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Overview of the Peer Review Process
Peer review is a vital part of the proposal competition.
The Department puts a great deal of time and effort into recruiting peer reviewers from various disciplines to evaluate and score proposal applications. After the reviewers score the applications, program staff conducts an internal review to assure that the reviewers' scoring sheets are correctly completed and that the application meets all the requirements of the program. The Department may also standardize the reviewers’ scores to ensure that each proposal has received a fair and impartial review (see Scoring below.) The review process is the basis for a final listing of applicants that are considered for funding.
Criteria
Reviewers score each application against the selection criteria published in the Notice Inviting Applications and included in the application package. In reviewing applications, reviewers are not permitted to use additional criteria or consider any information that is not in the application. This is why applicants are strongly encouraged to use the selection criteria when preparing their program narrative.
Scoring
Peer reviewers assign points to applications based on a review of how well the proposal addresses the selection criteria. Applicants may find that the scores of the reviewers vary by more than a few points. Department policy requires that each reviewer must provide an independent review. This means that reviewers are not asked to form a consensus decision. They are, however, asked to document the reasons for their scores.
The LSL program may use a statistical program to normalize (or standardize) reviewers' scores. This normalization compensates for the tendencies of some reviewers to score applications higher or lower than other reviewers for the same group of applications. With normalized scores, program staff is able to prepare a rank order list of applications that negates as much as possible, any unusual variations in scoring.
It should be noted that even if your proposal ranks high your application still might not be funded because of the large number of high quality applications that were received under the competition. The LSL program also has a requirement to maintain urban/rural and geographic distribution for grants awarded.
Timeline
Although the time varies from program to program, it takes approximately four to six months from the time the Department receives a new application to the time the award is made. The Department must carefully follow its own procedures, as well as requirements established by Congress and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in reviewing applications and awarding grants. We must assure that the review and award process is fair to all applicants. As the Department adopts new technology, we expect the time required to process applications will be reduced.
Peer Reviewers
If you are interested in becoming a peer reviewer, please see the LSL Program Web site, www.ed.gov/programs/lsl <http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl> and click on “Applicant information” and then click on “Call for Peer Reviewers.”
Benefits of becoming a proposal reviewer
Reading the attempts of many other people to put together a proposal gives you a much better sense of what reviewers need. Being a reviewer also exposes you to the latest ideas and information in your field. Most federal agencies and some private ones need outside reviewers and are glad to have additional help. Contact agencies or other sponsors in your discipline to see if you can serve as a reviewer for them.
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Frequently Asked Questions about
the Peer Review Process
What is the Peer Review Process?
Most Federal funding sources (i.e., RSA, NIDRR), utilize a peer review process to select proposals to be funded.
Peer reviewers, also called proposal reviewers, are recruited from various disciplines to evaluate and score proposal applications. Reviewers score each application based upon the selection criteria published in the Notice of Funding Available (NOFA), Request for Proposals (RFP), and in the instructions found within the RFP application package.
When reviewing applications, the reviewers must consider only the information provided in the proposal application. Usually the peer reviewers will review the proposal separately and then come together as a panel. The panel will then share their feedback and comments about the proposal, as well as their rationale for the scores they awarded.
Once the reviewers have evaluated and scored the applications, Federal officers use the information to rank the proposals according to their numeric scores. The proposal applications receiving the highest scores will be funded based on their ranking and the number of funds that are available for that particular competition.
Who are the Peer Reviewers?
Almost anyone can be a peer reviewer. There is great need for individuals from ethnically diverse backgrounds and individuals who have disabilities to become reviewers. Accommodations will be made for individuals with disabilities to participate in the peer review process. Peer reviewers are:
- Professionals
- Para-professionals
- Parents of individuals with disabilities who have related experiences
What are the Benefits of Serving as a Peer Reviewer?
- You will become familiar with the evaluation criteria of different funding bodies.
- Funding agencies will also become familiar with you as a reviewer.
- You will have the opportunity to read submitted proposals, which is an excellent way to learn about grant writing.
- You will gain a better understanding of what the proposal reviewers are looking for when evaluating proposals, which will make you a stronger proposal writer.
- You will have an opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
- Peer reviewing offers a great opportunity for networking.
- You will be able to be of service to others.
- Your expenses are paid and you will receive a small stipend for your efforts.
What are the Responsibilities of the Peer Reviewer?
- Attend an orientation to the Peer Review Process (conducted prior to actual proposal reviews).
- Read and evaluate numerous proposals.
- Evaluate proposals based on selection criteria (independent evaluations).
- Meet with other reviewers to discuss evaluations.
- Finalize scoring, comments and feedback for each proposal.
