Identification
& Recruitment
(ID&R)
In Texas, all Title I, Part C Programs are responsible for conducting active year-round identification and recruitment of all eligible students, including OSY, within the district boundaries. Remember that the school district community goes beyond the campus walls.
The Texas Manual for Identification and Recruitment of Migratory Children explains that “under section 1304(c)(8) of 114-95, Texas is responsible for identifying and recruiting all eligible migratory children residing in the state.” It goes on to define identification as “actively looking for and finding migratory children” and recruitment as “making contact with the family or youth and obtaining the necessary information to document the child’s eligibility and enroll the child in the MEP.”
The ID&R Manual also states that in order “for ID&R to be effective, it must be ongoing throughout the entire year, not just the school year; and balanced, which means that a variety of resources including the school district, local community, and local employers must be included in the efforts to identify and recruit all migratory children and their families who reside within the school district’s boundaries.”
General ID&R Information
- Family Survey: Migratory Agricultural Work
- Recruiter logs
- Public notices such as posters
- Completed COEs
Additional ID&R Information
Identification and recruitment of migratory children and youth must actively occur within school district boundaries on a continuous basis throughout the year. This should occur both in school and out of school (in the community).
Click on a tab below for more information.
Develop a variety of strategies to locate prospective migratory children (early childhood and school-age students who are not enrolled in school, to include out-of-school youth) and here-to-work youth. These could include:
Billboards, local radio stations, and newspapers
These resources can be used to welcome migratory families to the area during periods of peak activity. This also builds awareness of the Title I, Part C Program and develops positive public relations between the MEP and the community.
Flyers and Posters
Distribute flyers, display posters or use geofencing (electronic ads) to strengthen awareness of the MEP.
Agency communication
Contact state and local community agencies, housing and utility departments, and local early childhood programs/daycares to learn of new families that have moved into the area.
Prospective employers
Contact prospective employers. Target employers who are most likely to employ temporary or seasonal migratory farmworkers or fishers, including those who have employed migratory workers in the past.
Identification and recruitment of migratory children and youth must actively occur within school district boundaries on a continuous basis throughout the year. This should occur both in school and out of school (in the community).
One-Stop School Registration
Organize a “One-Stop School Registration” location or event. This can be especially effective in locating and helping migratory families who may have limited transportation, childcare, or time and have children in varying grade levels who need to enroll at different campuses.
School Staff Awareness
Promote awareness of MEP among key personnel (registrars, attendance clerks, nurse, teachers, counselors, etc.) in order to help them recognize when a child or family may be migratory.
Family Survey
Collect the Family Survey annually from each returning and new family in the district.
Many districts include the Family Survey as a required electronic form within their registration packets. Alternatively, some districts choose to distribute it via Google Forms or as a physical paper copy.
Surveys should be monitored for a 90% return rate, and potentially eligible families should be followed up with to determine eligibility by August 31 or as soon as possible.
ny surveys with a “Yes” should be followed up on by reaching out to the potential family to screen for eligibility and conduct a full ID&R interview.
A sample Family Survey is available in the ID&R Manual.
After various strategies have been used to identify prospective migratory children in a district (both in and out of school), MEP recruiters should follow the recommended process for screening and documenting potential migrant families. The flowchart PDF linked below outlines the recommended steps to follow.
Recommended ID&R
Process
There are several ID&R quality control processes established by the TEA through which the state ensures that migratory children are correctly identified into the MEP, so that MEP services will reach the population for whom these funds are allocated.
The ID&R quality control processes ensure consistent identification of eligible migratory children across the state.
Click on a tab below for more information about the process and the role of MEP staff.
- COE and SDF Review
- Designated Reviewers/Approvers
- After Completing the COE
- Eligibility Validation
(Re-interview)
In order to provide services to eligible migratory children, the school system or ESC must first determine that the child has met the program’s qualifying requirements by completing a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) which is the legal document used to record this information.
The required method is the Electronic Certificate of Eligibility (ECOE). Paper COEs require TEA approval through the helpdesk ticketing system. Printed ECOEs shared and red-lined for the purposes of enrollment are not considered paper COEs and do not require special approval from the TEA. School systems must maintain a single, consistent version of the COE (either digital or paper if approved). Utilizing both formats for the same record is never permitted.
Annually, each ESC is required to randomly select 50% of all the COEs (electronic and paper) submitted to their region from each Independent Project District to thoroughly review for accuracy and completeness.
ESC staff should review the ESC Responsibilities section of this page for more information about the process they should have in place.
Independent Project Districts with more than 100 migratory students are responsible for having a staff member serve as the Designated State Education Agency Reviewer/COE Approver, or Reviewer/Approver. If a district has less than 100 identified migratory students, the ESC may serve as the Reviewer/Approver.
The Reviewer/Approver is responsible for reviewing all COEs for accuracy and completeness, as well as signing the COE as the Designated SEA Reviewer. According to the Texas ID&R Manual, “The Reviewer’s/Approver’s signature certifies that the COE has been reviewed by an ID&R certified official and that no concerns exist regarding the eligibility of any of the children listed on the COE.” The role of the Reviewer/Approver is crucial in implementing the State’s plan for quality control.
