3) (2 points) Continued enrollment in graduate study. (4) (2 points) Doctoral degree attainment. (c) Plan of Operation (44 points). The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of the applicant's plans of operation, including-- (1) (4 points) The plan for identifying, recruiting and selecting participants to be served by the project, including students enrolled in the Student Support Services program; (2) (4 points) The plan for assessing individual participant needs and for monitoring the academic growth of participants during the period in which the student is a McNair participant; (3) (5 points) The plan for providing high quality research and scholarly activities in which participants will be involved; (4) (5 points) The plan for involving faculty members in the design of research activities in which students will be involved; (5) (5 points) The plan for providing internships, seminars, and other educational activities designed to prepare undergraduate students for doctoral study; (6) (5 points) The plan for providing individual or group services designed to enhance a student's successful entry into postbaccalaureate education; (7) (3 points) The plan to inform the institutional community of the goals and objectives of the project; (8) (8 points) The plan to ensure proper and efficient administration of the project, including, but not limited to, matters such as financial management, student records management, personnel management, the organizational structure, and the plan for coordinating the McNair project with other programs for disadvantaged students; and (9) (5 points) The follow-up plan that will be used to track the academic and career accomplishments of participants after they are no longer participating in the McNair project. (d) Quality of key personnel (9 points). The Secretary evaluates the quality of key personnel the applicant plans to use on the project on the basis of the following: (1)(i) The job qualifications of the project director. (ii) The job qualifications of each of the project's other key personnel. (iii) The quality of the project's plan for employing highly qualified persons, including the procedures to be used to employ members of groups underrepresented in higher education, including Blacks, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (including Native Hawaiians). (2) In evaluating the qualifications of a person, the Secretary considers his or her experience and training in fields related to the objectives of the project. (e) Adequacy of the resources and budget (15 points). The Secretary evaluates the extent to which— (1) The applicant's proposed allocation of resources in the budget is clearly related to the objectives of the project; (2) Project costs and resources, including facilities, equipment, and supplies, are reasonable in relation to the objectives and scope of the project; and (3) The applicant's proposed commitment of institutional resources to the McNair participants, as for example, the commitment of time from institutional research faculty and the waiver of tuition and fees for McNair participants engaged in summer research projects. (f) Evaluation plan (7 points). The Secretary evaluates 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's objectives; (2) Provide for the applicant to determine, in specific and measurable ways, the success of the project in— (i) Making progress toward achieving its objectives (a formative evaluation); and (ii) Achieving its objectives at the end of the project period (a) summative evaluation); and (3) Provide for a description of other project outcomes, including the use of quantifiable measures, if appropriate. (g) Quality of project design (5 points). The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed project. In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the extent to which the proposed project is supported by strong theory (as defined in this notice). “	Response to Public Comment; Accuracy and clarification
83	Supplemental Information	Heading changed to : “Prior Experience – Successful FY 2017 Applicants” Sentences changed to: “In accordance with 34 CFR 647.22, the Secretary will award prior experience (PE) points to applicants that have conducted a TRIO McNair Program project during these fiscal years: 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21.” “If you receive a FY 2017 new grant award, you will be required to submit annual performance reports during the five-year funding cycle using the Education Department’s web-based data collection application system. This web-based system collects data about funded projects to enable program specialists to determine if a grantee is making substantial progress toward meeting approved project objectives as well as to calculate projects’ prior experience points. “	Clarification
84	McNair Program Profile Sheet	Program Objective language updated to: “Research or Scholarly Activities ____% of McNair Program participants served during the project year will have completed appropriate research or scholarly activities during the McNair Program academic year. “	Response to Public Comment; Accuracy and clarification
85	McNair Program Profile Sheet	Definition language changed to: “Research and Scholarly Activities: an educational activity that is more rigorous than is typically available to undergraduates in a classroom setting, that is definitive in its start and end dates, that contains appropriate benchmarks for completion of various components, and is conducted under the guidance of an appropriate faculty member with experience in the relevant discipline.”	Response to Public Comment; Accuracy and clarification
