1. Louisiana’s Title I Part C Migrant Education Program
What is the Migrant Education Program (MEP)?

2. Goal
The goal of this presentation is to provide participants an understanding of the Title I Part C Migrant Education Program.

3. Let’s learn about . . . Purpose and History of the MEP Requirements
Responsibilities
Managing & Organizing Work
Questions

4. Title I Part C, Education of Migratory Children
Established in 1966 as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to meet the educational needs of migrant children as a result of:
their mobile lifestyles;
the short spans of instruction they received in the classroom;
the discontinuity of instruction between states; and
their lack of “belonging” to any one particular school.

5. Legal/Authoritative Reference for MEP
Statute
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Title I, Part C, Section
Code of Federal Regulations, Revised as of July 1, 2010, 34 CFR –
Guidance
Non-Regulatory Guidance, October 23, 2010

6. Purpose of the MEP
Title I, Part C funds are allocated to SEAs to establish or improve education programs for migrant children; and
To assist all migrant students in meeting challenging academic standards and achieving graduation from high school or a high school equivalency program

7. Key Vocabulary CNA – Comprehensive Needs Assessment
COE – Certificate of Eligibility
COS – Continuation of Services
ELL – English Language Learner
ESEA – Elementary and Secondary Education Act
LDOE – Louisiana Department of Education
HQT – Highly Qualified Teacher
ID&R – Identification and Recruitment
LEA – Local Educational Agency
MERIL – Migrant Education Records in Louisiana
MEP – Migrant Education Program
MSIX – Migrant Student Information Exchange System
NCLB – No Child Left Behind
OME – Office of Migrant Education
PAC – Parent Advisory Council
PFS – Priority for Services
QAD – Qualifying Arrival Date
SDP – Service Delivery Plan
SEA – State Educational Agency

8. Important Terminology Distinction
Immigrant Student
Migrant Student
Not born in the United States
Ages 3-21
May or may not be Limited English Proficient
May or may not be migrant
In first 3 years of U.S. residency
Not defined by movement or occupation
May or may not have been born in the U.S. and may or may not be a citizen
Ages 0-22
May or may not be Limited English Proficient or immigrant
Is not based on time of residency in the U.S.
Defined by movement and qualifying work (temporary employment or seasonal employment in agricultural or fishing work

9. A Complex Program The MEP has Many components, e.g., Many layers
Identification & Recruitment (ID&R) of eligible children & youth
Local operating agency (LOA) oversight
Program Planning
Child Count and Data Collection
Cross-program Coordination
Interstate Coordination
Intrastate Coordination
Participation in National Activities
Parent Involvement
Many layers
Federal
State
Regional and/or Local
Many stakeholders
Migrant children
Parents
Educators
Program administrators
Service providers

10. The SEA (State Educational Agency)
Responsible for:
Oversight of the MEP,
Program planning,
Fiscal management,
Contract management,
Data collection,
Coordination of all MEP components,
Professional development and training,
Cross-program coordination, and
Monitoring and quality control.

11. Statutory Requirements
An LEA receiving MEP funds must operate in compliance with federal Education of Migratory Children Program authorized under Title I, Part C and must address the following critical components as enumerated in the federal law:  
Student Identification and Recruitment (Title I, Part C, Sections 1304(c)(7) and 1309(2);
Report student data through the MERIL2 database and facilitate interstate and intrastate coordination to ensure continuity of services for mobile migrant children, including records transfer (Title I, Part C, Sections 1303(e) and 1304(c)7 and (e);

12. Statutory Requirements
Parental involvement and Migrant Parent Advisory Council (PAC) (Title I, Part C, Sections 1304(c)(7) and 1306(a)(1)(b)(ii).
Program administration (Title I, Part C, Sections 1303(e), 1304(c)(7) and (e).
Implementing components of current State Service Delivery Plan to meet the needs of eligible migrant students;
Completing application and budget;
Implementation, monitoring and supervision of local program; and
Program Evaluation

13. What do the Statutory Requirements mean?
Year-round ID&R is a required function of all districts receiving Title I, Part C funds;
Each district receiving MEP funds must enter all required data into the MERIL2 system, Louisiana's migrant student database.
Priority for Service” is given to migrant students who are:
failing or at risk of failing; and
who have had their education interrupted due to their family's migratory lifestyle.

14. Identification & Recruitment (ID&R)
MEP component that is unique and critically important as:
Children and youth, ages 0-21, are qualified based on occupation and movement of worker; and
Count of eligible migrant children and youth, ages 3-21, is basis of funding.

15. Identification & Recruitment (ID&R)
Year-round ID&R is a required function of all districts receiving Title I, Part C funds;
All deployment plans, training, COE review, and coordination of ID&R is handled through Louisiana’s ID&R Coordination Center;
ID&R efforts (school and field-based) are conducted to identify eligible migrant students;
A Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is utilized and required to determine and document if the child meets the eligibility criteria; and
Knowledge of agriculture and fishery in Louisiana and other states are key in identifying qualifying activities during ID&R efforts.

16. How does a child become eligible?
Children and youth are identified and recruited through a face-to-face interview conducted by a specially trained recruiter;
During the interview, the recruiter completes an electronic Certificate of Eligibility (COE), an official and legal document that contains all of the information needed to determine eligibility;
The completed COE is transmitted to the LDOE’s MEP for an eligibility determination;

17. How does a child become eligible?
If the qualifying worker meets all of the Title I, Part C eligibility requirements, the child(ren) listed on the COE is (are) eligible to receive MEP services.
Eligibility period is three years from qualifying arrival date (QAD), i.e., child whose qualifying arrival date is on September 1, 2015, is eligible to receive services until September 1, 2018, or till end of the term.

