November 2009

Dear McNair Project Director:

I am writing regarding the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement (McNair) Program Annual Performance Report (APR) submission for program year 2008–09. The deadline for submitting the APR via a Web site maintained by our data processing contractor is December 31, 2009. Please note that the submission process includes online data quality checks that will require you to correct data errors (or provide an explanation for the discrepancy) prior to being able to submit the APR. Thus, you are encouraged to start the process early to ensure that the APR can be submitted by the due date. If you have not successfully transmitted your APR information, we will not have the data we need to determine if you have earned prior experience (PE) points for the 2008-09 project year; therefore, you will not be awarded any PE points for 2008-09. Please note that we will not accept a hardcopy of the APR.

You will use the same online Web application and registration process developed for the 2007-08 APR submission with minor modifications discussed below. All McNair projects must use the online reporting application to submit the 2008-09 performance report which will be available on December 1, 2009. The instructions for submitting the report and the links to the secured Web site maintained by our contractor are at the following Web address:

http://www.ed.gov/programs/triomcnair/report.html

Prior to beginning the data submission process, please review the OMB approved form and instructions for the 2008-09 APR available on our Web site. Also, you may want to download a copy of the McNair APR Web Site User’s Guide available at:

https://trio.ed.gov/mcnair

The changes we have made include: (1) annual updates to the form and instructions for the 2008-09 data collection; and (2) a few additional data quality checks to the online Web application to ensure that you provide internally consistent data.

There are three sections to the 2008-09 McNair APR. Each grantee funded in 2008-09 must complete Sections I and II. Only those grantees whose 2008-09 budget-year is part of a grant/project period that began prior to 2007 must also complete Section III.

• Section I: Project Identification, Certification and Warning;
• Section II: Record Structure for Participant List; and
• Section III: Project Performance Objectives (To be completed by those McNair projects whose 2008-09 budget year is part of a grant/project period that began prior to 2007).

As was the case last year, the Web application provides four options for starting the data submission process for Section II:

• Download an Excel file of last year’s submitted data; update the file and then upload directly to the Web form.
• Upload an Excel/CSV file directly to the Web form.
• Transfer last year’s data submission to the Web form and update and add records online.
• Enter student data directly into the Web form.

If you choose to Download the Excel file with your last year’s data, please note that the Download feature does not include the social security numbers (SSNs) of your participants, even though the file you provided us contained this information. This change was made to better protect the personal information contained on the data file and prevent inadvertent misuse of information provided by the Department. However, the participant data file you prepare for the 2008-09 APR should include the SSNs of all participants, as this is the primary identifier used to match participant records across project years.

Also, the data from last year’s file for certain fields that need to be updated each year (e.g., McNair services fields # 26-39) will not be on the Excel file you download or in the Web form if you choose to transfer last year’s data directly to the Web form. You will need to complete these data fields with information from your 2008-09 project year.

If you are unable to prepare an Excel (or CSV) file using your existing database, you have the option of either transferring last year’s data directly into the Web form or entering student data directly into the Web form. If you choose to transfer last year’s data, or enter the data directly online, you must update every student record and/or add new student records online. This process could be very time consuming.

Thank you for the time and effort you dedicate to performance reporting each year and for your commitment to providing complete and accurate data. Please retain source documents in a readily accessible form so that they can be verified during an on-site visit. If you encounter technical problems accessing the Web site or using the Web application, please contact the Help Desk using the instructions provided at the site. Also, remember that after you submit the completed APR electronically you must also submit, via fax, a signed copy of Section I of the report form that certifies that the information submitted electronically is readily verifiable and that the information reported is accurate and complete. The fax number is (703) 832-1360. Should you have questions regarding the performance report requirements, please contact your program specialist directly. To ascertain your program specialist's name, telephone number, and e-mail address, please visit:

http://www.ed.gov/programs/triomcnair/contacts.html

Sincerely,

Eileen S. Bland
Team Leader
College and University Support Team
Federal TRIO Programs

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