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Completing an Annual Report

Learn how to create, fill out, and submit an Annual Report for your DoWEA grant.

 Last updated 8/6/2026

Table of Contents 

Note on Reference Images: Throughout the following sections, the actions described are accompanied with screen captures of the corresponding areas of the ETAC website. Look for yellow text in the navigation menu and green buttons in the reporting portal. These colors signal which items have been hovered or selected.

 

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Reporting Cycle

The annual report covers August 1 to July 31 of the year on which you are reporting. It is submitted together with the annual financial report (SF-425) each year of the grant lifecycle (excluding the final year, when it is replaced by the closeout report).

  • Reporting Window: opens in August of grant years 1-4.
  • Due Date: October 31 at 11:59 p.m. ET of the current year.

 

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Reporting Access by Role

Project directors can create and submit annual reports through the Reporting Dashboard on the DoWEA Evaluation Technical Assistance Center (ETAC) website. Evaluators and other team members can also use this portal to view previously submitted reports and report drafts that are currently in progress.

 

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Creating a New Annual Report Form

Use the following steps to create a new Annual Report form or access an existing draft:

  1. Go to the ETAC homepage.

  2. Sign into your account using the Login button in the top right corner of the homepage.

  3. Select Reporting from the navigation menu to enter the Reporting Dashboard.

  4. Open the Annual Reports card to pull up the Annual Reports Grants List. Within this category, you will find a list of all grants with which your user profile is associated.  
  5. Find the desired grant using the Keyword Search and Award Year drop-down menu. 
  6. Select the View button to access the annual report for the desired grantee and grant year. (Note that annual reports submitted prior to 2026 are located in Archived Reports.)

  7. Select the New Report button in the upper right corner to start a new annual report form. To work on an existing annual report draft, find the desired report in the table and select View or Edit as applicable to your role.  

  8. Select the annual reporting period option from the Select Reporting Period drop-down menu and click the Create Report button.

Note: You will only be able to create a new report during an active annual reporting window. ETAC emails an announcement to all grantees when the reporting window opens.

 

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Navigating the Report Form

Navigation Buttons: Use the Next and Previous buttons pinned to the bottom right corner of your screen to advance to the next page or go back to the previous page.

Sidebar: Jump directly to specific sections of the report using the sidebar on the left side of the screen (as pictured to the right), which lists all sections of the report and provides links for easy access.

Instructions: Before beginning a section, read any directions posted at the top of the page beneath the blue banner.

Hover-for-Help Icons: Hold your cursor over the yellow question symbols throughout the form for additional information, such as tips, definitions, and examples.

Prefilled Items: For your convenience and to support reporting accuracy, some lines have been prefilled based on your grant profile. If you need assistance updating a prefilled line that is locked for editing, contact ETAC at support@dodeagrants.org.

Mandatory Sections: Required fields denoted with a red asterisk must be completed in order to execute actions such as attaching a document or submitting the report. If you attempt to proceed to the next step without completing a required field, an error message will prompt you to provide any necessary information before moving forward.

Note: If a text field is required but does not apply or you have nothing to report for that section, enter “NA”.

Saving Your Work: When creating a new report, the system automatically saves it as an In Progress draft. As you edit the report, use the Save buttons provided to ensure your entries are recorded before navigating away from a page or exiting the report draft.

 

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Filling Out the Report

Report Home

Before You Start: Review the Grantee and Federal Grant ID in the banner and Grantee Summary at the top of the page. Double check that these reflect your desired combination. Information populates throughout the form based on these initial selections.

Grant Roles and Contacts: Use the Edit Contacts button to open a pop-up window where you can add or update the project director, financial staff, and evaluator contacts listed under Grantee Summary. Click the Save button before returning to the Report Home page to ensure your updates are preserved. Contact updates also populate to your Grantee Profile upon report submission.   

Target Schools and Target School Enrollment: This section is prefilled based on the Grantee Profile which can be accessed through the Reporting Dashboard or via the Reporting navigation menu.

