Administration

Federal Funding Support for English Language Learners (ELLs)

Every Child Succeeds Act (ESSA) – http://www.nysed.gov/essa/programs

The federal Every Child Succeeds Act (ESSA) establishes a set of entitlement programs to promote educational equity. Every student includes English language learners (ELLs), students with disabilities, low-income students, neglected and delinquent youth, migrant students, homeless students, and students in rural districts where sparse population density creates its own challenges.

Charter Schools make use of four entitlement programs:

Title I, Part A – Improving Basic Programs offered at the School – Supplemental financial assistance to provide all children a significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, high-quality education and to close educational achievement gaps.

Title II, Part A – Supporting Effective Instruction – Designs to advance excellence in teaching and learning and to promote equity in educational opportunity.

Title III, Part A – Language Instruction for ELLs and Immigrant Students – Designs to enable English ELLs/Multilingual Learners and Immigrant Students to develop English language proficiency, and challenging academic standards, through the provision of high-quality instruction, support and parental participation.

Title IV, Part A – Student Support and Academic Enrichment – Designs to help provide students with a well-rounded education, improved school conditions and improved the use of technology.

Access to Entitlement Funds – In New York State, the Education Department (NYSED) has developed an online ESSA Consolidated Application (ConApp), which supports the timely administration of ESSA- funded programs to local educational agencies (LEAs), including charter schools. To determine the allocation for any Title, carry out the following four-step process for the school of interest at the website below: 1. Click on “Fiscal Info”; 2. Click on “Allocations, Poverty Data, and Student Counts”; 3. Choose and click on the Title of interest; then 4. Scroll down the list of School Districts and Charter Schools until the desired LEA is reached where you will find the LEA’s identifying BEDS Code, name, and allocation.
http://www.nysed.gov/essa/schools/consolidated-application.

Rules Guiding Title III, Part A Fund Acquisition in Support of ELLs – Allocation amounts are based upon the number of ELLs. LEAs with allocation of $10,000 or greater can apply as single entities and administer their own Title IIIA programs. LEAs with allocations less than $10,000, which is the case for most charter schools, must join together in Consortia to access funds. The great majority of charter schools, including yours have been allotted lesser sums.

Consortium Organization and Activities – Consortia include two participant-types. The lead LEA administers the program, completes the lead-portion of the Title IIIA Application, coordinates activities among members and manages the use of allocation funds. Members add their funds to the Consortium pool, participate in program development and resulting Title IIIA activities. While members do not complete budgets, they do complete the ConApp Title IIIA as members. The ConApp Title IIIA requires a needs assessment and list of aims to meet those needs, which the lead prepares with member input. Needs generally address direct student support, professional development and other supports for ENL, general education teachers and other staff members who work with ELLs, and supports for the parents of ELLs.

Summary of Allowable Expenditures

• For Students – Title III Funds may be used to:
  • Support effective supplemental educational programs, including early childhood programs which successfully demonstrate increased English language proficiency and academic achievement of ELLS, while meeting their needs.
  • Identify, acquire, and upgrade curricula, instructional materials, and educational software, and assessment procedures.
  • Provide tutorials and supplemental materials (including home language) for ELLs
  • Improve instruction, including the provision of educational technology, for all ELL subgroups: Newcomers, Developing ELLs, Long Term ELLs, ELLs with disabilities, Students with Interrupted/Inconsistent Formal Education (SIFE), and Former ELLs.
  • Offer early college high school or dual or concurrent enrollment programs or courses designed to help ELLs/MLLs achieve success in postsecondary education. This new provision presents a valuable opportunity to promote college and career readiness for ELLs and to bridge their transition to postsecondary education.
• For Educators – Provide effective professional development opportunities for all teachers, principals, and administrators, including early education teachers and other school or community-based organization personnel.
  • Title III funds may be used to:
  • Improve the instruction and assessment of ELLs
  • Enhance teacher and principal abilities to understand and implement curricula, assessment measures and practices, and instructional strategies for ELLs/MLLs;
  • Support initiatives with demonstrated effectiveness in increasing children’s English language proficiency or substantially increasing the subject matter knowledge, teaching knowledge, and teaching skills of teachers of ELLs.
  • Provide sufficient intensity and duration to have a positive and lasting impact on the teachers’ performance in the classroom. (Stand-alone, 1-day, or short-term workshops are not acceptable)
  • Support Consultant services. Their costs should be itemized, reasonable and supportive of the language instruction educational program.
• For Parents – Promoting parent, family, and community engagement through community participation programs, family literacy services, and parent outreach and training activities to ELLs and their families.
• Title III funds may be used to provide:
  • Family literacy, parent outreach and training activities designed to assist parents and families in becoming increasingly active in their children’s education and to provide parent-assisting activities linked to comprehensive community services. Community participation programs, family literacy services, and parent outreach and training to ELLs and their families, and improve the instruction of ELLs, which may include ELLs with disabilities, by acquiring or developing educational technology and accessing electronic networks
  • Materials, refreshments, transportation, etc. for parent involvement activities
  • Translation and interpretation services

