Identification and Recruitment ID&R of Migrant Students

This is to remind you that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has assured the U.S. Department of Education that migrant students are actively recruited year-round in every local educational agency (LEA) in the state, including out of school youth (OSY).

Background

Federal law requires that the state identify and recruit every eligible migrant 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 his or her family, obtaining the necessary information to document the child’s eligibility, and enrolling the child in the MEP. For the purposes of the MEP, OSY are defined as high school-age youth up through age 21 not currently enrolled in a K-12 institution who may have dropped out of school, are working on a High School Equivalency Program outside of a K-12 institution, or are “here-to-work” only. Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), funding to LEAs operating migrant education programs is based, in part, on the number of migrant students identified.

TEA encourages all MEP-funded LEAs to work cooperatively with their Education Service Centers (ESCs) to ensure that the MEP reaches all eligible migrant children and that the children are properly reported in the New Generation System (NGS) database.

For ID&R to be effective, it must be ongoing throughout the entire year, not just the school year, and must include balanced efforts to identify and recruit all migrant children and their families who reside within the LEA’s boundaries or geographical area. This means that a variety of resources, including the LEA, local community, and local employers, must be included in such efforts.

Funding Provided

Each regional education service center (ESC) is provided funding to assist the state with providing professional development in ID&R. In addition, each ESC is being provided with additional funding to hire a recruiter who will be dedicated to region-wide recruitment of OSY. At a minimum, the ESC OSY recruiter will be responsible for determining individual academic and support needs of each OSY, identifying available resources, and making referrals to address said needs (e.g., tutoring, Certificate of High School Equivalency, etc.) to ensure that the OSY has access to appropriate services to make a successful transition to postsecondary education or employment.

While all LEAs that receive MEP funds are required to conduct their own ID&R for the program, ESCs are responsible for assisting all non-MEP funded LEAs with the ID&R of their migrant children. If your LEA does not receive MEP funds, the Texas Education Agency requests that you work collaboratively with your ESC to recruit all eligible migrant students residing in your area, including OSY, and to report these children into the NGS database. 

For Further Information

As always, thank you for your assistance and support of Texas’ migrant students. If you would like additional information regarding the ID&R of migrant children, please contact the MEP staff either at your ESC or TEA at migrant.ed@tea.texas.gov or call the Federal Program Compliance Division at (512) 463-6911.

Sincerely,

Cory Green, Associate Commissioner
Department of Grant Compliance and Administration