Interstate/
Intrastate
Coordination
Interstate coordination refers to collaborative activities undertaken by two or more states to improve the education of migratory children who move between those states.
Intrastate coordination refers to efforts involving two or more LEAs within the state to improve educational services for migratory children in that state.
Intrastate/interstate coordination and collaboration are important to help keep migratory students on track and on time for graduation. The timely transfer of education records for migratory students between schools has been a longstanding challenge. Migratory students often enroll in multiple schools for varying lengths of time each year as their families migrate in search of temporary or seasonal work in agriculture or fishing. MEP staff continue to find it difficult to share and consolidate migratory student information in a timely and meaningful way to help school personnel make appropriate placement decisions when the students arrive.
What conditions pose educational challenges for migratory students?
High Mobility
Short Departure Notices
Placement Errors
Missing Data
Grading Scales/Marking Terms
What resources are available to assist LEAs and ESCs?
MSIX
The OME created MSIX, a web-based portal that links states’ migratory student record databases to facilitate the national exchange of “migratory” students’ educational information among the states. The primary purpose of MSIX is to ensure greater continuity of educational services by making information on migratory children available to authorized school personnel.
Utilizing MSIX improves the timeliness of school enrollments, improves the appropriateness of grade and course placements, and reduces incidences of duplicated immunizations of migratory children. MSIX also facilitates the accrual of course credits for migratory children in secondary school by providing accurate academic information on each student’s course history and academic progress. In addition, MSIX provides a platform for states to notify each other when a migratory child is moving to a different State.
Video Tutorials
For more information on how MSIX may assist with inter- and intrastate coordination, visit the FAQ document located within the MSIX website. After logging in, click on Help, then FAQs.
To obtain access to MSIX and training on how to navigate the site, contact the MEP staff at the ESC in your region.
TMIP
The purpose of the TMIP is to facilitate intra- and interstate coordination in order to help meet the educational needs of migratory students from Texas who migrate out of state.
The TMIP is a special project of the Texas Education Agency, Department of Contracts, Grants and Financial Administration. The TMIP facilitates intra- and interstate coordination of information, resources and services for migratory students, with an emphasis on serving students identified by the Texas MEP as PFS.
MEP staff may contact the TMIP staff for assistance with the following:
- Administration and coordination of state assessments while in a receiving state.
- Coordination with receiving states to assist students with credit accrual and credit consolidation.
- Coordination and collaboration with receiving states to transfer credits earned while migrating.
For more information on the services available, visit the TMIP website.
National Association of State Directors of Migrant Education (NASDME)
To access a list of MEP directors and their contact information for all states in the United States, visit the NASDME website.
How do LEAs and ESCs promote interstate and intrastate coordination?
School Records
School Records
Promote the timely transfer of pertinent school records (including health information, such as health screenings and health problems that may interrupt a student’s education) when children move from one school to another, whether or not the move occurs during the regular school year.
The timely transfer of student records can be an effective means of reducing the effects of educational disruption on migratory students. It enables school officials (e.g., school registrars, teachers, and guidance counselors) to make appropriate decisions regarding a student’s enrollment in school, grade placement, and academic plan (including, but not limited to credit accrual and exchange).
It is imperative that the TX-NGS data specialist ensures all information encoded into TX-NGS for a student who has withdrawn is accurate and up-to-date.
Districts may develop and use a checklist of steps to follow when a migratory student is leaving the district or has withdrawn unexpectedly.
Identify New Families
Identify New Families
When a new family moves into a school district, it is imperative that a process is in place to quickly determine whether children in the family may be eligible for MEP support. Timely identification of migratory children will help ensure there is no interruption of support and/or instructional services to students and/or parents.
The identification process should be clearly communicated to all district/campus staff (registrars, parent liaisons, counselors, admission staff, etc.) who may come into contact with new students and/or parents, and ideally should exist in writing so that all staff can easily access it and refer to it as needed.
Transfer Packets
Transfer Packets
A transfer packet is a folder or envelope of confidential student information that MEP staff should provide to the parents of migratory children when the family is moving to another school district. The purpose of this information is to make it easier for the receiving school district to enroll and place the student(s) in the appropriate educational setting as quickly as possible. Due to the sensitive nature of the information contained in a transfer packet, MEP staff should ensure the documents are labeled “confidential.”
MEP staff should determine the process that will work best for their program to ensure these documents are provided to all parents of migratory children as soon as they notify the district of an upcoming move. These documents may be provided to parents by any MEP staff member who has access to the transfer packet documentation.
