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Title III: English Learners (ELs), Immigrants and Refugees
Overview
Our mission is to collaborate with a wide range of partners to ensure that all facets of Utah legislation, Title III federal ESEA legislation, and Civil Rights obligations, are supported for the purpose of preparing all students learning English for Career, College and Life Readiness.
Requirements for All Local Education Agencies (LEAs)
Utah State Law to Support Students Learning English
HB 302: Education Language Service Amendments(External Web Content)
Level 1 Interpreter Certification Application
HB 230: Refugee and Immigrant Student Policies(External Web Content)
Utah State Legislature
Guidance for Allowable Expenditures
Spending Title III, Part A Funds to Support English Learners
Language Access Policy: Translation Services with State Funds Only
Parent/Guardian Rights for Quality Education
Ensuring English Learner Students Can Participate Meaningfully and Equally in Educational Programs
Information on the Rights of All Children to Enroll in School: Questions and Answers
for States, School Districts and Parents
United States Department of Justice, United States Department of Education
Personalizing Instruction for Each Student in Language Services
Evaluating Program Effectiveness Using Toolkits
Welcoming Multilingual Learners:
English Learner Toolkit(External Web Content)
United States Department of Education
Welcoming Refugees:
Refugee Toolkit(External Web Content)
Utah Education Network
Promising Practices
Introduction:
A promising practice is an activity, procedure, policy, or model that has shown evidence of effectiveness in small-scale interventions.
It must have produced actionable data that could help generalize the results to different settings and populations.
- At least three data points should be used to support the connection to instructional practice and improved student achievement in academic content for students learning English.
- Then resources aligned to those practices that clearly impact students learning English.
- This is the key to Program Evaluation and an effective use of funds that impact student's academic achievement and ability for advanced coursework.
Evidence-based Improvement for ESSA
Resources
Teacher Resources:
REL Resources for Educators of English learner Students
Professional Learning Community Conversations:
Training to Support Collaborative Conversations Between EL Specialists and Classroom
Teachers for English Learner Students in New Mexico
Newcomers
New Americans in Utah
New Americans are vital in Utah’s fast-growing and robust economy and most in-demand fields. New Americans, or any foreign-born individual, arrive in Utah for various reasons, such as refugees fleeing conflict, families reuniting after years of separation, parents seeking a better life for their children, students pursuing their education, or workers seeking to fill an occupation or profession.
- 272,134 immigrants in Utah or 8.5% of the population
- Tops countries from Mexico, India, Venezuela, Brazil and Canada
- Immigrants contribute $613M in state and local taxes and $1.1B in federal taxes
- Close to 10% of immigrants are entrepreneurs in Utah, and 8.5% of homeowners
The Utah State Legislature created the Utah Immigration Assistance Center during its 2021 general session with the passage of H.B. 404. In the 2023 legislative session, its name was later changed to the Utah Center for Immigration & Integration to reflect the broader immigrant integration strategies and the opportunities for immigrants to contribute to the state's economic advancement with S.B. 53.
The Utah Center for Immigration & Integration The Center) assists individuals and businesses in navigating pathways to recruit and retain global talent. It also engages with state and federal government partners to convene, facilitate, and advise on immigration policy and strategies that promote economic opportunity for New Americans or foreign-born individuals living in Utah.
Creating New Futures for Newcomers
Immigrants in Utah
American Immigration Council
Granite School District Support for Newcomers
Jordan School District Newcomers
Newcomers: New Americans in Murray City School District
Ogden School District Support for Newcomers
Wasatch County School District
Welcoming Newcomers:
Newcomer Toolkit(External Web Content)
United States Department of Education
Meetings
2023-2024 Alternative Language Services (ALS) Directors’ Meetings
All meetings are Zoom meetings and are archived on the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Supporting Students Learning English(External Web Content) YouTube Channel.