18. Basic Child Eligibility Factors
Basic Eligibility Factors
Age
School Completion
Move
Purpose of the Move
Qualifying Work

19. Determining Priority For Service (PFS)
Needs assessment is necessary to determine the Priority For Service (PFS) ranking of the student. Students with the greatest number of risk factors and the highest total score are ranked as the highest priority, and are the first to receive services.

20. Needs Assessment Data
A needs assessment must be conducted on every eligible migrant child;
Should be kept current throughout eligibility period;
Must be completed within 2 weeks of a child becoming eligible for the MEP;
Needs assessment data is input into MERIL2 database via web-based system.

21. Allowable Activities
In general, SEAs and LEAs may use Migrant Education Program (MEP) funds for:
Instructional services;
Support Services;
Professional Development;
Migrant Parent Advisory Council (MPAC) and other migrant parental involvement activities;
Identification and Recruitment;
Coordination activities with other agencies, both within the State and with other States nationwide, including the transfer of student records;
Comprehensive needs assessment activities; and
Evaluation of MEP

22. Supplemental Services
Title I, Part C requires that provision of services be prioritized by need and that students with greatest needs be served first;
Tracking of supplemental migrant funded services is required for federal reporting and for program evaluation; and
Provided services data is input into MERIL2 system via a web-based system.

23. Additional Notes Regarding MEP Program Services
Beyond being allowable activities and associated with the Areas of Concern additional MEP criteria for services include:
Services must be supplemental (may not supplant)
Provided so that most at-risk eligible migrant students served first
Use of funds must be reasonable, allowable, & necessary
Furthermore:
MEP may serve migrant students whose eligibility ends on a Continuation of Services (COS) basis

24. Common Supplemental Services
Individual and small group tutorial services;
Instructional technology and computer-based instruction;
Payment for credit recovery and accrual classes;
Extended day programs;
Supplement summer programs; and
Early childhood education services.

25. MEP Parent Advisory Councils
For programs of one school year in duration, the State Education Agency (SEA) and districts receiving Title I, Part C funds must:
Establish and consult with State and local parental advisory councils (PACS).
Consult with PACs in the planning and operation of migrant education programs and projects.
Provide for the same parental involvement as required under ESEA § 1118 (Title I, Part A), unless extraordinary circumstances make this impractical.
Carry out activities in a format and language understandable to parents.

26. Parental Involvement
Parental Involvement is an integral part of all Title I programs, including the Migrant Education Program (MEP).
Parent involvement means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities.

27. Program Administration
Complete Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) and Service Delivery Plan (SDP), meaning:
Each district receiving Title I, Part C funds must implement components of current State Service Delivery Plan to meet the needs of eligible migrant students;
The CNA and the SDP are currently being updated and will be available before beginning of school year;
SDP will encompass the full range of services that are available for migratory children from appropriate local, state, and federal educational programs; and
Specific measurable program outcomes (MPOs) and goals is SDP will be used to as basis of program evaluations.

28. Program Planning & Implementation Process
Comprehensive Needs Assessment (Study/Preplan)
Service Delivery Plan (Plan)
Implementation (Do/Deliver)
Program Evaluation (Evaluate)

29. Required Components of the SDP
Performance targets
Needs assessment
Service delivery strategies
Measurable Program Outcomes
Evaluation Plan

30. Areas of Concern
Areas of Concern are broad areas based on the root causes of the unique characteristics of the target group
OME identified Seven Areas of Concern
Educational continuity
Instructional time
School engagement
English language development
Educational support in the home
Health
Access to services

31. Program Evaluation
Districts that receive subgrants from the state MEP for migrant education must also evaluate the effectiveness of their services for meeting the needs of migrant students, especially PFS students;
The local project evaluation should measure both the implementation of the project and student performance against the project’s MPOs outlined in the SDP; and
The district must use the results of the evaluation to improve services to migrant children (34 C.F.R. Section ).

32. Managing the Work Organizing the Work Identifying Supportive Contacts
Creating Capacity
Prioritizing Activities
Keeping Abreast of New Information and Emerging Issues
Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

33. Organizing the Work Strategies Develop a master calendar
Develop an organization chart for the MEP so that you and other staff members can see how all components interrelate and what the lines of responsibility are.

34. Organizing the Work Strategies
Organize the following information for easy reference:
Law, regulations, guidance;
Technical assistance documents; and
State MEP documents and reports.
Familiarize yourself with these federal and state administrative requirements and protocols:
Federal reporting requirements,
Local monitoring,
Fiscal management,
Contracting, and
Data collection.

35. Identifying Supportive Contacts
Strategies
Identify and utilize people in the SEA & LOAs who can guide you and help navigate administrative channels.
Keep all local & state MEP contact information up-to-date and accessible.
Identify and utilize local directors who can share practical information on implementing the MEP.
Identify and utilize experienced LOA administrators and recruiters who can assist with understanding state and local contexts for implementing the MEP.
Identify and utilize people who can provide additional expertise you need in areas such as data analysis, evaluation, staff supervision, or team facilitation.
Work on creating partnerships – within your agency and with others who work in your agency, in LOAs, and in nonprofit organizations.

36. Creating Capacity Strategies
Devote sufficient time to train MEP staff, administrators, and recruiters so that they can carry out their responsibilities effectively so that less of your time will be required for ongoing technical assistance.
Delegate tasks as appropriate to other MEP staff (e.g., staff may be willing to present at state conferences or mentor other staff).

37. Questions????

38. Thank you!!