Note: Target school and target school enrollment numbers reflect the project narrative in the original grant application. These numbers should remain consistent with the original project narrative throughout the life of the grant; they should not be updated based on the current reporting year. Contact ETAC at support@dodeagrants.org for assistance if the numbers in the form do not match your original project narrative.

Goals, Strategies, Outcomes, and Statuses: This section is prefilled based on information in the Grantee Profile—drawn from the original project narrative and any updates approved by the DoWEA program team—as well as previously submitted reports. Use the hover-for-help icons (yellow question symbols) to view definitions for each category.

Goal Status: After reviewing each project goal, use the Update button on the Status column to open a pop-up window where you can select the appropriate status:

    • Fully Implemented
    • Partially Implemented
    • Not Implemented

If desired, use the optional Additional Context text field in the window to provide a brief explanation of the rationale for your selection.

Note: You will have an opportunity to update strategies and outcome metrics in subsequent sections of your annual report. For assistance updating outcomes, contact ETAC for assistance at support@dodeagrants.org.

Save Your Progress: Click Save before exiting the window to preserve your updates with a new timestamp.

 

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Strategies

This section allows for reporting on the three most-impactful strategies associated with each project goal. Review each strategy in the table, add new strategies (up to three per goal), and remove old strategies as needed. The reporting period for this section is the full reporting year (August 1st to July 31st).

Review/Update Existing Strategies: To view and update details of a strategy listed in the table, select the Update button in the corresponding row.

Add New Strategy: Use the +Add New Strategy button to report a strategy not already listed. This button will only appear if the maximum of three strategies per goal has not been met.

In the Update/Add Strategy pop-up window, follow the prompts and respond to all related
questions using the drop-down menus, radio buttons, and text boxes.

Be prepared to provide or update the following information:

  • The goal with which the strategy is most closely associated
  • Strategy name and description
  • Strategy category (options below)
    • Career Pathways/College Readiness
    • Math
    • STEM/STEAM
    • World Language
    • Literacy
    • Science
    • Physical Activity/Wellness
    • Teacher Support
    • Other (specify)
  • Any successes of this strategy during the reporting period
  • Strategy status

Delete Strategy: To remove an existing strategy that no longer applies, toggle the radio button on the final question in the window to Yes.

Save Your Progress: Click Save Strategy before exiting the window to preserve your updates.

Project Partners: After reviewing all entries in the Strategies section table, list any project partners in the final text field at the bottom of the page.

Save Your Progress: Click the Save button at the bottom of the page to ensure your project partners entry is recorded before moving to the next section.

 

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Outcome Metrics

This section displays the outcome metrics associated with each project goal. Review each outcome metric, update it with values for the reporting period, and add any new metrics as needed. The reporting period for this section is the full reporting year (August 1st to July 31st).

Review/Update Existing Metric: To view details of and enter data for an outcome metric listed in the table, click the Update button in the corresponding row.

Add New Metric: Use the +Add New Metric button to report a metric not already listed.

In the Review/Add Outcome Metric pop-up window, follow the prompts and respond to all related questions using the drop-down menus, radio buttons, and text boxes.

Be prepared to provide the following information:

  • The goal with which the outcome metric is associated
  • The outcome metric (how change is measured)
  • The type of metric (qualitative or quantitative)
  • Instruments or assessments used to collect data
  • Baseline number or percentage
  • Reporting year number or percentage
  • Any information (such as quotes, feedback, and anecdotes) that speaks to progress (optional)

Save Your Progress: Click the Save Metric button at the bottom of the window to ensure your updates are preserved.

 

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Professional Learning (PL)

This section allows for reporting on up to three most-impactful PL activities for the month of July. It also displays PL activities reported in previous reporting cycles (Fall Semester 2025 and forward) which can be cloned to the current reporting cycle to save time on data entry.

