July 26, 2011

   

TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED:

 

SUBJECT:        Revised Procedures for Supplemental Educational Services (SES)

 

Supplemental educational services (SES) are additional academic instruction designed to increase the academic achievement of students in campuses in the second year of Title I school improvement, corrective action, or restructuring.  These services, which are in addition to instruction provided during the school day, may include academic assistance such as tutoring, remediation and other supplemental educational enrichment services that are consistent with the content and instruction used by the local educational agency (LEA) and are aligned with the State’s academic content and achievement standards. Supplemental educational services must be high-quality, research-based, and specifically designed to increase student academic achievement as required by the No Child Left Behind Act [Public Law 107-110, Section 1116(e)(12)(C)].

 

To further enhance the Texas Education Agency’s (Agency) strong support of SES services to eligible students, the following policies and procedures are effective beginning with the 2011-2012 school year. 

 

Twenty Percent (20%) Reservation for School Choice and SES

To allow for full expenditure of the SES per-pupil allocation, LEAs must reserve an amount equal to twenty percent (20%) of their Title I, Part A allocation, unless a lesser amount is needed, for 1) parent outreach activities associated with choice and SES, and 2) to provide SES and public school choice to eligible students whose parents request the services.  The 20% obligation may be reserved from Title I, Part A; School Improvement; or other state and local funds.  While the Agency expects each LEA implementing SES to expend the full 20% obligation for public school choice and SES services, the following changes in policy procedures will be implemented in efforts to lessen the burden on LEA staff.

 

Reallocation Process

The LEA will not be required to file a notice of reallocation with the Agency when it is unable to expend the full 20% obligation, but rather will report the following data elements in the end-of-year Title I School Improvement Program (SIP) Compliance Report and be required to maintain documentation locally and submit such documentation to the Agency upon request:

·         total amount of funds expended for SES services,

·         total amount of 20% obligation reallocated, and

·         the reallocation criterion met which allowed the reallocation of funds.

 

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To The Administrator Addressed

July 26, 2011

Page 2

 

 

Data Reporting and Monitoring

The Agency will implement the following two Initial Compliance Review (ICR) desk audit indicators to continue to monitor the reallocation process in LEAs:

1.       Did the LEA report the same amount of funds expended for SES in the EZSES Management System and in the end-of-year SIP Compliance Report? 

2.       Is the criterion for reallocation reported in the SIP Compliance Report supported by the data reported in the EZSES Management System?

If both ICR desk audit indicators are met, the LEA may follow the same procedure for reallocation the following school year.  If either of the two ICR indicators is not met, then the following school year the LEA would be required to submit the reallocation notice and supporting documentation to the Agency at the time of reallocation.

 

SES Enrollment Procedures

The Agency continues to focus on eligible students receiving SES services within thirty (30) days of enrollment.  The following revision to enrollment procedures is to ensure that while services do begin within 30 days of enrollment, the LEA also focuses on prioritizing the services to the eligible students in greatest need of services (i.e., priority students).

 

Enrollment Period

The minimum length of the enrollment period is reduced to 30 calendar days.  If the LEA has not reached the maximum capacity it can serve with its 20% obligation amount in the 30-day enrollment period, then the enrollment period must remain open until the maximum capacity is reached or for a minimum of 60 calendar days.  For this purpose, maximum capacity is defined as the total number of SES students who may be served by the LEA’s 20% obligation. 
[20% obligation amount divided by the LEA’s per-pupil allocation equals the maximum capacity.]

 

Process for Assigning Enrolled Students

This following revision to the process for enrolling and assigning students to SES providers will allow the LEA to close the enrollment window after 30 calendar days once it reaches its maximum capacity.

 

1.       The LEA will accept all enrollment submissions from eligible students in the order received; however, applications from priority students are to be assigned to providers first before non-priority students.  At all times, the LEA must assign students to providers in an on-going, continuous basis.

 

2.       All students are to continue to be assigned to providers on an uninterrupted basis as the enrollment forms are received to ensure SES services begin within 30 days of enrollment.

 

3.       At any time in the enrollment period the LEA receives the number of applications equal to 60% of its maximum capacity (as defined above), the LEA is to implement its eligibility priority criteria and only assign priority students to providers from that point forward until its number of students assigned to providers meets its maximum capacity. 

a.       The LEA continues to receive enrollment submissions from non-priority students and maintains them in the order received on a waiting list. 

To The Administrator Addressed

July 26, 2011

Page 3

 

 

b.       If the number of priority student enrollments received in the 60-day enrollment window does not meet the LEA’s maximum capacity, then the LEA is to assign non-priority students from the waiting list, in the order received.

 

4.       At any time in the enrollment period after the minimum 30 calendar days, when the LEA reaches its maximum capacity, it may close the enrollment period.  After the enrollment period closes, if a student is withdrawn from SES services, the LEA must immediately assign the next student from its waiting list.

 

5.       If, after the full 60-day enrollment period, the LEA has not reached its maximum capacity, the LEA must conduct a second enrollment window (implementing the same timelines and process described above) at the beginning of the second semester, unless the LEA implements open enrollment throughout the school year.

 

Statewide Enrollment Form

The statewide enrollment form for SES is being revised slightly for the 2011-2012 school year.  The 2011-2012 enrollment form will be provided to LEAs after the 2011 AYP release in order to allow the LEA to assemble and print its SES packet to be provided to parents of eligible students.  The statewide enrollment form will be posted to the TEA NCLB web site for provider and parent use on August 22, 2011.

 

LEAs and providers must use only the 2011-2012 statewide enrollment form and enrollment submissions must only be accepted after the LEA notified parent of eligible students of the availability of SES services.

 

Assistance

If you need further assistance related to these revised SES procedures, please contact Ms. Leticia Govea in the SES Unit at the School Improvement Resource Center (SIRC) at Region XIII Education Service Center (ESC) at (512) 919-5169.

 

For further assistance related to the new ICR desk audit indicators or monitoring of these new procedures, please contact Ms. Becca Marsh in the Division of NCLB Program Coordination at (512) 936-2256.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Cory Green, Senior Director

Division of NCLB Program Coordination