November 2011

Dear Veterans Upward Bound Project Director:

It is time to prepare your annual performance report (APR) for program year 2010–11, which is due December 31, 2011. The online data collection Web site for the Veterans Upward Bound program will be available to you on November 21, 2011, via the VUB "report" page: http://www.ed.gov/programs/triovub/report.html.

Due dates: As you know, the Upward Bound programs will hold a grant competition in 2012, the results of which will be affected by the number of prior experience (PE) points that currently funded projects may earn. TRIO cannot calculate PE points until all VUB projects have successfully submitted their APRs; therefore, it is essential that you submit your APR on time. APRs not submitted by December 31 may be excluded from the calculations, with consequent loss of PE points for the 2010–11 year for projects that do not submit on time.

Due to space considerations, the online APR does not include all the information available in the general instructions on TRIO's Web site. We therefore strongly suggest that you consult not only the online APR itself, but also the data structure, instructions, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) as they appear on TRIO's Web site (or as available by clicking on the "VUB Instructions" link on each online APR screen).

This year's APR contains no changes in fields. Should you need to contact the Help Desk regarding a data validation, please note the identifying number which you will now find at the very beginning of every message; this will help us to resolve your problem.

Important Reminders

Fields of particular importance for objectives: We want to remind you again this year of the specific fields in the APR that will allow TRIO to calculate the extent to which you met your objectives and thus earned PE points.

• Calculation of the first three objectives involves the number of participants served during each budget period. So that this number will be accurate, be sure to give us correct information on participant status in field #26.
• For the objective on academic improvement as demonstrated by improvement on a standardized test, be sure to read the section on field #28 in the general instructions.
• For the objective on retention and completion, be sure you give us accurate information for field #30, which includes options for remaining in the program and successfully completing it.
• Fields #37–39 will be critical when TRIO calculates the objectives on postsecondary enrollment and persistence. Please be sure to read the instructions attentively.

Keeping prior participants on your file: As you know, the Department released regulations amending the TRIO regulations in response to the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA). These revisions do not apply directly to the current APR or to the way objectives and PE points are calculated under the current grant cycle, but they will of course apply to the next competition and grant cycle. Because the HEOA's outcome (PE) criteria include a new objective for postsecondary completion, VUB grantees must include on their APRs indefinitely all prior participants, beginning with those with a scheduled completion year of 2007–08. Page 2 of the General Instructions provides additional information, revised from last year, on this requirement. In the next grant cycle, having this data may help you to demonstrate your success in meeting this new objective.

Help Desk: If you encounter technical problems accessing the Web site or using the Web application, please contact the Help Desk by either telephone at (703) 846-8248 or e-mail at UBWEB@cbmiweb.com. Please note that the Help Desk will try to contact projects within 24 hours of receiving the telephone call or e-mail. The Help Desk will be available to respond to your questions on days that are not federal holidays from November 21–December 31, 2011. During the holidays and peak times, it may take longer for you to receive a response; thus, I encourage you to prepare and submit your performance report as soon as you have collected complete data.

Please remember that, after you submit the completed APR electronically, you must also fax to (703) 832-1360 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. If for any reason you need to revise your performance report data after it has been submitted, please do not fax in the corrections. You should contact the Help Desk for information on revising your report and re-submitting it electronically. If 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/about/offices/list/ope/trio/staffdirectory-cupt.html.

Thank you for the time and effort you dedicate to performance reporting each year and your commitment to providing complete and accurate data. Please retain the source documents in a readily accessible form so that they can be verified during an on-site visit.

Sincerely,

Gaby Watts
Director
Upward Bound and Educational Opportunity Centers Division
Student Service

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