Edit Existing Professional Learning: To review or make changes to any rows in the current reporting period’s PL table, use the corresponding Edit and Delete buttons as needed.

Add New Professional Learning: Use the +Add New Professional Learning button to report up to three most-impactful PL activities implemented during the reporting period. This button will only appear if the three-PL maximum has not been met.

In the Add/Edit Professional Learning window, follow the prompts and respond to all related questions using the multiple selection boxes and text boxes.

Be prepared to provide the following information:

  • The goals with which the PL is associated
  • The PL name and description
  • The PL category
  • Participant types and totals
  • Frequency
  • Primary format
  • Entity who delivered the PL
  • Impact or anticipated impact of the PL to the program
  • Monitoring of PL implementation

Note: Use the hover-for-help yellow question marks to access additional examples and explanations.

Save Your Progress: Click the Save button to ensure your entry is added to the PL reporting table.




 

Cloning a Prior Professional Learning: If the PL you are reporting on is similar to or a continuation of a previous PL activity, you may wish to clone that prior PL rather than creating a new one. This function supports reporting continuity and can save you time filling out details.

To clone a PL from a prior reporting period, complete the following steps:

  1. Scroll down to the Professional Learning (Other Reporting Cycles) section and find the PL row you want to copy.

  2. Click the Clone button.

  3. Review the PL details and select Copy Record. This will prepopulate most of the fields in the Add/Edit Professional Learning window. See steps 4-7 for fields that will need to be updated manually.
  4. Confirm the goal with which the PL is associated.
  5. Update the name of the PL from the copy placeholder text provided.
  6. Fill out the number of participants for the current reporting period.
  7. Adjust any other fields as needed. Be sure to update your answer to the program impacts question as part of this process.
  8. Click the Save button to ensure your updated version of the cloned PL is added to the PL reporting table.


Professional Learning Summary: After adding up to three PL activities for the reporting period, respond to the questions at the end of the page. Briefly describe how PL impacts were monitored and any innovative solutions implemented to address PL challenges.

Save Your Progress: Click the Save button to ensure your entries are recorded before moving to the next section.

 

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Evaluation Narrative

This section is for uploading the Evaluation Narrative written by the grant’s Evaluator. The narrative may be up to 10 single-spaced pages of 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins and should be attached to the report form as a PDF. Before uploading the document, ensure the narrative meets the guidelines for the report structure and content.

Guidelines for Report Structure & Content (10 pg. max)

  1. Executive Summary / Abstract (½ page): Provide a concise overview of the evaluation’s purpose, key findings, and overall implementation progress to date, including clearly identifying the status of all project goals as fully met, partially met, or not met.

  2. Evaluation Design & Data Sources (1 page): Briefly describe the evaluation design, including the overall approach and methods used. Identify key data sources such as participation records, assessments, surveys, or interviews, and note how stakeholders contributed to data collection or interpretation.

  3. Implementation Findings (2 pages): Describe the extent to which planned strategies were implemented and highlight any adaptations made in response to local needs. Summarize progress across major focus areas (e.g., professional learning, curriculum, student supports), and discuss any variation in implementation across sites, target groups, or delivery models.

  4. Outcome Findings (2–2.5 pages): Present outcome data aligned with the project's goals. Include comparisons between baseline and current performance, and disaggregate findings for key groups (e.g., military-connected students). Where applicable, include qualitative outcome evidence and acknowledge any data limitations or interpretation challenges.

  5. Challenges & Adaptations (1 page): Identify any challenges encountered during implementation or evaluation. Describe how those challenges were addressed and explain any key adaptations or innovations made in response to emerging needs or shifting conditions.

  6. Partnerships, Capacity & Sustainability (1 page): Describe how partnerships with families, schools, or community organizations contributed to the project's success. Highlight evidence of increased capacity, institutional learning, or systemic changes that support sustainability beyond the grant period.