Meeting Schedule
October 26, 2023 ALS Meeting (Drafted by CE)
YouTube
February 9, 2024 ALS Meeting (Drafted by CE)
YouTube
April 26, 2024 ALS Meeting (Drafted by CE)
August 16, 2024 ALS Meeting
New and Continuing ALS Directors
October 25, 2024
January 24, 2025
April 25, 2025
August 22, 2025
New and Continuing ALS Directors
October 24, 2025
Funding Timeline
May 15
Preliminary Title III Allocations sent to eligible Local Education Agencies (LEAs) as EL Flow Through-ELFT. Purpose: Funding Improvement Plans (Based on student data and evaluating program effectiveness).
Preliminary allocations sent to all LEAs with an allocation under $10,000 to form consortiums with a fiscal agent and signed MOU.
FINAL Immigrant grant - Significant increase calculated for eligible LEAs with allocation over $10,000.
June 1
Deadline for signed Consortium MOUs.
August 15
Final Allocations sent to LEAs and Consortiums.
October 30
Due: Annual Self-Assessment (Application) for Title III Grant Awards
November 15
All applications for Title III funds are approved by USBE Specialist and available for reimbursements.
Monitoring
Title III 5-Year Monitoring Schedule
LEA Guidelines for Title III Classroom Visits
Team Members Guidelines for Title III Classroom Visits
Title III Classroom Observation Tool
Annual Self-Assessment for Funding
Annual Improvement Plan: Self-Assessment Tool
MOU for Consortium Funding
Competency Based
Background
The Utah Legislature held a joint education conference with all legislators serving on education committees as well as the governing boards of the three education entities – The State Board of Regents, the Utah College of Applied Technology, and the Utah State Board of Education.
Utah's Competency-Based ESL Endorsement
Competency-based education, or CBE, is generally viewed as a move away from the traditional definition of “seat time” for credit to a student proving mastery of a set of competencies through assessments. CBE has gained increased attention, especially in Utah's state legislature, as a greater focus is placed on educators for the 21st century workforce: stressing higher order learning goals of inquiry and analysis, critical and creative thinking, integrative and reflective thinking, written and oral communication, information literacy, intercultural understanding, and teamwork and real-world problem solving.
Such learning provides flexibility in earning college and USBE MIDAS credit for increased professional learning through prior learning assessment, personalized online and blended learning, and project-based learning. CBE program design leads to increased learner engagement with goal setting based on TESOL Standards and self-assessment as presented in a capstone portfolio exhibition. The learning is both immediately applicable to an educator's real-world experience.
Requirements for USBE Approval of an LEA Competency-Based ESL Endorsement
Utah's Innovative LEA Designed Endorsement Program Models
Utah's approach to adult learning focuses on educator goal setting based on the TESOL Standards through a comprehensive self-assessment. This honest self-reflection in a positive and safe environment is supported by the learning needs of each teacher's students. As designer we ask ourselves these questions:
- How do we learn from the experiences of other LEAs who have designed their own competency-based programs?
- What impact has those programs had on the achievement of students learning English?
- How does the instructional coaching cycle and observations (the USBE tool or adapted tool) provide quality feedback to highlight promising practices and increase cognitive rigor to engage students?
Box Elder School District Competency Based ESL Endorsement
Cache School District Competency Based ESL Endorsement
Canyons School District Competency Based ESL Endorsement
Jordan School District Competency Based ESL Endorsement
Murray School District Competency Based ESL Endorsement
Tooele School District Competency Based ESL Endorsement
Wasatch County District Competency Based ESL Endorsement
Forms
Home Language Survey
Home Language Survey (English)
Home Language Survey (Arabic)
Home Language Survey (Dari)
Home Language Survey (Gujariti)
Home Language Survey (Japanese)
Home Language Survey (Mongolian - Cyrillic)
Home Language Survey (Mongolian - Traditional)
Home Language Survey (Pashto)
Home Language Survey (Portuguese Brazil)
Home Language Survey (Spanish)
Home Language Survey (Ukrainian)
Home Language Survey (Urdu)
Annual Parent Notification
Annual Parent Notification (English)
Annual Parent Notification (Arabic)
Annual Parent Notification (Chinese)
Annual Parent Notification (Dari)
Annual Parent Notification (French)
Annual Parent Notification (Gujariti)
