# NASPAA Single Assignment Alignment Review Prompt Paste this prompt into your AI tool, replacing `[PASTE REPOSITORY URL HERE]` with the GitHub URL of the assignment you want reviewed. If the AI cannot access GitHub directly, copy and paste the assignment files into the conversation instead. --- ``` You are an expert reviewer of public affairs and administration pedagogy, with deep knowledge of NASPAA (Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration) accreditation standards — particularly Standard 5.1 on universal required competencies. You also have expertise in public budgeting and financial management curriculum design. I am going to give you a GitHub repository link containing a single course assignment for a public budgeting and finance course (or a related public affairs course). Your job is to review this assignment and evaluate its alignment with NASPAA's five domains of universal required competencies. STEP 1: READ THE ASSIGNMENT - Access the repository and read all contents: README files, assignment instructions (in any format: .md, .pdf, .docx, .ipynb, .Rmd, .html), rubrics, datasets, starter code, and supplementary materials. - Identify the core task(s), learning objectives (stated or implied), deliverables, and assessment criteria. STEP 2: MAP TO THE FIVE NASPAA COMPETENCY DOMAINS Evaluate the assignment against each domain below. For each, rate alignment as: ● STRONG — The assignment directly and substantively engages this domain. ◐ PARTIAL — The assignment touches on this domain but does not centrally assess it. ○ NOT ADDRESSED — The assignment does not meaningfully engage this domain. Support each rating with specific evidence drawn from the assignment materials. DOMAIN 1: TO LEAD AND MANAGE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST Example competency statements from NASPAA (illustrative, not exhaustive): - Apply public management organization theories - Appraise the organizational environment, culture, politics, and institutional setting - Demonstrate the ability to lead change in a complex environment - Lead, manage, and serve a diverse workplace and citizenry - Manage large and complex programs and projects - Manage information and networks - Leverage data and technological change for public good - Manage contracts and public-private partnerships - Apply risk management principles - Resolve conflict through negotiation and consensus-building - Create sustainable communities through effective public budgetary and nonprofit fund development practices - Identify and apply key elements of strategic planning processes DOMAIN 2: TO PARTICIPATE IN, AND CONTRIBUTE TO, THE PUBLIC POLICY PROCESS Example competency statements: - Apply techniques for program evaluation and forecasting - Structure a policy problem and analyze policy alternatives - Understand the value of citizen participation and social inclusion - Formulate and communicate an impact evaluation plan - Describe and work within institutional, structural, and political contexts of policy making and implementation - Prepare a budget reflecting policy priorities - Incorporate interest groups, executive-legislative relationships, judicial decision-making, and the media in the policy process - Build consensus DOMAIN 3: TO ANALYZE, SYNTHESIZE, THINK CRITICALLY, SOLVE PROBLEMS, AND MAKE EVIDENCE-INFORMED DECISIONS IN A COMPLEX AND DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT Example competency statements: - Articulate and apply methods for measuring and improving organizational, program, and individual performance - Apply analytical frameworks to analyze complex problems and formulate recommendations - Employ evidence-informed analytical tools for collecting, analyzing, presenting, and interpreting data (including statistics, data analytics, or AI) - Develop and use statistical models to support strategic decision-making - Manage data as a strategic asset - Identify and employ alternative sources of funding (grants, taxes, fees) - Develop and implement strategic plans - Apply theories of decision-making and models - Select and implement data-collection processes appropriate to resource- constrained organizations DOMAIN 4: TO ARTICULATE, APPLY, AND ADVANCE A PUBLIC SERVICE PERSPECTIVE Example competency statements: - Apply concepts of social equity to public service - Identify and analyze ethical dilemmas involving fiduciary stewardship of public resources - Know the meanings of due process, authority, and social equity and their role in democratic governance - Behave ethically and with integrity - Distinguish short- from long-term fiscal consequences of program and policy decisions - Exercise ethical responsibility when conducting research and making decisions - Identify short- and long-term impacts of decisions on the physical environment DOMAIN 5: TO COMMUNICATE AND INTERACT PRODUCTIVELY AND IN CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE WAYS WITH A DIVERSE AND CHANGING WORKFORCE AND SOCIETY AT LARGE Example competency statements: - Communicate effectively in writing (clear, concise, tailored to audience) - Demonstrate interpersonal communication skills to serve diverse populations - Communicate effectively in speech (oral presentation) - Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability - Demonstrate facilitation skills - Build actionable consensus - Work productively in teams - Recognize and adapt to cultural differences STEP 3: PRODUCE THE REPORT Format your output as follows: ### Assignment Summary - Title / description of the assignment - Stated or inferred learning objectives - Key deliverables - Tools or data required ### Competency Alignment Matrix | Domain | Rating | Key Evidence | |--------|--------|--------------| | 1. Lead and Manage in the Public Interest | ● / ◐ / ○ | brief evidence | | 2. Policy Process | ● / ◐ / ○ | brief evidence | | 3. Analysis and Evidence-Informed Decisions | ● / ◐ / ○ | brief evidence | | 4. Public Service Perspective | ● / ◐ / ○ | brief evidence | | 5. Communication and Cultural Responsiveness | ● / ◐ / ○ | brief evidence | ### Detailed Analysis For each domain, provide: - The specific competency statements most relevant to this assignment - Evidence from the assignment materials supporting your rating - For domains rated ◐ or ○: one or two concrete suggestions to strengthen alignment without fundamentally changing the assignment ### Assessment Utility - Could this assignment serve as DIRECT EVIDENCE of student learning for NASPAA accreditation? (Direct evidence = an artifact produced by the student, such as a paper, report, presentation, case study, budget document, or data analysis.) - What Bloom's Taxonomy level(s) does the assignment primarily target? (Remember, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create) ### Suggested Rubric Additions If the assignment lacks a rubric, draft a brief assessment rubric using NASPAA's preferred 3-level scale (Below Expectations / Meets Expectations / Exceeds Expectations) tied to the competency domains this assignment addresses. If a rubric exists, suggest specific modifications to strengthen its connection to NASPAA language. ### Metadata Tags Suggest tags for this assignment: - NASPAA competency domains addressed - Topic area (e.g., revenue forecasting, capital budgeting, financial condition analysis, operating budget, debt management, performance budgeting) - Tools used (e.g., Excel, R, Python, GFOA resources, ACFR analysis) - Assignment type (e.g., case study, simulation, problem set, memo, policy brief, budget proposal, group project, presentation, data analysis) - Bloom's Taxonomy level(s) - Course level (introductory, intermediate, advanced) - Estimated student completion time Format the report so a program director or assessment coordinator could use it directly in accreditation documentation or curriculum mapping. --- THE ASSIGNMENT TO REVIEW IS: [PASTE REPOSITORY URL HERE] ```