CDE Accountability Institute Providing and Funding Adequate and Appropriate Support for English Learners Presented by: Jannelle Kubinec

English Learners: Providing Adequate and Appropriate Support  By law, local educational agencies must ensure that English Learners are provided with “adequate and appropriate” support  How do we know what’s “adequate and appropriate?”  There’s many possible ways to judge what’s adequate and appropriate, but probably the best is academic and language proficiency  It’s about the data and the process we use to demonstrate: Availability of supplemental support to address language acquisition and development = adequate Instruction is informed by data and research = appropriate Progress is made = adequate and appropriate 1

Where’s the Money?  The current accountability structure had drawn more attention to the fact that many districts and schools need to act differently to address the needs of English Learners  Acting differently often requires spending money differently  But, is there money to spend given the cuts made to funding?  We may have less, but there are still resources Title I, IIA, III Economic Impact Aid (EIA)  Effectively using such resources is necessary and essential to adequately and appropriately supporting English Learners 2

Changing Practice  Change in practice, and even the recognition of the need to change, can be difficult  For virtually all districts and schools identified for improvement, it’s no surprise that they have unaddressed needs, but sometimes they are surprised that they need to change to get a different result  Levels of improvement challenge  Level 1 – Convince stakeholders a need exists  Level 2 – Convince stakeholder that action, sometimes dramatic, is necessary by everyone  Level 3 – Find the money to pay for action plan 3

The Landscape for Funding Has Changed Operating ConditionLevel of Change in Past Two Years System of AccountabilityNo Change Number and Type of PeopleSome Change Rules to Use FundingSome Change Amount of FundingBig Change What does this mean for school and district improvement? 4

Educational Improvement and Money  California has cut funding for schools by approximately 15% during the past three years  With less money, it is true there’s less to spend if that which was in place before continues unchanged  With less money, there can be more to spend if that which was in place before evolves into something different  The Essential Program Components (EPC) provide a framework for what’s necessary to support school and district improvement  This includes effective fiscal operations  The challenges to address fiscal operations needs are numerous:  Getting and using fiscal data  Drawing connections between money and priorities/needs  Dealing with organizational issues that restrict the use of funds 5

Essential Program Components and Money  Many of the “go to” funding sources to support EPCs no longer exist due to flexibility – these include:  Supplemental Hourly  Professional Development Block Grant  Instructional Materials Funds  SB 472/AB 430  And policy changes have added some twists:  Shorten school year by five days  Furloughs that include inservice days  Instructional material adoption delays  On top of this, there are some targeted short-term resources to add to the mix  School Improvement Grants (SIG) – “old” ( ) and “new” ( ) 6

Key Tips to Support What’s Needed  Funding is always an issue – even during good years  Doing our very best with what’s provided can be summed up as follows:  Spend the right dollar, on the right thing, at the right time  Accomplishing the above requires:  Allocating resources to align funding with needs  Being realistic about what can be accomplished  Spending the most restrictive funding first  Teamwork 7

Programs Requiring Allocation Plans  State categorical flexibility has eliminated some programs that formerly required allocation planning, but two big programs remain  Title I  EIA  The cuts and potential elimination of other site allocations make it more important than ever to revisit allocation methods and decisions  Work to maximize how Title I funds are distributed and used  Meet all EIA and Title I compliance requirements  Potentially refocus funds based on survival needs 8

Programs Requiring Allocation Plans  There are several options when constructing allocation plans  Formulas based on equal amount per student  Formulas that provide differential allocations based on: Types of school Performance and/or characteristic of students (low performing, low income, English Learner, etc.)  Centralized services  A hybrid of the above 9

The World of Rules  There are several rules and standards to be aware of when constructing an allocation plan  It’s helpful to separate rules into two categories:  Rules that govern how allocations are made Rankings Equity/parity/comparability  Rules that govern how money is spent once it’s allocated Supplement, not supplant 85/15  Even within the world of rules, discretion abounds 10

Allocating Title I Funds  Districts rank their schools based on level of poverty – most common metric is free-and reduced-price meal eligibility  Any school above 35% poverty eligibility or the district’s average poverty rate is Title I eligible  Any school above 40% poverty eligibility may elect to be “schoolwide” to broaden spending flexibility  Flexibility options:  Rankings by type of school  Skipping schools  Providing more funding to higher poverty schools or types of schools  Providing Title I funds to a school subjects them to federal accountability requirements 11

Utilizing Title I Set Asides  There are both mandatory and optional set asides that can be used to direct funding to priority activities  Mandatory:  Parent involvement  Homeless  If Program Improvement (PI): 10% for professional development Up to 20% for Supplemental Education Services and School Choice  Optional:  Centralized services  Targeted for PI  Teacher incentives, up to 5% 12