CR Part 154 Comprehensive ELL Education Plan (CEEP)

Charter Schools are not Required to Complete the CEEP in 2020-21

2020-2021 CR Part 154 Reporting Requirements

As in previous years, all Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) are required under Part 154 of the Commissioner’s Regulations (CR Part 154), to develop a CR Part 154 Comprehensive ELL Education Plan (CEEP) to meet the educational needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) (CR Part 154-2[b]). 

All LEAs must keep their completed CEEPs on file in the LEAs’ main office and make them available for review upon request by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). NYSED reserves the right to publish on its website the completed CR Part 154 CEEP. In addition, all school administrators must review the plan and keep a copy on file within the school building. 

The CEEP is divided into multiple sections in which LEAs must outline how they are addressing the needs of their ELLs and describe their strategic plan for providing grade-appropriate, linguistically and academically rigorous instruction that will allow ELLs to meet the Next Generation Learning Standards in alignment with the expectations set forth in the New York State Blueprint for ELL/MLL Success. (http://www.nysed.gov/common/nysed/files/nys-blueprint-for-ell-success.pdf) When completing the CEEP it is recommended that LEAs familiarize themselves with the principles outlined in the Blueprint.

For the 2020-21 school year, all LEAs must submit a CEEP Update, which includes an assurances page and space for the LEA to describe any changes or additions to the CEEP that was submitted in October, 2019.  The CEEP update is due to SED by Tuesday, December 15, 2020.   For this update, LEAs do NOT need to submit a Data Report and Information Form. 

Information on How to Submit the CR Part 154 Comprehensive ELL Education Plan (CEEP) Update:

When the CEEP becomes available, the LEA CEO (usually the district superintendent) will receive an email notification and it will automatically appear in the CEO’s list of surveys (inbox) after he or she has successfully logged into the SED Monitoring and Vendor Performance System. Other users must be added to the system as an “entitled user” by the CEO or his or her proxy and must have log-in info/user permissions before following the below steps. 

1. Go to the NYSED Application Business Portal. Click on the “Log In” button on the menu bar at the upper right
2. Enter your username and password
3. Click on “SED Monitoring and Vendor Performance System” under My Applications
4. Select “View Surveys for Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages and find the survey titled “2020-21 CEEP Update”
5. Click on “view” to begin/continue to input information.
6. Detailed instructions for completing the CEEP are available upon logging in to the portal and selecting the survey.

Who to Contact for Support and Guidance

• Note that only LEA CEOs and designated users with data entry permissions can complete the form and only LEA CEOs have certify/submit privileges. Please contact the SEDDAS Help Desk at [email protected] to resolve any questions related to Business Portal/SED Monitoring user accounts, password resets, sharing data entry permissions, or the SEDDAS application and for general assistance with the Business Portal/SED Monitoring.
• NYSED’s Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages (OBEWL) enforces regulations and provides ongoing guidance, professional development, resources, and assistance to LEAs on issues related to the education of ELLs. For assistance in the completion of the required 2020-21CR Part 154 CEEP, contact our offices in Albany at (518) 474-8775 and in NYC at (718) 722-2445 or email us at [email protected].
• The Regional Bilingual Education Resource Networks (RBERNs) are also available to provide assistance and support regarding ELL program related questions and the completion of the report.