English Learner Programs Update

English Learner Programs Update

March 2015 2012

English Learner Support Division Updates

Inside This Update
Staff Updates / 1
State Seal of Biliteracy / 1
ELA/ELD Framework Launch Event / 1-2
Panel of Experts / 2
ED for EL Listserv / 3
Yr. 2 & Yr. 4 Technical Assistance / 3-5
Title III: Program and Fiscal Update / 5-7
Annual Accountability Leadership Institute / 7
CA ELD Standards Publication / 8
Next BCN Meeting:
May 28–29, 2015
Location: TBD

The California Department of Education (CDE) is pleased to welcome Doctor Veronica Aguila as the new Division Director of the English Learner Support Division (ELSD). Veronica brings with her an impressive background of 28 years in education.

Prior to coming to CDE, Veronica was the Associate Director of the Butte County Office of Education and previously held a myriad of positions at the CDE between 1999 and 2011. She was a consultant in the Migrant Education Office, an Administrator in the Language Policy and Leadership Office (LPLO), the Curriculum and Instruction Divisionand in the Early Learning Division. Veronica also developed and helped publish the Transitions To The Common Core publication, and the Improving English Learner: Research Based Approachespublication,which has already made a significant impact on educating English learners.In addition, Veronica was a teacher, school and district administrator, Reading Specialist, and an adjunct professor at California State University, Sacramento. She received her Ed. D. in Leadership and Organizational Theory from St. Mary’s College. She is passionate about serving the Migrant and EL population as she was a former migrant and EL student.

Also warmly welcomed are;Christopher Smith, Education Programs Consultant (EPC), to the Language Policy and Leadership Office (LPLO); Ron Addington, EPC, and Marcela Rodriguez, EPC, to the new Technical Assistance and Monitoring Office; and Susie Marks Watt, EPC, to the Migrant Education Office.

State Seal of Biliteracy

LPLO is ready to receive orders for the State Seal of Biliteracy. In your packet, please find a letter from State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, regarding the importance of this program.

English Language Arts/English Language Development FrameworkProfessional Learning Launch Event

Please join CDE staff and their implementation partners for the next“Launching the 2014 English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD) Framework”. This newevent willbe held at the San Joaquin County Office of Education in Stockton, on June 1, 2015.

For event and registration information, please visit the CDEELA/ELD Framework Launch Events Web page at

Assembly Bill 899: Corresponding the California English Language Development Standards to the California Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and the California New Generation Science Standards

The CDE is convening a panel of experts (Panel) in English language instruction, curriculum, and assessment to provide input on the correspondence of the California English Language Development Standards (CA ELD Standards) to the California Common Core Standards for Mathematics (CA CCSSM) and California New Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS).

The panel of experts meetings will be open to the public and held in Sacramento at the CDE on April 2, 2015, and May 28, 2015. Public comment will follow each panel of experts meeting in order for the public to provide input. An agenda for each meeting is forthcoming.

The following timeline highlights the eventsof this project:

October 2014 / WestEd conducted a correspondence study
January 13, 2015 / CDE opened the online application for panel of experts
February 5, 2015 / CDE closed the online application for panel of experts
March 2, 2015 / Panel members will be selected
April 2, 2015 / 1st panel of experts meeting and public comment
May 28, 2015 / 2nd panel of experts meeting and public comment
July 8‒9, 2015 / State Superintendent of Public Instruction to make recommendations to the State Board of Education for augmentation of the CA ELD Standards
August 2015–January 2016 (if necessary) /

• WestEd to revise augmentation document, incorporating feedback from the State Board of Education and/or public comment

• State Board of Education to meet for review and approval of final augmentation document

The State Board of Education (SBE) shall ensure that any SBE-adopted augmentation to the CA ELD Standards is incorporated into the appropriate mathematics and science curriculum frameworks and used in the development of the English Language Proficiency Assessment for California.

Education for English Learners Listserv

In April 2014, LPLO established a listserv to serve teachers and school administrators of English learners (ELs) across California. The listserv continues to provide resources and information to educators regarding education for ELs.

Currently, the listserv is supporting over 10,000 teachers and school administrators.Teachers may join the listserv by sending a blank e-mail .

Title III Year 2 and Year 4 Accountability Requirements and Technical Assistance for School Year 2014–15

Consequences of Not Meeting Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requires that all Title III-funded local educational agencies (LEAs) and consortia annually meet Title III accountability criteria.

The federal waiver, issued in March 2014, permits California not to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) determinations for LEAs participating in the 2013−14 Smarter Balanced Field Test (exclusive of high schools and high school districts). These LEAs include:

• Elementary, middle, and unified school districts

• Direct-funded charter schools serving a combination of elementary, middle, and high school students

• Consortia comprised of LEAs and/or direct-funded charter school serving elementary, middle, and high school students

The 2013−14 Title III Accountability reports for the above LEAs will displayAnnual Measurable Achievement Objective(AMAO) 3 results based on 2012−13 Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) for the EL student subgroup.