88 - 91	Prior Experience	All language changed to: “Prior Experience for Currently Funded Grantees Prior Experience Objectives and Calculations for McNair Projects Operating in Project Years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 For the FY 2017 competition for grants from the McNair Program, the Department calculates prior experience points from data submitted in annual performance reports (APRs) for 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16. Achievement rates for each PE criterion are based on the project’s approved objectives and the information the grantee provided in the APR for each project year under consideration. An entity submitting an application to continue to serve substantially the same campus or the same designated population as the currently funded project is eligible to receive PE points based on the PE criteria in 34 CFR 647.22 of the program regulations in effect during the FY 2012 grant competition. In cases in which an applicant proposes to split a grant funded in FY 2012 into multiple proposals in the FY 2017 competition, the applicant will be eligible to receive PE points for only one proposed new project. The project for which the applicant is eligible for PE consideration is the one that proposes to serve the same campus or the same designated population as the currently funded project. An applicant is responsible for indicating on the McNair Program Profile form, in Item #1, if the application is eligible for PE points.  McNair Prior Experience Criteria (34 CFR 647.22) and point allocations are shown below. Please note the following: A McNair project funded in 2003 and continuously funded through FY2012 may earn up to a total of 15 points. A McNair project first funded in 2007, 2009, or 2012 may earn up to a total of 13 points. These grantees are not eligible to earn PE points for the doctoral degree attainment because they were not funded in the year the cohorts were established. The final PE score is the average of the total scores for the three years assessed. Points will be awarded for meeting or exceeding each objective; no partial points will be awarded. A project that fails to serve at least 90 percent of its funded number for a project year will not receive any PE points for that year. Please note the following conditions for PE calculations: If a project served less than 90% of the funded number to be served in a given assessment year, the project is not eligible to receive any PE points for that particular year. The calculation of PE points for the three (3) years under consideration is based on: A project’s approved number of participants to be served; A project’s approved objectives; and The student-level data a project submitted in its annual performance report (APR). Program Objectives Number of participants the project was funded to serve (3 points) Percent of McNair participants who will complete research or scholarly activities that will directly impact their educational progression each McNair Program academic year. (3 points) Percent of bachelor’s degree recipients who will enroll in a postbaccalaureate program by the fall term of the academic year immediately following completion of that degree. (3 points) Percent of first-year graduate students who will continue to be enrolled in graduate school at the beginning of the fall term of the next academic year. (4 points) Percent of McNair Program participants who will attain a doctoral degree within ten (10) years of the attainment of the bachelor’s degree. (2 points) Funded Number In order for a project to earn PE points for a given assessment year, a project must have met or exceeded the number funded to be served. Note: If a project served less than 90%, the project is not eligible to receive any PE points in the year PE is being assessed. Research or Scholarly Objectives PE points are awarded to eligible projects that met or exceeded their approved objective for completing research or other scholarly activities. For a given assessment year, a project needed to have served students in the target population (i.e., students that participated in research or other scholarly activities). The calculation rule for the “percent of participants who completed research or other scholarly activities” is as follows: The denominator is an unduplicated count of the number of students that participated in Research, Other Scholarly, or McNair Internships and is derived from: Field #32 (Research) options 1 or 2, OR Field #33 (Other Scholarly Activities) options 1 or 2, OR Field #34 (McNair Internships) options 1 or 2. The denominator represents all those students that participated in research, other scholarly activities, or McNair internships, regardless of whether they completed the activities or not. Thus, all students served during the assessment year who participated in research, other scholarly activities, or McNair internships were included in the denominator, but only once. The numerator is an unduplicated count of the number of students who participated in and completed all components of the research, other scholarly activities, or McNair internships and is derived from: Field #32 (Research) option 2, OR Field #33 (Other Scholarly Activities) option 2, OR Field #34 (McNair Internships) option 2 The numerator represents all those students that completed their research, other scholarly activities, or McNair internships. Thus, all students served during the assessment year who completed research, other scholarly activities, or McNair internships were included in the numerator, but only once. Postbaccalaureate enrollment PE points are awarded to eligible projects that met or exceeded their approved objective for post-baccalaureate program—graduate school enrollment. For a given assessment year, a project needed to have served students in the target population (i.e., participants who attained a bachelor’s degree during the assessment year). The calculation rule for the “post-baccalaureate program—graduate school enrollment rate” is as follows: The denominator is the number of participants who attained a bachelor’s degree during the assessment year and is