What program helps federal agencies produce effective Performance and Accountability Reports?

The Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting (CEAR) program plays a pivotal role in guiding federal agencies in the preparation of Performance and Accountability Reports (PARs). Introduced by the Association of Government Accountants (AGA), CEAR sets a standard of excellence in reporting that encourages transparency and accountability in government financial management.

By participating in this program, federal agencies receive feedback on their reporting processes and highlighted strengths as well as areas for improvement, helping them to enhance their performance management practices. The CEAR framework focuses on the effective communication of not just financial data, but also performance measures that reflect how well agencies are achieving their goals. This ensures that reports are not only compliant with legal requirements but also useful for stakeholders in understanding agency performance.

Thus, the CEAR program is specifically tailored to improve the quality of Performance and Accountability Reports, making it the appropriate answer in this context. Other options, while they may relate to reporting or performance in some way, do not specifically target the creation and improvement of PARs in the same focused manner as CEAR does.