For details on the 2013−14 Title III Accountability year Status Determination, please refer to Appendix A, on page 33 of the 2013−14 Title III Accountability Report,posted on the CDE Title III Accountability Web page at

Notification to Parents

If a Title III LEA or consortia does not meet any one or more of the three AMAOs in any year, it must: inform the parents of all ELs in the LEA or the consortia as a whole, that the AMAOs have not been met. This notification should be provided within 30 calendar days of the public release of the Title III Accountability reports. A sample parent notification letter is available in English, Spanish, and other languages on the CDE Title III Accountability Requirements 2013 Web page at The consortium lead is responsible for ensuring that parents of ELs of all consortium members are notified if AMAOs are not met.

Development of an Improvement Plan

If a Title III-funded LEA or consortium does not meet one or more of the three AMAOs for two or four consecutive years, it must also develop a Title III Improvement Plan that begins with a comprehensive needs assessment, establishes goals and specifies a set of research based strategies, activities and tasks to address needs identified through the needs assessment.

For LEAs in the second year of not meeting AMAOs, this plan should effectively support the LEA to meet the AMAO targets in the future. LEAs in the fourth year of not meeting AMAOs will ensure that this plan describes a full revision of their curriculum, program, and method of instruction for ELs in order to better ensure the LEA achieves AMAO targets. The due date for submitting these plans to CDE via the California Accountability and Improvement System (CAIS), was January 20, 2015.

LEAs identified in Title III improvement are notified by the CDE for further action that needs to be taken. For more information on accountability requirements for LEAs/consortia, please refer to the CDE Title III Accountability Requirements Web page at

Regional Technical Assistance and the County Office of Education Regional Leads

The State is required to provide technical assistance to eligible entities during the development and implementation of the Improvement Plan as per the ESEA, Section 31122(b)(3). To comply with this requirement, the CDE has funded designated technical assistance providers within each of the 11 County Superintendent Regions to assist identified LEAs with the development, implementation, and monitoring of the Title III, Year 2 and Year 4 Improvement Plans.

In fiscal year (FY) 2014–15 the County Office of Education Regional Leads are providing technical support to 33 LEAs in Year 2 and 21 LEAs in Year 4 improvement status. These LEAs were identified as in need of improvement based on the results of the 2013–14 Title III Accountability Reports released on September 19, 2014.

Title III Technical Assistance for Year 4+

Recent guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) on Accountability for Title III AMAOs directs the State to implement the accountability requirements in Section 3122(b)(4)of the ESEA. As per this guidance, the State must continue to apply these requirements to an LEA that has not met one or more AMAOs for four or more consecutive years. These will ensure that their improvement plan describes a full revision of their curriculum, program, and method of instruction for ELs.

As per ED guidance, the State may require LEAs to develop a budget justification that links Title III, Part A expenditures to the curriculum changes the LEA plans to make, to require school administrators to attend professional development on ELs’ needs, and/or use data to provide targeted interventions and curriculum changes for ELs that address the factors that prevented the LEA from meeting its AMAOs.

Furthermore, ED states that the State must continue to provide oversight and technical assistance for these LEAs after their fourth year of not meeting AMAOs. Consequently, the State is currently designing the type of technical assistance that will provide for this cohort to comply with the Federal requirements and will inform LEAs as soon as it is defined.

Title III Requirements and Technical Assistance Resources

The 2013–14 Title III Accountability Report Information Guide is posted on the CDE Title III Accountability Web page at Title III Improvement Plan related documents are also posted on CAIS at

Information on Title III accountability requirements and technical assistance is posted on the CDE Title III Accountability Requirements 2014 Web page at

For questions regarding Title III Year 2 and Year 4 Accountability Requirements and Technical Assistance, please contact Lilia G. Sánchez, Education Programs Consultant, LPLO, by phone at 916-319-0265 or by e-mail at .

Title III Program and Fiscal Updates

Title III Funding Application Process

LEAs eligible to receive a formula subgrant of $10, 000 or more, apply via the Consolidated Application Reporting System (CARS). LEAs eligible to receive a formula subgrant of less than $10,000,must apply as a member of a consortium via the online consortia application process. LEAs must apply to receive funds. Information on eligibility is anticipated to be available in early May 2015. For Immigrant, the application process is also on CARS. Consortia formation is no longer required.

LEAs must have an approved and updated LEA plan for the grant year in order to be funded with Title III LEP and Immigrant program funds. The plan must indicate the English learner program services to be provided and include an annual budget for the fiscal year. For consortia eligible LEAs, a letter detailing application information is anticipated to be mailed in early May 2015.

For information regarding the Title III Limited English Proficient (LEP) student subgrant program, please visit the CDE Title III Language Instruction for LEP Students Web page at

For information regarding the Title III Immigrant student subgrant program, please visit the CDE Title III Immigrant Education Program Web page at

Private School Request to Participate—Immigrant

Private schools in the jurisdiction of Title III-Immigrant eligible LEAs will be asked to submit a request to participate in the FY 2015–16 Title III Immigrant program via online reporting, due in June 2015. A letter detailing the process will be e-mailed to eligible private school administrators in early May 2015.

