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Virginia Department of Education

Information on this page is provided by the Office of Program Administration and Accountability.

Staff Contacts

Title I

Part C: Education of Migratory Children

The purpose of the Migrant Education Program (MEP) is to design and support high-quality and comprehensive educational programs that provide migratory children with the same opportunity to meet the challenging state academic content and student achievement standards that are expected of all children. In addition, the MEP works to ensure that all migrant students graduate with a high school diploma (or complete a General Education Diploma) that prepares them for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment. Federal funds are allocated by formula to states based on each state’s per pupil expenditure for education and counts of eligible migratory children, age 3 through 21, residing within the state.

Objectives

1. Identify, enroll, and serve all eligible migratory students in the Commonwealth;
2. Support high-quality and comprehensive educational programs for migratory children to help reduce the educational disruptions and other problems that result from repeated moves;
3. Ensure that migratory children who move among the States are not penalized in any manner by disparities among academic content and student academic achievement standards;
4. Ensure that migratory children are provided with appropriate educational services (including support services) that address their special needs in a coordinated and efficient manner;
5. Ensure that migratory children receive full and appropriate opportunities to meet the same challenging state academic content and student academic achievement standards that all children are expected to meet;
6. Design programs to help migratory children overcome educational disruptions, cultural and language barriers, social isolation, various health-related problems, and other factors that inhibit their ability to do well in school, and to prepare them to make a successful transition to postsecondary education or employment; and
7. Ensure that migratory children benefit from state and local systemic reforms.

Program Services & Descriptions

Program services are provided to migratory students around the state through seven local and regional programs. Priority for services goes to migratory children who are failing, or most at risk of failing, to meet the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL), and whose education has been interrupted during the regular school year. Strategies for providing services to meet the needs of the population vary throughout the state depending upon the availability of other programs and services and upon the fiscal resources of the MEP. Based on the number of migratory students in a school division, programs are either offered year-round and/or during the summer. Supplemental services may include but are not limited to: English as a second language instruction; computer literacy instruction; family literacy; general education diploma (GED) preparation; and outreach/advocacy work to increase the quality of nutritional, health, and dental care.

• Local and Regional Program Descriptions
• MEP Contact Information (PDF)

Federal Legislation & Policy Guidance

• U.S. Department of Education – Title I, Part C, legislation pertaining to elementary and secondary education
• Draft of the non-regulatory Guidance, Title I, Part C, Education of Migratory Children (October 2010) (PDF)

Definitions, Identification & Recruitment

The Virginia Department of Education is responsible for the identification and recruitment of all eligible migratory children in the state. Local migrant coordinators and recruiters implement recruitment strategies based on program needs as defined through the Virginia Department of Education Recruiter’s Manual. The manual outlines how to prepare for and conduct recruiting, how to identify migrant students, and how to determine eligibility. This manual has been updated to include the new national Certificate of Eligibility.

• Virginia Department of Education Migrant Education Identification and Recruitment Handbook (PDF)
• Qualifying Activities for Migrant Education Programs (PDF) 2012‐2013
• National Identification and Recruitment Curriculum

The U.S. Department of Education has developed criteria to define an eligible migratory child, and must be used when certifying children to be served in the Title I Migrant Education Program.

• Definitions for Eligibility

Migrant Student Database Collection

The Virginia Department of Education is required to document every migrant child's eligibility for the Migrant Education Program on the National Certificate of Eligibility (COE) (PDF) created by the U.S. Department of Education (USED). The COE serves as the official record of the state's eligibility determination for each individual child. The VDOE has appended a second page to the national COE to collect additional information required by other state and federal collections.

Through the Virginia Migrant Student Data Collection (MSDC), school divisions are able to enter and maintain the migrant student data. The application also provides facility to transmit the data to the federal Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX) as required by USED. The MSDC can be accessed through the Single Sign-on for Systems (SSWS) Web application.

Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX)

The United States Department of Education (USED), Office of Migrant Education (OME), has implemented the Migrant Student Information Exchange Initiative to ensure the appropriate enrollment, placement, and accrual of credits for migrant children. The Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX) will allow all states to share educational and health information on migrant children who travel from state-to-state and who as a result, have student records in multiple states' information systems. MSIX will work in concert with the existing migrant student information systems that states use to manage their migrant data. States will continue to use their existing migrant student information system to record migrant data. MSIX will download the migrant data and make it available to other state migrant personnel through a secure log in.

• Access MSIX
• MSIX training information
• E-mail for MSIX account help

State Requirement Highlights

Comprehensive Needs Assessment

As required under Sections 1304(b) and 1306(a) of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Virginia is required to conduct a Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) for the Migrant Education Program (MEP). The purpose and scope of the comprehensive needs assessment was to identify the most significant and pressing needs of Virginia’s migrant students. The CNA was conducted during the 2007-2008 school year and provided an opportunity to analyze data, evaluate the MEP, determine program needs, and make recommendations to meet the needs of migrant students in Virginia.

• Virginia’s Comprehensive Migrant Education Program Needs Assessment (PDF)

State Service Delivery Plan

Section 1306(a)(1) of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires that states deliver and evaluate the quality of services to migrant children based on a state plan that reflects the results of a Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA). Virginia conducted the most recent CNA during the 2007-2008 school year. Virginia’s Comprehensive State Plan for Service Delivery describes the strategies that Virginia will pursue on a statewide basis to achieve the state’s measureable outcomes and meet the state’s performance targets.

