Frequently Asked Questions:
MEP General Questions:
- What is a Certificate of Eligibility (COE)?
The official record of the student State’s eligibility, it must be completed by a MEP recruiter to certify a student as migratory.
- What is the Qualifying Arrival Date (QAD)?
The QAD is the date a child arrives to a school district as a result of a qualifying move. The QAD is also the date that is recorded on the Migrant Certificate of Eligibility (COE), and the date that the child`s eligibility for the MEP begins.
- How long is a child eligible for services?
Eligibility is for 36 months beginning on the Qualifying Arrival Date (although services continue through the completion of a school term).
- If within the 36 months a student makes another qualifying move, then 36 months of program eligibility start again.
- Students who are eligible for migrant services in:
Service Year (SY) 2016-17 have QAD dates of 9/2/2013 or later
- How to verify your current count of migrant students?
A copy of the COEs will be uploaded to the TNMigrant site (under the COE folder) on a monthly basis. School districts will be notified that new COEs have been uploaded to their folder. Every month Conexión Américas will provide school districts with a migrant student list. Please review your list each month and insure that the migrant student classification (I) is entered in your SIS/EIS for each student that appears on the list. As new migrant students enroll in your district, please upload the migrant student classification.
Do migrant parents have to fill out an application for their children to receive free lunch at school?
No, migrant children are automatically eligible to receive free lunch once they are enrolled in the Migrant Education Program.
- Can an LEA refuse to enroll a migrant student because of the child`s immigration status, or the status of their parents/guardians.
No, students in Tennessee may not be denied admission to public schools because of their race, color, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, or the status of their parents/guardians.
- Are all migrant students also immigrants?
Not necessarily. Many migrant students were born in the United States. While migrant students may also be immigrants, migrant students are of all races and ethnicities.
- How does the program decide which migrant students to provide services for?
The federal Migrant Education Program gives Priority for Services (PFS or P1) to migrant children, who are failing, or most at risk of failing, to meet the state’s challenging academic content and student achievement standards, and whose education has been interrupted during the regular school year. LEAs should facilitate this process by communicating with Conexión Américas to let MEP staff know that a student may be Priority for Services.
The factors that may be considered for determining PFS include:
- Retention – student is enrolled in same grade level from one school year to next;
- Grade Age Compatible – student’s age does not match the acceptable range for grade level placement;
- Academic Proficiency in State Assessments – student’s most recent results on state assessments do not demonstrate meeting standard in reading, math, writing, and/or science assessments;
- English Language Proficiency – a migratory student who is also identified as an English Learner;
- Attendance – student attends school less than 90% during enrollment period;
- Interrupted school year;
- Credit Deficiency – secondary-aged student who has not earned sufficient credits per his/her school’s graduation requirements considering the grade level.
Occupational Survey:
- What is the Occupational Survey?
The 3 question survey is a screening tool given to families to determine if a child should be considered for identification as a migratory student.
- Why do we have to give out the Occupational Survey?
Each State Educational Agency is responsible for the identification and recruitment of all eligible migrant children in the State. The Occupational Survey is a tool that Tennessee uses to meet our state requirements and correctly identify and recruit all eligible migrant children residing in Tennessee.
- May the Occupational Survey be included in a packet of information provided to new students?
Yes. This would be an efficient method for assuring that all new students receive the survey. Monitoring teams from the state may ask to see the information packet given to students new to the district in order to confirm that the survey has been distributed.
- To whom do I send completed surveys?
All surveys with at least one “yes” answer should be sent to the District Migrant Liaison and uploaded to the TNMigrant secure server site (tn.msedd.com) upon receipt.
- Do I have to keep a copy of the completed survey in the student’s file?
Yes. The Occupational Survey is included as part of the State monitoring instrument and should be kept for one year for State monitoring purposes. Completed Occupational Surveys may be kept in the student cumulative files at the building level or in a file in a centralized location, such as the district office.
- What if the parent does not want to complete the survey?
Ultimately, as with any survey, the parent may make the decision not to complete and return the information. It is possible that out of fear or lack of understanding of how the information provided may be used, a parent may be reluctant to provide information. Every effort should be made to collect completed surveys for the purposes of identifying potential migrant students and assisting the State in its compliance with ESSA responsibilities. It is assumed that some parents will return the forms and these will be verified during State monitoring team visits.
- Are parents allowed to complete the Occupational Survey electronically?
Yes, parent may complete the survey in either a paper format or electronically.
- Who should I contact if I suspect that a student is migrant?
Contact the Tennessee Migrant Education Program — MEP@conexionamericas.org or (931) 212-9539— to find the Migrant Education Recruiter or Tutor for your area.