Allocating EIA Funds  Allocating EIA is similar to Title I, but there are some differences  There are two parts to EIA, which each district determines how to support State Compensatory Education (EIA-SCE, 7090) – Like Title I in the way funds may be used – Eligible schools have at least 25% poverty or 50% using composite factors – Allocated based on low-income pupils 13

Allocating EIA Funds  There are two parts to EIA, which each district determines how to support (cont.) Limited English Proficient (EIA-LEP, 7091) – Like Title III in the ways funds may be used – restricted to supplemental support for English Learner language acquisition and development – All schools with English Learners eligible – Allocated based on English Learner population 14

Allocating EIA Funds  District’s determine how to allocate funding between EIA-SCE and EIA-LEP  District’s must demonstrate that they provide “adequate and appropriate support” for English Learners  Possible evidence includes: Maintaining level of effort Achievement gains  It is possible to meet this requirement by putting 100% of EIA into SCE, but only if there are specific plans to meet the needs of English Learners  Among the factors that affect what will work best for your district:  Level of focus on English Learners without designation  Distribution of need and eligibility among schools  Use of resource by schools 15

Tips for EIA and Title I  Ensure sites understand the rules  85/15  Allowed used  Supplement, not supplant  Districts have discretion to allocate carryover  Should return to direct services  Opportunity to fund centralized services and/or phase in ongoing change in allocations  Ensure alignment between allocation plan, school plans, and budget 16

Specific Resources to Consider  There are fewer resources, but those focused on compensatory support are alive and mostly well  Most restricted  Title III, English Language Acquisition Program (ELAP), EIA-Limited English Proficient – use to supplement all other resources to address language proficiency and acquisition  Title IID – use for technology, there are some districts that received American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Title IIID competitive grants  Somewhat restricted  Title I set aside for professional development – required set aside of 10% for districts in PI  Title IIA – can be used for professional development and possibly class-size reduction  SIGs – must follow the plan for an individual site 17

Budget Based on Actions, Not Intentions  The best plans are ones that get done  Persistent carryover from year to year is often a sign that responsibility for a program/resource area lacks definition or plans are made, but not fully completed  Budget for what will get done, not just what should  Know what’s needed  Know who can do it  Know how much it costs  Manage for implementation 18

Specific Resources to Consider  Less Restricted  Title I (regular and ARRA) and EIA-State Compensatory Education – use for supplemental support for low performing students  Unrestricted  Tier III Programs – including California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) Intervention, Instructional Materials, Secondary Counselors, School and Library Improvement Block Grant, SB 472/AB 430  Federal Jobs Fund – expected for to provide one-time boost to use to support saving jobs involved with site operations  State Fiscal Stabilization Funding – a small portion was provided in

Teamwork and Money Management  Addressing the needs of English Learners is a team effort  Effective planning for any subgroup of students, including English Learners, requires broad stakeholder understanding and support  Superintendent  School Board  Educational Services  Business  Human Resources  School Site Administrators  Ultimately, it is difficult to do something different with funding unless the business office is involved 20

Things to Do When Engaging the Business Office  Do:  Engage the whole cabinet, including person responsible for the fiscal area, early in the process  Ask fiscal staff if they have ideas for areas of spending/practice that are less effective for students  Find out who is responsible for site allocations and how decisions are made to divvy up resources  Find out what the fiscal condition is of the district Still cutting Made big cuts Stable for now 21

Things to Avoid When Engaging the Business Office  Avoid:  Ignoring any of the “do’s”  Assuming that there’s no money available  Assuming that the business person doesn’t understand the educational program  Assuming that money is exclusively managed by the business office Sites may play a significant role Some districts have in place a separate accounting function within educational services – this should raise a red flag 22

Tips to Manage Resources  Maximize revenues, especially those generated based on student participation  Spend the most restricted dollar first  Even with fewer dollars, this still applies  Focus on priorities and support them with funding  Avoid spending out of habit  Be compliant  And once compliance needs are met, consider what is effective  Support cost-effective programs, not just low-cost programs  Turn over every rock and then pound them into sand 23

Is Improvement Possible During a Fiscal Crisis?  It can be hard to judge what constitutes improvement when surrounded by fiscal crisis and emergency  Planning for school and district improvement is a lot like Maslow’s hierarchy of need  Without the basics assured, it’s hard to think about much of anything else  But the difference between what’s necessary and what’s sufficient lies in how resources are used and not their mere presence  How do we find the space to focus on improvement?  It starts by thinking about what’s present above what’s absent 24

Thank you!