Annual Parent Notification (Mongolian)
Annual Parent Notification (Pashto)
Annual Parent Notification (Portuguese Brazil)
Annual Parent Notification (Somali)
Annual Parent Notification (Spanish)
Annual Parent Notification (Ukrainian)
Annual Parent Notification (Urdu)
Annual Parent Notification (Vietnamese)
Exit Letter to Parents
Exit Letter to Parents (English)
Exit Letter to Parents (Arabic)
Exit Letter to Parents (Bosnian)
Exit Letter to Parents (Chinese)
Exit Letter to Parents (Dari)
Exit Letter to Parents (Farsi)
Exit Letter to Parents (Filipino)
Exit Letter to Parents (French)
Exit Letter to Parents (Gujariti)
Exit Letter to Parents (Hindi)
Exit Letter to Parents (Japanese)
Exit Letter to Parents (Kannada)
Exit Letter to Parents (Kanyawanda)
Exit Letter to Parents (Maori)
Exit Letter to Parents (Mongolian)
Exit Letter to Parents (Myanmar Burmese)
Exit Letter to Parents (Nepali)
Exit Letter to Parents (Pashto)
Exit Letter to Parents (Portuguese Brazil)
Exit Letter to Parents (Punjabi)
Exit Letter to Parents (Russian)
Exit Letter to Parents (Samoan)
Exit Letter to Parents (Somali)
Exit Letter to Parents (Spanish)
Exit Letter to Parents (Swahili)
Exit Letter to Parents (Tamil)
Exit Letter to Parents (Telugu)
Exit Letter to Parents (Tongan)
Exit Letter to Parents (Ukrainian)
Exit Letter to Parents (Urdu)
Exit Letter to Parents (Vietnamese)
Resources
A Guide for the Placement and Transcript Evaluation of Foreign-Born Students
Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)(External Web Content)
English Language Development (ELD) Standards
(External Web Content)World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA)
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
(External Web Content)United States Department of Education
Evidence-Based Practices
This guide provides an initial set of tools to help school districts understand and plan for implementing evidence-based improvement strategies.
Non-regulatory Guidance: Using Evidence to Strengthen Education Investments
(External Web Content)United States Department of Education
This guidance seeks to help State Educational Agencies (SEAs), Local Education Agencies (LEAs), schools, educators, partner organizations, and other stakeholders understand the four levels of evidence and recommends a step-by-step process for choosing and implementing interventions that improve outcomes for students.
The Evidence Provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
(External Web Content)Results for America
ESSA's definition of "evidence-based" includes 4 levels of evidence:
- Level 1: Strong
- Level 2: Moderate
- Level 3: Promising
- Level 4: Under Evaluation
Professional Learning
Communities of Practice Course Catalog
Canvas
Online courses, modules and other learning experiences will be updated through the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Canvas for educators to learn with and from each other through intentional Communities of Practice to focus on:
- Using strategies that build relationships with each student as a capable learner;
- Developing a culture of student and family advocacy to ensure equitable access to high quality instructional opportunities for each student as a Civil Right;
- Supporting opportunities for Social Emotional Learning to increase the well being and academic success of Utah's diverse students;
- Sharing the diverse cultural assets of our multilingual learners, their families, and communities to create a future for Utah that we all love.
Legislation
Overview
House Bill (H.B.) 302: Education Language Services Amendments
(External Web Content)Utah State Legislature
Educational Language Services Amendments HB 302
Refugee and Immigrant Student Policies H.B. 230
Meetings
September 28, 2022
Education Interpretation and Translation Services (EITS) Advisory Council
Public Notice Website - Division of Archives and Records Services:
- EITS and HB302(External Web Content)
- September 28, 2022(External Web Content) (Audio Only)
- Languages of Students and Families by Local Education Agency (LEA) - Native Language Count by LEA(External Web Content)
Model Policy
Model Policy Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Model Language Access Plan
Reports
Education Language Services Report
Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Policy, Law and Professional Practices
Resources
Educational Interpreters
Utah State Board of Education Special Education Rules and Policies Technical Assistance
Guidelines for an LEA Developed Procedure for Responses to HB 302 and HB230 Complaints
Search Contracts
(External Web Content)Utah Division of Purchasing and General Services
Standard Consortium
Legal Details About Forming Consortiums