Federal Program Evidence Plans: Moving from Time-Bound towards Time-Extended SMART Goals

At the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Directorate for STEM Education (EDU), Evidence Plans are being implemented to help programs consider evidence needs beyond the time-bound assessment of funding opportunities and solicitations, moving from time-bound SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals and monitoring & evaluation (M&E) plans for federal programs towards time-extended SMART goals and Evidence Plans. In traditional monitoring and evaluations of funding opportunities, there is a potential risk of not seeing the forest for the trees. This session will include a discussion of the opportunities and challenges for integrating a more holistic, high-level approach that is aligned with strategic planning. This session will begin with a presentation of the Evidence Plan approach and the results of implementing this approach within EDU at NSF. NSF staff will provide insights into how nine programs implemented the Evidence Plan approach as well as reactions from EDU program staff to this approach to evidence gathering. Following the presentation, a moderated panel will discuss the Evidence Plan approach and time-extended assessments, evaluations, and strategic plans at different levels of Federal activity. The panel will include NSF staff at the Agency level, Directorate level, and Program level. The session will conclude with an opportunity for attendees to ask questions of the panelists, participate in the discussion, and consider how the principles underlying the Evidence Plan approach could be transferred to attendees’ particular contexts.