CDE Accountability InstituteProviding and Funding

Adequate and Appropriate Support for English Learners

Presented by:Jannelle Kubinec

English Learners:Providing Adequate and Appropriate Support

By law, local educational agencies must ensure that English Learners are provided with “adequate and appropriate” support

How do we know what’s “adequate and appropriate?”

There’s many possible ways to judge what’s adequate and appropriate, but probably the best is academic and language proficiency

It’s about the data and the process we use to demonstrate:

Availability of supplemental support to address language acquisition and development = adequate

Instruction is informed by data and research = appropriate

Progress is made = adequate and appropriate2

Where’s the Money?

The current accountability structure had drawn more attention to the fact that many districts and schools need to act differently to address the needs of English Learners

Acting differently often requires spending money differently

But, is there money to spend given the cuts made to funding?

We may have less, but there are still resources

Title I, IIA, III

Economic Impact Aid (EIA)

Effectively using such resources is necessary and essential to adequately and appropriately supporting English Learners

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Changing Practice

Change in practice, and even the recognition of the need to change, can be difficult

For virtually all districts and schools identified for improvement, it’s no surprise that they have unaddressed needs, but sometimes they are surprised that they need to change to get a different result

Levels of improvement challenge

Level 1 – Convince stakeholders a need exists

Level 2 – Convince stakeholder that action, sometimes dramatic, is necessary by everyone

Level 3 – Find the money to pay for action plan4

The Landscape for Funding Has Changed

Operating Condition Level of Change in Past Two YearsSystem of Accountability No Change

Number and Type of People Some ChangeRules to Use Funding Some ChangeAmount of Funding Big Change

What does this mean for school and district improvement?

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Educational Improvement and Money

California has cut funding for schools by approximately 15% during the past three years With less money, it is true there’s less to spend if that which was in

place before continues unchanged With less money, there can be more to spend if that which was in place

before evolves into something different The Essential Program Components (EPC) provide a framework for what’s

necessary to support school and district improvement This includes effective fiscal operations

The challenges to address fiscal operations needs are numerous: Getting and using fiscal data Drawing connections between money and priorities/needs Dealing with organizational issues that restrict the use of funds 6

Essential Program Components and Money

Many of the “go to” funding sources to support EPCs no longer exist due to flexibility – these include: Supplemental Hourly Professional Development Block Grant Instructional Materials Funds SB 472/AB 430

And policy changes have added some twists: Shorten school year by five days Furloughs that include inservice days Instructional material adoption delays

On top of this, there are some targeted short-term resources to add to the mix School Improvement Grants (SIG) – “old” (2009-10) and “new” (2010-11)

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Key Tips to Support What’s Needed

Funding is always an issue – even during good years

Doing our very best with what’s provided can be summed up as follows:

Spend the right dollar, on the right thing, at the right time

Accomplishing the above requires:

Allocating resources to align funding with needs

Being realistic about what can be accomplished

Spending the most restrictive funding first

Teamwork

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Programs Requiring Allocation Plans

State categorical flexibility has eliminated some programs thatformerly required allocation planning, but two big programs remain

Title I

EIA

The cuts and potential elimination of other site allocations make it more important than ever to revisit allocation methods and decisions

Work to maximize how Title I funds are distributed and used

Meet all EIA and Title I compliance requirements

Potentially refocus funds based on survival needs 9

Programs Requiring Allocation Plans

There are several options when constructing allocation plans

Formulas based on equal amount per student

Formulas that provide differential allocations based on:

Types of school

Performance and/or characteristic of students (low performing, low income, English Learner, etc.)

Centralized services

A hybrid of the above10

The World of Rules

There are several rules and standards to be aware of when constructing an allocation plan

It’s helpful to separate rules into two categories: Rules that govern how allocations are made

Rankings Equity/parity/comparability

Rules that govern how money is spent once it’s allocated Supplement, not supplant 85/15

Even within the world of rules, discretion abounds 11

Allocating Title I Funds

Districts rank their schools based on level of poverty – most common metric is free-and reduced-price meal eligibility

Any school above 35% poverty eligibility or the district’s average poverty rate is Title I eligible

Any school above 40% poverty eligibility may elect to be “schoolwide” to broaden spending flexibility

Flexibility options:

Rankings by type of school Skipping schools

Providing more funding to higher poverty schools or types of schools

Providing Title I funds to a school subjects them to federal accountability requirements 12

Utilizing Title I Set Asides

There are both mandatory and optional set asides that can be used to direct funding to priority activities

Mandatory: Parent involvement Homeless If Program Improvement (PI):

10% for professional development Up to 20% for Supplemental Education Services and School Choice

Optional: Centralized services Targeted for PI Teacher incentives, up to 5%

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Allocating EIA Funds

Allocating EIA is similar to Title I, but there are some differences

There are two parts to EIA, which each district determines how to support

State Compensatory Education (EIA-SCE, 7090)

– Like Title I in the way funds may be used

– Eligible schools have at least 25% poverty or 50% using composite factors

– Allocated based on low-income pupils

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Allocating EIA Funds

There are two parts to EIA, which each district determines how to support (cont.)