The training for Reviewer/Approver must be conducted separately from the ID&R Training. The Reviewer/Approver must complete both the annual ID&R and Reviewer/Approver trainings before they are allowed to proceed with their responsibilities.
During the Reviewer/Approver training, it is highly encouraged to offer multiple opportunities to examine COEs and SDFs for accuracy. It is acceptable to create mock COEs to practice reviewing during this training. The responsibilities of the Reviewer/Approver and their role in the eligibility process should be thoroughly explained.
Trainers should emphasize the correct process when reviewing COEs for accuracy. The flowchart PDFs linked below show the eligibility process if the district has a designated District Reviewer/Approver and if the ESC is serving as the Reviewer/Approver.
Making Additions, Changes, and Corrections to the COE and SDF.
When updating a COE or SDF, please adhere to the following guidelines:
- Update the Auditable Copy: All changes or corrections must be made directly to the auditable copy of the COE and SDF.
- Use Red Ink: Any subsequent changes, corrections, or additions must be made in neat and readable red ink to clearly distinguish them from the original text.
- Initial and Date: Every modification must be initiated and dated by the person making the change.
- Mirroring in TX-NGS: Mirror the red-ink COE corrections in the corresponding students’ TX-NGS enrollment history so the digital and physical files align.
According to the Texas ID&R Manual, “A core responsibility of the Texas MEP is to ensure that eligible migrant children are correctly identified and recruited so that MEP services will reach the population for whom these funds are allocated.”
The process occurs through a review of the COEs for a sample of children that are selected by the State for re-interview, also known as the Eligibility Validation Process.
ESC MEP staff are responsible for the Eligibility Validation Process. This step is conducted annually by trained ESC MEP staff and takes place from January through June. The PDF file below lists the basic steps for the ESC Eligibility Validation Process.
According to the Texas Manual from the Texas Education Agency, “The Agency carries out its ID&R responsibility by sub granting each of the 20 regional ESCs to train and provide technical assistance to LEAs with migrant projects regarding ID&R requirements, policies, and practices. All recruiters and Designated State Education Agency (SEA) Reviewers must complete the annual ID&R training as provided by the state.”
The TEA provides ID&R training to all ESC MEP staff via an online course every year. The ESC MEP staff then delivers this to appropriate district staff members using the training-of-trainers online course and materials provided by the TEA.
The ESC MEP staff is responsible for conducting follow-up with all districts to provide support and technical assistance as needed to ensure that the proper ID&R activities are implemented within the district.
Access Online ID&R
Certification Course
Links
TMEP Portal: Resources for ID&R page
- Links to additional ID&R resources for MEP staff
- Letter from the TEA clarifying expectations around ID&R for all districts
- Request support or clarification on ID&R-related questions
Identification & Recruitment Consortium (IDRC)
- Texas is now a member of the IDRC so full access to all of these valuable resources is available
Texas ID&R Certification Course
- Directions for accessing the current online Texas ID&R certification course
Recruitment and Data Tools
Texas Farm and Agribusiness Listings (from IDRC)
- Maps and spreadsheets showing agriculture locations/resources in Texas.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: National Agricultural Statistics Service
- Data may be accessed by state, county, and/or subject (crops, plants, demographics, economic, prices, environmental, livestock and animals, etc.)
Non-Project District ID&R Responsibilities
Non-project districts must:
- Designate a district contact person to provide student information to ESC MEP staff as requested. This district designee will also serve as a point of contact for migratory families and other district staff.
- Maintain documentation indicating active identification and recruitment is taking place at the district.
- Include the Family Survey in every registration packet so all families in the district can complete it during registration, including families enrolling during the school year. Keep the forms on file for the current and previous school years or longer, per local record retention policies.
- Hang posters or fliers at locations frequented by migratory families (e.g., laundromats, libraries, grocery stores) within school district boundaries as requested by ESC MEP staff, as appropriate. Keep an updated list of each location and address on file.
- Work with ESC MEP staff who are responsible for ID&R.
- Submit completed Family Surveys from registration packets to ESC MEP staff as directed.
- Provide current family contact information to ESC MEP staff to schedule interviews with potentially eligible migratory families.
ESC Responsibilities
All regional ESCs in Texas receive funds for recruitment in Non-Project Districts. The regional education service center is responsible for conducting ID&R both in the school and in the community. The ESC must identify and recruit all migratory children, including OSY, in all Non-Project Districts in the region.
- The ESC is required to work collaboratively with Non-Project Districts as described in the MEP Texas Manual for the Identification and Recruitment of Migratory Children; and
- Conduct annual ID&R Eligibility Validation as required by the TEA.
ESC staff should review the ESC Responsibilities section of this page for more detailed information about conducting ID&R in Non-Project Districts.