Private Schools—Limited English Proficient

LEAs will be asked to report on CARS, the private schools they will serve with Title III LEP funds in FY 2015–16 as well as the private school students they served with Title III LEP funds in FY 2014–15. LEAs will be reimbursed in FY 2015–16 based on the private school students served in FY 2014–15, as reported by the LEA on CARS.

Invoicing

The 2012–13 grant period ended on September 30, 2014. LEAs were required to file end of year expenditure reports on CARS by February 28, 2015. LEAs reporting unexpended funds forFY 2012–13 will be invoiced in March.

Title III Apportionments

Payment information can be located on the CDE No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Title III, Immigrant and LEP Program Web page at The last opportunity to report cash balances in order to obtain FY 2012–13 funds was January 10–31, 2015. Any remaining FY 2012–13 funds are set to revert permanently. Apportionments for FY 2013–14 and 2014–15 are released per the Cash Management Data Collection (CMDC) schedule. Warrants are mailed and received by county treasurers.

Cash Management Data Collection System

The last reporting period was January 10–31, 2015. The next reporting period is April 10–30, 2015. For more information on the CMDC system, including instructions, reporting dates and frequently asked questions, please visit the CDE Federal Cash Management Web page at

For program questions, please contact Karen Almquist, Education Fiscal Services Assistant, School Fiscal Services Division, by phone at 916-327-4406 or by e-mail at .

Data Reporting—CARS 2015 Spring Release

The following Title III data collections will be included in the release:

2013–14

Title III, Part A Immigrant YTD Expenditure Report, 24 Months

Title III, Part A LEP Nonprofit Private School Reimbursement

Title III, Part A LEP YTD Expenditure Report, 24 Months

2014–15

Title III, Part A Immigrant YTD Expenditure Report, 12 Months

Title III, Part A LEP Nonprofit Private School Reimbursement

Title III, Part A LEP YTD Expenditure Report, 12 Months

2015–16

Application for Funding

Other ESEA Nonprofit Private School Participation

Immigrant Student Reporting

LEAs will certify student information files are accurate via the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data Systems (CALPADS). For questions pertaining to CALPADS certification of student information, please contact the CALPADS Service Desk by phone at 916-325-9210 or by e-mail .

Private schools submit immigrant student data via the Student National Origin Report (SNOR) in Spring 2015. The reporting window is March 16, 2015, to April 24, 2015. Letters providing a SNOR password are e-mailed to all applicable private schools in mid-March. A separate secure e-mail was also sent to all applicable private schools that contained the personal identification number (PIN) needed to submit.

Note: Private school immigrant student data submitted should reflect only the count taken on October 1, 2014.

For more information regarding the SNOR, please visit the CDE Student National Origin Report Web page at

For questions pertaining to private school SNOR submission, please contact Geoffrey Ndirangu, Education Programs Consultant, LPLO, by phone at 916–323–5831 or by email at .

Definition of Immigrant Students

According to the ESEA, Section 3301(6), immigrant children and youth are individuals who:

(A) Are aged three through 21;

(B) Were not born in any State; and

(C) Have not been attending one or more schools in any one or more States for more than three fullacademic years.

According to ESEA, Section 3301(14), “State” is defined as the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Therefore, Puerto Rico is not considered a foreign country and students cannot be reported as immigrant for Title III purposes.

Title III LEP and Immigrant Student Subgrant Program Contacts

For fiscal questions regarding the Title III Immigrant Education and LEP Student Subgrant programs, please contact Patty Stevens, Associate Governmental Program Analyst, LPLO, by phone at 916-323-5838 or by e-mail .

For program questions regarding the Title III Immigrant Education and LEP Student Subgrant programs, please contact Geoffrey Ndirangu, Education Programs Consultant, LPLO, by phone at 916-323-5831 or by e-mail .

Accountability Leadership Institute for English Learners and Immigrant Students

Keynote speaker and workshop presentation materials from the15th Annual Accountability Leadership Institute for English Learners and Immigrant Students held in San Diego, in December 2014, are availableon the Santa Clara County Office of Education Web site at

Information regarding the 16th Accountability Leadership Institute will be available soon.

CA ELD Standards Printed Publication Now Available

The CDE is pleased to announce the California English Language Development Standards: Kindergarten Through Grade 12 publication is now available for purchase through CDE Press.

The California English Language Development Standards describe the communication skills that English learners need in order to access, engage with, and achieve in grade-level academic content for kindergarten through grade 12. The standards are aligned with the California Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. Three chapters are devoted to professional development so that educators understand the pedagogical shifts of this content, and how the standards should be used for instruction.

BCN members will find an order form in the meeting packet. For additionalinformation and order forms, please visit the CDE Educational Resources Catalog Web page at

English Learner Programs Update1