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

HB 230: Refugee and Immigrant Student Policies
Utah State Legislature

Guidance for Allowable Expenditures

Spending Title III, Part A Funds to Support English Learners

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

Evaluating Program Effectiveness using Toolkits

Welcoming Newcomers:

Newcomer Toolkit
United States Department of Education

Welcoming Multilingual Learners:

English Learner Toolkit
United States Department of Education

Welcoming Refugees:

Refugee Toolkit
Utah Education Network

Meetings/Monitoring Visits

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 YouTube Channel.

Meeting Schedule

October 26, 2023

January 19, 2024

April 25, 2024

August 15, 2024
New and Continuing ALS Directors

October 24, 2024

January 23, 2025

April 24, 2025

August 21, 2025
New and Continuing ALS Directors

October 23, 2025

FUNDING TIMELINE

May 15
Preliminary Title III Allocation to Eligible Local Education Agengies (LEAs) for Funding Improvement Plans (Based on student data and evaluating program effectiveness).

July 1
Title III Federal Grant Available to Title III Specialist and Fiscal Manager: Significant increase calculated for grant awards.

August 1
Preliminary Allocations for Title III Federal Formula Grant (Number of ELs in the state) are sent to eligible LEAs and Consortiums.

September 1
Final Allocations sent to LEAs. Upload into USBE Grant System with Annual-Self-Assessment Application

October 30
Due: Annual Self-Assessment (Application) for Title III Grant Awards

Forms

Home Language Survey

Home Language Survey (English)

Annual Parent Notification

Annual Parent Notification (English)

Exit Letter to Parents

Exit Letter to Parents (English)

Resources

Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)

English Language Development (ELD) Standards
World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA)

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
United States Department of Education

Language Codes

Evidence-Based Practices

Evidence-Based Improvement: A Guide for States to Strengthen Their Frameworks and Supports Aligned to the Evidence Requirements of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
WestEd

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
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)
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

Remote Learning

Supporting Students Learning English in Times of Crisis

How can schools and districts ensure that (English Learning (ELs) and their families are included in all communications and school closure plans related to COVID-19 and other times of crisis? Here are some considerations that can help individual educators, schools, and districts:

United States Department of Education provides national leadership to help ensure that English Learners and immigrant students attain English proficiency and achieve academic success. In addition to preserving heritage languages and cultures, Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) is committed to prompting opportunities for bi-literacy or multi-literacy skills for all students.

Webinars

Social, Emotional, Learning (SEL) Resources During COVID-19
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

WestEd:

YouTube

Collaborative Planning for Remote Learning with ELs

What is Visible Learning for Mathematics

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:

  1. Using strategies that build relationships with each student as a capable learner;
  2. Developing a culture of student and family advocacy to ensure equitable access to high quality instructional opportunities for each student as a Civil Right;
  3. Supporting opportunities for Social Emotional Learning to increase the well being and academic success of Utah’s diverse students;
  4. 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
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:

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

EITS Report Contract Details

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
Utah Division of Purchasing and General Services

Students with Limited/Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)

A Guide for the Placement and Transcript Evaluation of Foreign-Born Students

Contact Us

Dr. Christelle Estrada
Education Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7888 | E-mail

Madeline Kjar
Office Specialist
Phone: 801-538-7704 | E-mail

For a translation of this page in your language, visit Google Translate. You may select your language from the drop down menu at the top of your screen.