How to be considered as a Peer Reviewer for programs administered by The Department

U.S. Department of Education (Department) 

An excellent professional development opportunity

Serve the education community

Exposure to innovative ideas in education 

Make recommendations to the Department of which projects to fund

Benefits of Being a Peer Reviewer

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Requirements 

Department program specific expertise

Possess (1) high-standards of analysis and evaluative writing as well as (2) objectivity when assessing grant applications

Must be able to put in the necessary time for (1) reviewer training and (2) review period

Ability to work independently and as a member of a team

Access to a phone, email, computer, the Internet, and the G5 grants management system 

Selection

Each Department program selects its own reviewers based on the expertise needed specific to a grant competition 

Example programs: (1) Education Innovation and Research and (2) Magnet Schools Assistance

If a reviewer is interested in a specific program, then he or she should look for that specific program’s call for reviewers

The Department put a notice in the Federal Register in March 2020 entitled: “Peer Review Opportunities with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, and Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services”

Peer Reviewer Selection and Requirements

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WORKING with THE G5 – Grants management SYSTEM

4 Step Registration process to be considered as a potential Department peer reviewer  

Registering With G5 

Activating Your Account

Logging into G5 - Two Factor Authentication 

Editing Your Reviewer Profile

4-Step Registration Process

*If you have previously registered in G5 you do not need to register again.  Once you register, G5 retains your information for consideration in future years, and you may go into and update your reviewer profile. 

Internet Explorer is the optimal browser for G5.

Should you need assistance, contact the G5 Helpdesk at (888) 336-8930.

Terms and Conditions Screen

If you agree to the terms listed, select the Agree radio button and click the Submit button.

Activation Link

An account activation email will be sent to the email address you provided

Click on the link provided.  You will then be taken to G5 to activate your account.

Go to www.g5.gov 

Click the Sign-up link

You will then be moved to the registration screen

Registration* screen

Enter the fields marked by a red asterisk (do not include dashes in phone numbers, do include your area code)

Enter a valid email address

Click the Continue button 

Step 1: Registering with G5

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Click the Activate button to confirm the information you have entered and activate your account

Please read the user agreement, click the Agree radio button to acknowledge your compliance, and click the Submit button

Read the G5 User ID and Password Memorandum and click the Continue button

Enter the required fields and click the Continue button to finalize your activation

Step 2: Activating Your Account

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Use only one of the three options to retrieve the unique code necessary to log into G5

You will need to enter the 6-digit code generated into the Passcode field in G5

The authentication code is only valid for 30 – 60 seconds. If you do not enter the code in time, you will need to enter the next code that appears

Go to www.g5.gov 

After entering your Email ID and Password, you must check the box indicating that you accept the Department’s terms for using G5 

Then click the Login to G5 button

You will have to check the Yes, I Accept the Terms checkbox each time you log into G5

Two Factor Authorization 

You will have one of three ways to retrieve the unique code needed to complete the G5 log-in process:

App: Use an authenticator application on your smart device (click on the hyperlink for your specific mobile device to get instructions)

Voice: Receive Voice Call-Back

Text: Receive SMS Text 

Step 3: Logging into G5

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Once you have completed the Two Factor Authorization Log-in process, you will be directed to My Profile where you will need to select an available type of access

In this case you will select Reviewer and click the Continue button

Step 4: Editing Your Reviewer Profile (part 1)

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*For what Department grant competitions the reviewer wants to serve.

After review, click the Submit button to request reviewer access

You will receive a confirmation message, like the one below, indicating your profile was successfully updated

The resume is now available to ED program staff to consider for a competition 

You will need to log out and allow some time for your request to be processed

You must upload a resume on the Documents tab

All uploaded documents must be in a PDF format

You must also enter a minimum of two years of experience on the Work Experience tab

All other fields are optional

However, it is encouraged that you include the following in your profile: Specialization, Reader Experience, and Preferences*

Step 4: Editing Your Reviewer Profile (part 2)

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Cite prior grant experience, i.e. writing, administering, evaluating, or reviewing

Be sure resume is complete, spell out abbreviations, and include dates

Keep it concise – suggest 2 pages, no longer than 5 pages

Highlight professional accomplishments and specific experiences

Other Helpful Resume Hints

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If you have peers you would like to recommend that may be interested in being Department reviewers, please provide them this resource toolkit

Relevant pages where new potential reviewers should go are below:

www.g5.gov

ED.gov

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/03/02/2020-04148/peer-review-opportunities-with-the-us-department-of-educations-office-of-elementary-and-secondary

https://www2.ed.gov/documents/peer-review/peer-reviewer-toolkit.pptx

Grants.gov 

Each Department program selects its own peer reviewers based on expertise needed specific to a grant competition

Individuals selected to be a peer reviewer will be contacted by the program office

Neither submission of your resume or registering in G5 guarantees that you will be selected to be a peer reviewer

Final Points 

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