Additional Info for SSAs and ESCs
SSA Member Districts and Fiscal Agents
Identification and Recruitment for SSA Member Districts
Active year-round identification and recruitment of migratory children is required within the SSA. This may be conducted at the SSA Member District level, by the ESC SSA recruiter, or both.
Documentation is maintained to demonstrate active recruitment within all SSA Member Districts. This can be accomplished with the Family Survey: Migratory Agricultural Work, recruiter logs, public notices such as posters, and completed COEs.
If the SSA’s recruiter is from the ESC, there should be an assigned local migrant contact in the SSA Member District, so the ESC SSA MEP recruiter has assistance gathering survey data and family contact information.
ID&R Action Plan
It is the responsibility of the ESC serving as the fiscal agent to collaborate with the SSA Member Districts to create and implement a plan for active identification and recruitment within the SSA Member Districts’ boundaries.
- If the ESC creates the ID&R Action Plan for the entire SSA, the ESC must send the ID&R Action Plan to SSA Member Districts to include in the District Improvement Plan (DIP).
- If each SSA Member District creates the ID&R Action Plan, a copy must be sent to the ESC.
ESC Responsibilities
ID&R Action Plan
Annually, ESCs are required to:
- Train all Independent Project Districts in the development and implementation of the district-specific ID&R Plan.
- Collaborate with SSA Member Districts to create and implement a plan for active identification and recruitment within the SSA Member Districts’ boundaries.
- Ensure inclusion of the ID&R Action Plan into each District Improvement Plan (DIP) for Independent Project and SSA Member Districts.
ID&R Quality Control Processes
Certificate of Eligibility (ECOE/COE) Review
Each ESC is required to randomly select 50% of all the COEs (electronic and paper) submitted annually to their region from each Independent Project District to thoroughly review for accuracy and completeness.
ESC staff will develop a process to ensure they have:
- Reviewed any needed documentation on file with each COE.
- Documented the errors/corrections needed for each COE.
- Notified the recruiter of their errors and how to make the appropriate corrections.
- Received an updated copy of the corrected COE.
- Determined if any error patterns exist within an LEA or within the region. Refer to section 5 of the current Texas ID&R Manual for a Sample Record of COE Errors
- Provided ongoing training and technical assistance to ensure accuracy and completeness of all COEs.
Intraregional Networking
One of the requirements in the ESC ESSA Basic Services Initiative grant is that ESCs are responsible for developing and implementing an ID&R network of organizations and agencies in their region that provide services to migrant workers and their families. This information must be provided to Independent Project Districts as needed.
ID&R for Non-Project Districts
All regional ESCs in Texas receive funds for recruitment in Non-Project Districts. The regional education service center is responsible for conducting ID&R both in the school and in the community. The ESC must identify and recruit all migratory children, including OSY, in all Non-Project Districts in the region.
Collect Information
One tool commonly used to conduct ID&R in Non-Project Districts is family surveys. While family surveys are effective in identifying leads through the schools, alternative strategies must be implemented to identify prospective migratory OSY. ESCs must maintain documentation explaining how active, balanced recruitment activities–occurring in school, in the community, and with prospective employers–are conducted. If a family survey is used for ID&R, the ESC staff may choose to first train the Non-Project District staff to administer a migratory- specific family survey each year to all students upon registration (including students enrolling during the school year).
Review Information for Leads
Next, the district or ESC staff should review the gathered information for potential leads. If a family survey is being used, the returned surveys should be examined for the following:
- Are there an adequate number of returned surveys (at least 90% of all families)?
- Which surveys have “yes” answers, indicating prospective migratory families?
- Surveys with “yes” answers will require follow-up to determine whether a family is eligible for the MEP.
- Contact with potentially eligible migrant families should be as soon as possible, ideally by August 31, to be included in the student count for the current fiscal year.
Conduct ID&R
After the ESC MEP staff has identified potential leads, there are different ways in which the ESC may choose to conduct ID&R. The following options are available for consideration. ESCs are not limited to these options.
Option 1: The ESC can train Non-Project District staff to identify and recruit migratory students on a year-round, ongoing basis. In this situation, district staff MUST attend annual ID&R training offered by the ESC and receive certification from the ESC if they will be completing COEs. After completing COEs, Non-Project District staff should forward them to the ESCs for eligibility review, reviewer sign-off, and encoding into the TX-NGS.
Option 2: ESCs can hire an ESC recruiter to conduct the identification and recruitment in Non-Project Districts on a year-round, ongoing basis.
Option 3: ESC professional staff can conduct the ID&R themselves on a year-round, ongoing basis.
Having Difficulty Obtaining Cooperation
In instances where the ESC is having difficulty obtaining cooperation from Non-Project Districts, the ESC should
- Notify the Federal Program Compliance Division Department of Grant Compliance and Administration.
- Conduct active recruitment in the community, at locations such as churches, post offices, laundry facilities, flea markets, grocery stores, or any other locations that may be frequented by the migrant community.
- Maintain documentation of the Non-Project District’s refusal to cooperate in the ID&R effort.