derived from: Field #38, (Graduate School Enrollment Status) option 1, 2, and 3. The numerator is the number of participants who attained a bachelor’s degree during the assessment year and enrolled in a post-baccalaureate program by the following fall term and is derived from: Field #38, (Graduate School Enrollment Status) option 1 Postbaccalaureate Continued Enrollment PE points are awarded to eligible projects that met or exceeded their approved objective for post-baccalaureate program persistence. For a given assessment year, a project needed to have served participants in the target population (i.e., students who were First Year Graduate Students). The calculation rule for the “post-baccalaureate program—continued enrollment in graduate school rate” is as follows: The denominator is the number of participants who were first-year graduate students during the assessment year and is derived from: Field #39, (First-Year Graduate Student Persistence Status) option 1, 2, and 3. The numerator is the number of participants who were first-year graduate students during the assessment year and were still enrolled in a post-baccalaureate degree program by the following fall term and is derived from: Field #39, (First-Year Graduate Student Persistence Status) option 1 Doctoral degree attainment PE points are awarded to eligible projects that met or exceeded their approved objective for the doctoral degree attainment. To receive PE points for a given assessment year, a project needed to have (1) served participants in the year in which the cohort for the doctoral degree attainment was established (e.g., 2003-04 cohort for the 2013-14 PE assessment year), and (2) been continuously funded for the duration of the FY2012 funding cycle. The calculation rule for the “doctoral degree attainment rate” is as follows: The denominator is the number of participants who attained a bachelor’s degree in the applicable cohort (e.g., 2003-04 for the 2013-14 assessment year) and is derived from: Field #29 (Graduating Cohort Year of Bachelor’s Degree) option 5. Minus Field #22 (Participant Status) option 4 IF Field #44 (Highest Graduate Degree Earned) not equal to options 2, 3, or 4. The numerator is the number of program participants in the graduating cohort year of the bachelor’s degree (e.g., 2003-04) that attained a doctoral degree within ten years and is derived from those in the denominator where: Field #44 (Highest Graduate Degree Earned) option 2, 3, and 4”	Response to Public Comment; Accuracy and clarification
92-93	Instructions for Completing the Application Package	Sentences changed to: “The total page limit for the project narrative portion of the application for the FY 2017 McNair competition is 60 pages.” “The Table of Contents will not count against the 60 pages you are allowed for your responses to the selection criteria.” “You must also include your budget narrative in this section as part of the selection criteria, which is counted as part of the 60-page limit.” “No other appendices or attachments should be included as they will be counted as part of the 60-page limit.”	Response to Public Comment; Accuracy and clarification
94	Instructions for Project Narrative-Selection Criteria	Sentences changed to: “You must limit the Project Narrative to 60 pages, double-spaced in 12-point font, and number the pages consecutively. “If appendices or other supplemental materials are included, they will count as part of the 60-page limit.”	Response to Public Comment; Accuracy and clarification
95	Instructions for Project Narrative-Selection Criteria	Language changed to: “7. Quality of Project Design (Logic Model) (5 points) _________ Total Maximum Score for Selection Criteria 105 points Competitive Preference Priority (5 points) Total Maximum Score for Selection Criteria and Competitive Preference Priority 110 points	Accuracy and clarification
95	Instructions for Project Narrative-Selection Criteria	Sentence changed to: “The Project Narrative will include the discussion of the selection criteria. The total page limit for the project narrative portion of the application for the FY 2017 McNair competition is 60 pages.”	Response to Public Comment; Accuracy and clarification
98	Instructions for Project Narrative-Selection Criteria	Language added: “Quality of Project Design: Consistent with the Department’s increasing emphasis in recent years on promoting evidence-based practices, the Secretary will evaluate applications on the extent to which the proposed project is supported by a logic model that meets the evidence standard of “strong theory.” A logic model (also referred to as theory of action) means a well-specified conceptual framework that identifies key components of the proposed process and describes the relationships among the key components and outcomes, theoretically and operationally (as defined in the Notice). Please see the Notice for additional information on how to address this criterion.	Accuracy and clarification
105	Instructions for Budget Summary Form & Itemized Budget	Sentence changed to: “11. Training Stipends: On line 11 (ED 524) provide the total amount of student stipends. The McNair Program regulations, 34CFR 647.30(b), establish the maximum federal stipend amount of $2,800 per year per student.”	Response to Public Comment; Accuracy and clarification
117	Instructions for Completion of SF-LLL, Disclosure Of Lobbying Activities	Sentence changed to: “The valid OMB control number for this information collection is OMB No. 1840-0619. “	Accuracy and clarification
121	Application Checklist	Sentences changed to: “The total page limit for the application narrative portion of the application for the FY 2017 McNair competition is 60 pages.” “This one-page abstract, which may be single-spaced, will not count against the 60 pages you are allowed for your response to the selection criteria	Response to Public Comment; Accuracy and clarification

2