How do you become a Peer Reviewer with the U.S Department of Education – Office of Special Education & Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)?
Email your resume and request to become a peer reviewer to OSERS Peer Reviewer at <OSERSPRS@ed.gov>. Your name will then be entered into the system.
- When a need to review proposals arises, names are, then, randomly selected from expert categories and you receive a call to sit on a Peer Review Panel. Usually, it involves three individuals from outside of the Federal system.
- Travel to Washington, DC for the in person review. (Sometimes there are regional or teleconference reviews).
- The concept of Conflict of Interest will be one that you will need to deal with because if you are applying for a grant in a particular category, then you really are not eligible to sit as a Peer Reviewer in that category.
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9 Steps to Reviewing Applications with e-Reader
As Quoted from 9 Steps to Reviewing Application
Available online at: http://e-grants.ed.gov/e-read/help/reSubmissionSteps.htm
The U.S. Department of Education now provides the opportunity for applicants to specially selected programs to submit their proposal applications electronically, via the department website. This process also allows for the review of these specially selected programs to take place electronically as well. The following steps describe how applications are reviewed with e-Reader:
Step 1 – Find out your eligibility to use e-Reader. Some grant competitions are reviewed electronically using e-Reader, while others use a paper process (decided by Program Office). As a peer reviewer for the Department of Education, the Program Office will contact you if you are chosen to review applications electronically using e-Reader. You may then register.
While scoring and answering questions, you will want to refer back to the application text. You should have received a copy of the application from the Program Office or information on how to access the application online.
Step 2 – Register/Login. If you are a new user to e-Grants, you will need to register to use e-Reader. From the e-Grants Portal Page <http://e-grants.ed.gov/>, click on the continue button and click the register button on the right side of the next page. Select the e-Reader module and click the next button. Please provide the requested information. (Note: when prompted for your last name, first name, and e-mail address, make sure these are entered exactly as you provided to the Program Office). Your e-Grants password will be sent to the e-mail address you provide. Once you receive the e-mail, enter your username and password and click the login button.
If you already have a username and password for e-Grants, use them to login. If you have access to more than one e-Grants module, you will be directed to select which module you wish to enter. Keep in mind that this username and password will be used for all e-Grants modules. In order to update your registration for additional e-Grants modules, click the appropriate tab on the top of the screen and provide the requested information.
Note the following browser compatibility problems. The site is viewed best in Internet Explorer 5. We currently support IE 5 and Netscape 6.2 (along with later versions of both IE and Netscape). Please make sure that you have Cookies and JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Step 3 – Open your panel. A panel is a group of people responsible for reviewing applications for a specific competition. You may belong to one or more panels. After logging in, open a panel by clicking on it.
Step 4 – Report conflict of interest. You will be asked to report any potential conflicts of interest for each panel you enter. You may or may not have a conflict of interest with the applications you are reviewing. If you do, you must report it to the Program Official for each grant application you review. Indicate whether you are receiving compensation for reading. Remember to click the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page when finished. Print, sign, and fax the form to the Program Office using the fax number provided on the print window for the conflict of interest form.
Step 5 – View list of applications. After opening a panel (Step 3), you will see a list of applications to review and score (i.e. Technical Reviews). Notice each Technical Review shows a status next to it, either, Not Created, Initiated, Draft, Completed, or Submitted. Click on a Technical Review to open the Technical Review Form.
Step 6 – Score each application. The Technical Review Form shows a list of questions used to score each application. Enter your scores and comments by clicking on each question. Please remember to click the "Save" button after you complete each question.
NOTE: Depending on whether the application was submitted electronically, the application text may also be viewable electronically as a link found on the Technical Review Form page under Reference Material.
Step 7 – Participate in panel discussion. Before submitting your review, you will participate in a panel discussion, either in person or over the phone. The method of discussion will depend on the Program Office. The panel monitor will contact you with more details. After discussion, make any necessary changes to your reviews.
Step 8 – Submit your review. Before submitting, make sure that 1) you have participated in a formal panel discussion; 2) you double check that your scores and comments are correct; and 3) all your questions are in "Completed" status, shown on the Technical Review Form.
Submit your Technical Review Form for the application by clicking "Ready to Submit" found at the bottom of the Technical Review Form.
Step 9 – Review all applications. Repeat the process for each application review. You may click the "Return to Panel Page" button found on the Technical Review Form after each review is complete. Or you may submit multiple forms at one time by selecting the appropriate check boxes on the panel page and clicking the “submit selected” button.
NOTE: For more detailed help on using e-Reader, please see the User Guide or the e-Reader "How-to" presentation at <http://e-grants.ed.gov/egWelcome.asp>.
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