The Service Delivery Plan (SDP) summarizes the findings from the CNA and provides a framework for implementing strategies to address the needs of Virginia’s migratory children. The SDP also outlines measures for monitoring implementation and evaluation outcomes. As required by, NCLB, the Virginia SDP specifically addresses the following: 1) performance targets; 2) measurable program outcomes; 3) needs assessment; 4) service delivery; and 5) evaluation.

• Comprehensive State Service Delivery Plan (PDF)

Virginia Migrant Program Evaluation

Section 1304(c)(5) of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires states to conduct a program evaluation for the Migrant Education Program. The purpose of conducting an evaluation of the Virginia Migrant Education Program is to examine program effectiveness and results of implemented program activities.

• Virginia Department of Education Migrant Education Program Evaluation Report 2010-2011 (PDF)

Ensuring Equitable Services to Private School Students

• See Title IX: General Provisions

Instruction & Assessment of Migrant Students

The Virginia Department of Education is responsible for ensuring migrant students participate in the Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments as stipulated in the Virginia Board of Education’s Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook. (PDF)

• Virginia Standards of Learning and Instructional Resources

  • Mathematics: Strategies for Teaching Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students – A Supplemental Resource to the K-12 Mathematics Standards of Learning Enhanced Scope and Sequence (PDF)
  • English: Strategies for Teaching Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students – A Supplemental Resource to the K-12 English Standards of Learning Enhanced Scope and Sequence (PDF)

• English Language Proficiency Standards

  • WIDA English Language Proficiency (ELP) PK-12 Standard
  • WIDA ELP Standards Instructional Videos

• Virginia School Report Card

  • The Virginia School Report Card provides information about student achievement, accountability ratings, attendance, program completion, school safety, teacher quality, and other topics by schools, school divisions, and the commonwealth. Reports may be viewed and downloaded as PDF files or Microsoft Excel files.

Literacy Education And Reading Network (LEARN)

As part of the LEARN Consortium, Virginia has access to the LEARN website. The focus of this website is to provide teachers with tools for assessing and providing supplemental research-based literacy lessons to students in grades K-12 to improve their foundational literacy skills. Educators can use this site to identify individual student literacy needs using Student Success Plans, enter students' missing skills into the website criteria, and access instructional lessons designed to improve specific literacy skills. Graduation Plans are also available on the Migrant Literacy NET to help secondary students and out-of-school youth overcome barriers to graduation.

Evaluation & Federal Program Monitoring

The Virginia Department of Education is responsible for evaluating migrant education programs in the state through submission of an application for funding under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The following criteria are used to evaluate the migrant education program applications: (1) effectiveness of program services/activities to increase student achievement, and (2) progress of schools and school divisions serving migrant children toward meeting the adequate yearly progress (AYP) targets as defined in the Virginia Board of Education’s Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook (PDF).

The Virginia Department of Education is required, as stipulated in the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), to: 1) monitor program compliance for federal requirements; and 2) ensure the correction of deficiencies in program implementation and operations.

• Title I, Part C, Federal Program Monitoring Protocol 2011-2012 (PDF)

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires the state educational agency to ensure that programs and activities are implemented as stipulated in the law. The Virginia Department of Education is responsible for adopting and using proper methods of administering each program included in the No Child Left Behind Act, including:

• the enforcement of any obligations imposed by the law on agencies, institutions, organizations, and other recipients responsible for carrying out each program; and
• the correction of deficiencies in program operations that are identified through audits, monitoring, or evaluation. [9304(a)(B)(3)(A)(B)]

To meet the requirements of NCLB, the Virginia Department of Education will monitor Title I, Part C, programs as described above.

Resources

• Title I Applications
  • All ESEA/NCLB Title applications, the Local Consolidated Application, OMEGA video modules, and technical assistance documents can be found on the Applications for Federal Funds page.
• Migrant Program Parent Advisory Council – Section 1304(6) of the of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires states and local migrant programs to establish Migrant Parental Advisory Councils (PAC). Additionally, local Migrant Education Program (MEP) must plan and operate the MEP in a manner that provides for the same parental involvement as required in section 1118 of NCLB.

State level Migrant Parent Advisory Council Meetings are held annually. Migrant parents interested in attending a PAC meeting or viewing notes from a meeting may contact Patience Scott, education specialist, via e-mail at patience.scott@doe.virginia.gov or by phone at 804-786-9935.

Outside Resources

• East Coast Migrant Head Start Program
• Eastern Stream Center on Resources and Training (ESCORT)
• Migrant Education Resource Center
• Migrant & Seasonal Farm workers Board & Interagency Migrant Worker Policy Committee
• Migrant and Seasonal Farm workers Advisory Board
• Migrant Head Start Quality Improvement Center
• National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE)
• Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
• Telamon Corporation, Inc.
• U.S. Department of Education's Office of Migrant Education
• USED Non-Regulatory Guidance for MEP (Word)
• U.S. Department of Labor
• Virginia Department of Education: English as a Second Language
• Virginia Interagency Migrant Worker Policy Committee
• The Migrant Education National Hotline (ESCORT) - The Hotline provides a toll-free number (800-234-8848) for migrant farm workers and their families. The Hotline is designed to help enroll migrant children in school and to access migrant education program services. Callers are also referred to other supportive service agencies and organizations, such as housing, transportation, health or legal aid. For materials and more information contact ESCORT at (800) 451-8058.
• Examples of Agricultural Activities in Virginia (PDF)

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