Limited English Proficient (EIA-LEP, 7091)

– Like Title III in the ways funds may be used – restricted to supplemental support for English Learner language acquisition and development

– All schools with English Learners eligible

– Allocated based on English Learner population

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Allocating EIA Funds

District’s determine how to allocate funding between EIA-SCE and EIA-LEP District’s must demonstrate that they provide “adequate and appropriate

support” for English Learners Possible evidence includes:

Maintaining level of effort Achievement gains

It is possible to meet this requirement by putting 100% of EIA into SCE, but only if there are specific plans to meet the needs of English Learners

Among the factors that affect what will work best for your district: Level of focus on English Learners without designation Distribution of need and eligibility among schools Use of resource by schools 16

Tips for EIA and Title I

Ensure sites understand the rules

85/15

Allowed used

Supplement, not supplant

Districts have discretion to allocate carryover

Should return to direct services

Opportunity to fund centralized services and/or phase in ongoing change in allocations

Ensure alignment between allocation plan, school plans, and budget17

Specific Resources to Consider

There are fewer resources, but those focused on compensatory support are alive and mostly well

Most restricted Title III, English Language Acquisition Program (ELAP), EIA-Limited

English Proficient – use to supplement all other resources to address language proficiency and acquisition

Title IID – use for technology, there are some districts that received American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Title IIID competitive grants

Somewhat restricted Title I set aside for professional development – required set aside of

10% for districts in PI Title IIA – can be used for professional development and possibly

class-size reduction SIGs – must follow the plan for an individual site

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Budget Based on Actions, Not Intentions

The best plans are ones that get done

Persistent carryover from year to year is often a sign that responsibility for a program/resource area lacks definition or plans are made, but not fully completed

Budget for what will get done, not just what should

Know what’s needed

Know who can do it

Know how much it costs

Manage for implementation

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Specific Resources to Consider

Less Restricted

Title I (regular and ARRA) and EIA-State Compensatory Education – use for supplemental support for low performing students

Unrestricted

Tier III Programs – including California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) Intervention, Instructional Materials, Secondary Counselors, School and Library Improvement Block Grant, SB 472/AB 430

Federal Jobs Fund – expected for 2010-11 to provide one-time boost to use to support saving jobs involved with site operations

State Fiscal Stabilization Funding – a small portion was provided in 2010-11 20

Teamwork and Money Management

Addressing the needs of English Learners is a team effort Effective planning for any subgroup of students, including English Learners,

requires broad stakeholder understanding and support Superintendent School Board Educational Services Business Human Resources School Site Administrators

Ultimately, it is difficult to do something different with funding unless the business office is involved 21

Things to Do When Engagingthe Business Office

Do:

Engage the whole cabinet, including person responsible for the fiscal area, early in the process

Ask fiscal staff if they have ideas for areas of spending/practice that are less effective for students

Find out who is responsible for site allocations and how decisions are made to divvy up resources

Find out what the fiscal condition is of the district Still cutting Made big cuts Stable for now 22

Things to Avoid When Engagingthe Business Office

Avoid:

Ignoring any of the “do’s”

Assuming that there’s no money available

Assuming that the business person doesn’t understand the educational program

Assuming that money is exclusively managed by the business office

Sites may play a significant role

Some districts have in place a separate accounting function within educational services – this should raise a red flag

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Tips to Manage Resources

Maximize revenues, especially those generated based on student participation

Spend the most restricted dollar first

Even with fewer dollars, this still applies

Focus on priorities and support them with funding

Avoid spending out of habit

Be compliant

And once compliance needs are met, consider what is effective

Support cost-effective programs, not just low-cost programs

Turn over every rock and then pound them into sand 24

Is Improvement Possible Duringa Fiscal Crisis?

It can be hard to judge what constitutes improvement when surrounded by fiscal crisis and emergency

Planning for school and district improvement is a lot like Maslow’s hierarchy of need

Without the basics assured, it’s hard to think about much of anything else

But the difference between what’s necessary and what’s sufficient lies in how resources are used and not their mere presence

How do we find the space to focus on improvement?

It starts by thinking about what’s present above what’s absent25

Thank you!