What kind of information should be included in the transfer packet?
Utilize TMIP
Utilize Texas Migrant Interstate Program (TMIP)
The Texas Migrant Interstate Program (TMIP) initiative is committed to assisting vested stakeholders with the academic coordination of Texas intra/interstate migratory students to maximize their on-time graduation potential.
MEP Staff in LEAs and ESCs should support the efforts of TMIP by:
- Submitting a TMIP referral for all migratory children who withdraw prior to the end of the school year.
- Coordinate through TMIP to administer the Texas state-mandated assessment in states that receive Texas migratory students.
For more information about TMIP services and support, view the TMIP tab on this page.
MSIX Notices
MSIX Notices
The primary purpose of MSIX is to ensure greater continuity of educational services by making information on migratory children available to authorized school personnel.
Sending districts should notify “receiving” school districts about migratory families who moved moved to those districts by sending an MSIX move notification.
Receiving districts should notify “sending” school districts about migratory families who have moved to their district by sending an MSIX move notification.
For more information about MSIX and video tutorials of initiating move notifications, view the MSIX tab on this page.
Hosting Events
Hosting Events
Each district will need to determine the number of parent information sessions to offer on the topic of Transferring to or From a School District. Districts that frequently have migratory families moving in or out during the school year may want to offer this session monthly. Districts that have families moving in or out only during the summer months may choose to offer the session in late spring each year.
A successful parent information session…
- Is well-advertised and communicated in a language understood by the parents
- Provides information that is important to parents
- Makes parents feel welcome and valued
Host a Parent Information Session in 5 Steps
Welcome Packets
Welcome Packets
As migratory families move into a school district, one way to help welcome them is to have a packet of helpful information about the school district and the MEP ready to distribute.
MEP staff should work closely with the district staff and community support services to ensure the information provided in the welcome packet is kept current. MEP staff should determine the process that will work best for their program to ensure these documents are provided to all parents of migratory children as soon as possible. These documents may be provided to parents by any MEP staff member who has access to the welcome packet.
What kind of information should be included in the welcome packet?
Hold an End-of Year
Event
Hold an End-of-Year Event
Invite all your migratory families to a “Send OFF” event at the end of the school year. Use the event to recognize your families who travel over the summer in search of migrant work.
Submitted by Brownsville ISD
Sample Agendas & Forms
SAMPLE Agendas & Forms
These sample forms were submitted by districts. They are intended to provide ideas and can be adapted or modified as needed.
Dropout Prevention & Recovery
Dropout Prevention & Recovery
Implement a dropout prevention and recovery program.
On-track for Graduation
On-track for Graduation
All migratory students in grades 8 and above should meet with their campus counselor soon after enrolling.
Many school districts have a counselor assigned to a school setting, contract the counseling services with an ESC or community provider, or assign a district administrator to perform counseling duties. The responsibilities vary from district to district. MEPs, depending on funding, may hire a counselor or strategist to address the unique needs of migratory students beyond the responsibilities a school counselor performs.
For more information:
If you do not have this type of counselor in your district, there are many ways to assist secondary students in staying on-track for graduation whether you are sending or receiving these students.
- Understand the “90 percent rule” for attendance and how to apply the rule to migratory and transfer students.
- Conduct transcript reviews to ensure courses are not being repeated.
- Develop secondary credit accrual and academic credit exchange programs, to include partial credits earned.
- Explain the district’s secondary credit accrual options to migratory students as an option to the regular class offerings.
- Assist migratory students in participating in the credit accrual option that best meets their individual needs, explaining the benefits as they apply to each student’s unique situation.
- Determine whether Title I, Part C funds may be used to pay for any course options which may incur costs (e.g., credit recovery options for a fee), if financial assistance is needed.
Out-of-School Youth
Out-of-School Youth (OSY)
Because Out-of-School (OSY) youth are not easily identified through school enrollment paperwork, the OSY recruiter must use additional strategies to actively identify and recruit these youth.
Once OSY are identified, MEP staff should monitor them regularly in order to coordinate services, document residency, and build rapport.
Districts should develop an OSY monitoring plan to include goals, objectives, and activities to meet the goals with specific, measurable outcomes. At the minimum, monitoring plans should include initial visits with OSY plus regularly scheduled and documented follow up contact/visits and support.
For more information about supporting OSY:
