Responsibilities
of
Non-Project Districts
LEAs that do not receive or choose not to accept Title I, Part C funding from the state are Non-Project Districts. These LEAs are still responsible for serving the needs of all migratory students in their districts. Non-Project Districts must work with the regional ESC MEP staff to fulfill the requirements for ID&R and TX-NGS data entry. LEAs must also maintain documentation indicating that active, year-round identification and recruitment is taking place.
This section addresses the responsibilities of Non-Project Districts.
Federal and State Expectations
Identification & Recruitment (ID&R)
Federal law requires that the state identify and recruit every eligible migratory student residing in Texas. Identification means determining the presence and location of migratory children within a state. Recruitment means describing the benefits of the MEP to the child and the family, obtaining the necessary information to document the child’s eligibility, and enrolling the child in the MEP. In addition, the TEA requires all school districts in Texas to identify migratory students residing within their boundaries.
While all LEAs that receive MEP funds are required to conduct their own ID&R for the program, ESCs are responsible for assisting all LEAs that don’t receive MEP funds with the identification and recruitment of their migratory children.
If the LEA does not receive MEP funds, the TEA requests that the district work collaboratively with the regional ESC to recruit all eligible migratory students residing in the school district area, including OSY, and to add these children into the TX-NGS database.
Student Data
District Responsibilities
If a migratory student is identified in a Non-Project District, the district contact person should:
- Provide the ESCs MEP staff with the migratory student’s
- Enrollment records
- Withdrawal records
- Student Alternate IDs, including the Student Unique ID and PEIMS number
- State assessment score reports
- Family contact information, including any updated information received during the year
Note: Some ESCs may request additional student information based upon the student’s grade level
- Notify the district’s PEIMS coordinator of all eligible migratory students to ensure they are correctly identified for state student data management records.
- Notify the district’s cafeteria manager of all eligible migratory students to ensure they receive free or reduced lunch.
ESC Responsibilities
The ESC is responsible for encoding the COE and other school information in TX-NGS. The TX-NGS/MSIX data entry specialist has an important role in assisting migratory students and families by ensuring that all data is accurately entered into the statewide TX-NGS database as per the timelines and descriptions outlined in the updated TX-NGS/MSIX Manual.
The ESC supports Non-Project districts in these efforts in several ways:
- Serves as the TX-NGS data specialist. Non-Project Districts do not conduct their own TX-NGS data entry. The ESC performs this activity.
- Forwards all MSIX Move Notifications. The ESC receives all MSIX move notifications from the Help Desk and must notify the ESC recruiter of a potentially eligible child so the recruiter can conduct ID&R.
- Maintains eligibility documentation. The ESC maintains the auditable copy of the COE and SDF. The ESC provides a copy of the COE/SDF to the Non-Project District and the identified migratory family.
Providing Services
District Responsibilities
Non-Project Districts must work with their regional ESC MEP staff to fulfill the requirements for ID&R and TX-NGS data entry.
ESC Responsibilities
The ESCs are responsible for providing many different kinds of services to LEAs, including training and technical support. As stated on the TEA’s Education Service Center Information webpage: “State-provided financial support must be used to develop, maintain, and deliver services to improve student and school district performance.” This includes the MEP funds received by ESCs.
These basic services include providing ongoing training and dissemination of information regarding MEP topics and updates to aid in the development and implementation of an effective MEP, regardless of whether the LEA accepts their MEP funds.
The ESCs conduct the following additional activities in collaboration specifically with Non-Project Districts:
- Recruit migratory children as needed year-round
- Recruit OSY
- Serve students from Non-Project Districts.
Resources
Non-Project Districts: Information & Resources
- Reach out to your Regional ESC MEP contacts with any questions you may have regarding the support your district should provide.
- Detailed information on the identification and recruitment of migratory students can be found in the Texas Manual for the Identification and Recruitment of Migratory Children. This manual can be requested from ESC MEP staff.
- Reach out to your ESC staff for the most recent version of the Family Survey.
- TTAA letter: TEA issues a To the Administrator Addressed correspondence to remind local educational agencies (LEAs) of the requirement under federal law for identification and recruitment (ID&R) of every eligible migratory student residing in Texas.
Resources for ESCs in Supporting Non-Project Districts
The following websites and resources are provided to support ESCs as they perform their responsibilities for Non-Project Districts in their regions. Visit the websites for the most current data, handouts, and guidance.
- US Department of Education – Part C Education of Migratory Children
- Texas Education Agency
- Identification and Recruitment of Migratory Children Manual, available in the ESC MEP Staff only section of TMEP portal.
- Program Guidelines for the ESC ESSA Basic Services Initiative
This document is located in the Application and Support Information section of the ESSA Consolidated Federal Grant Federal Grant Application at the TEA Grant Opportunities webpage. - TX-NGS
- MSIX
To learn more about any of the responsibilities of Non-Project Districts, you can select and visit the topic pages below.
When viewing the topic pages, if additional information or clarification is provided for ESCs, you can find it near the bottom of each page where you see this icon:
ESSA Consolidated
Federal Grant Application
ESSA Consolidated Federal Grant Application
TEA is the grantee from the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and TEA awards subgrants to LEAs (including school districts, charter schools, and education service centers). The ESSA Consolidated Federal Grant Application is the way that LEAs request funds to operate a Title I, Part C Migrant Education Program. LEAs that choose NOT to accept the funds and have at least one migratory student identified in their districts MUST operate an MEP as a Non-Project District.
The ESSA Consolidated Program Guidelines and Program-Specific Provisions and Assurances for Title I, Part C outline the specific responsibilities and documentation requirements.
Identification & Recruitment
(ID&R)
Identification and Recruitment
In Texas, all Migrant Education 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.
Migrant Service Coordination
Migrant Service Coordination
A major component and responsibility of the MEP is to coordinate ALL services for migratory students and their families. By doing this in a systematic and comprehensive manner, migratory students can successfully navigate through the academic social, emotional, and physical challenges in order to:
- complete graduation requirements for a high school diploma;
- transition to postsecondary education;
- enter the military; and/or
- begin a career
Out-of-School Youth (OSY)
Out-of-School Youth (OSY)
For the purposes of the MEP, the Office of Migrant Education (OME) considers the term “out-of-school youth” to mean children through age 21 who are entitled to a free public education in the state and who meet the definition of a “migratory child,” but who are not currently enrolled in a K-12 institution. This term could include:
- Students who have dropped out of school
- Youth who are working on a high school equivalency diploma (HSED) outside of a K-12 institution
- Youth who are “here-to-work” only
Enrollment in school is not a condition affecting eligibility for the MEP. Therefore, OSY who meet the definition of a “migratory child” are eligible for the MEP and its services.
TX-NGS/MSIX
TX-NGS/MSIX
The Texas MEP has developed a TX-NGS Quality Control process for ensuring that information is accurately captured on all COEs and entered into the TX-NGS system. This process is outlined in the Texas Data Management Requirements Manual for TX-NGS and MSIX, or TX-NGS/MSIX Manual.