  7. Recommendations (1 page): Provide actionable, evidence-informed recommendations to strengthen implementation, improve the use of data for decision-making, and support the sustainability or scale-up of effective practices.

  8. Appendices (optional; not included in page count): Include any relevant supplemental materials, such as data tables, sample tools, or visuals that support the main findings of the report.

Upload Narrative File: Click the Choose File button to select a document from your local files. Then, click Upload Narrative to attach it. Documents must be uploaded in PDF format.

Download or Delete: Use the corresponding buttons to download a copy of the file or remove.

Add Narrative Notes: If needed, use the Narrative Notes text field to provide explanatory comments regarding the attached Evaluation Narrative.

Save Your Progress: Click the Save Note button to ensure your entry is preserved before moving to the next section.

 

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Documents 

This optional section provides the opportunity to upload supporting files such as event photos, articles, or media coverage; and data collection tools or instruments. Adding supporting files is optional. If you plan to do so, please upload before submitting your report.

Note: This section is for supplemental files only. If you still need to add the Evaluation Narrative, return to the previous section to do so.

Add Document: Use the +Add Document button to upload supporting documents. PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Image file types are all accepted. Files should not exceed 50 MB.

Title Your Upload: In the Add Document pop-up window, provide a title that reflects the purpose of the document in the context of the report. There are no limitations to the types of characters that can be used in the title. You will need to complete this step to save the upload to your documents list.  

Download and Delete: Use the corresponding buttons on each document row to save a file to your computer or to remove it from the document table as needed.

 

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Submitting the Report

This section prompts completion and/or verification of completion of required financial forms—including the annual financial report and (if applicable) the tangible property report–before formally submitting the annual report.

 

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Annual Financial Report (SF-425)

If you have already started or submitted a SF-425 (annual financial report) for the current reporting period, the form and its status (draft or submitted) will be listed in the SF-425 table. To continue editing an existing draft, click the Edit button on the corresponding row. To start a new form, click the +New SF-425 button. For guidance on completing this form, see Annual Federal Financial Report (SF-425).

 

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Tangible Property Report (SF-428)

If you have any tangible property (equipment) to report, select Yes on the corresponding dropdown menu. If you have already started or submitted a SF-428 (tangible property report form) for the current reporting period, the form and its status (draft or submitted) will be listed in the SF-428 table. To continue editing an existing draft, click the Edit button on the corresponding row. To start a new form, click the +New SF-428 button. For guidance on completing this form, see Tangible Personal Property Report (SF-428).

 

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Report Submission

Review Your Work: After completing all required sections, check over the final version of your report to ensure everything is accurate using the sidebar navigation or the Previous button to return to earlier sections of the report.

Submit Report: Click the Submit Report button to send the report to the DoWEA program team for review and approval. When you do so, green text will appear confirming the success of the submission.

Note: Clicking Submit will lock the form for further editing and send it to the DoWEA program team. You cannot retract or edit a form after it has been submitted. Making updates at this stage will require reaching out to ETAC for assistance prior to the reporting deadline. Forms you create are not visible to the DoWEA program team until they are submitted.

Submission History: After you click Submit, the submission history will update with the timestamp of your submission, the new status, and the person who made the change. A new Timestamp row appears for each new status through which the form passes (e.g., In Progress, Submitted, Rejected, Resubmitted).

 

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Next Steps

Update a Submitted Report: If, after submitting a report, you need to make an update, please contact ETAC at support@dodeagrants.org before the reporting deadline.

Note: Making updates involves returning a submitted form to draft status. After making your updates, you will need to resubmit your form before the reporting deadline to ensure the grant is in compliance.

Edit, View, or Print Your Report: Return to the Annual Reports area of the Reporting Dashboard and use the filters to locate your report. Use the corresponding buttons to View the report, or Print a copy for your records.

 

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Additional Guidance

Need support with another aspect of the Reporting Dashboard or a different type of report? These articles can help:

The Reporting Dashboard

Financial Reporting

     

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