Migrant Education Comprehensive Needs Assessment

1. Migrant Education Comprehensive Needs Assessment Overview

2. Pilot Cooperative effort: • U.S. Department of Migrant Education • Five Federal Comprehensive Centers • Four states • Arizona • Texas • Michigan • Pennsylvania

3. Purpose • Establish a functional process to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment for Migrant Education Programs to assist with Service Delivery Plans • Provide an electronic Implementation Guide that will allow states not in the pilot to use this same process

4. Theoretical Basis Based on the work of Altschuld and Witkin: • Planning and Conducting Needs Assessments: A Practical Guide (1995) • From Needs Assessment to Action: Transforming Needs into Solution Strategies (2000)

5. Benefits of Comprehensive Needs Assessment • Review of statewide program • Creates readiness for change • Develops critical areas for program focus • Establishes a rational process for decision making

6. Legal Requirements NCLB (Section 1304 – 1306) requires states to submit applications that describe: • A comprehensive plan for needs assessment and service delivery that identifies the special educational needs of migrant children • How the state’s priorities for the use of funds relate to the state’s need assessment • How the state will award subgrants to reflect the results of the comprehensive needs assessment

7. Program Requirements Program regulations (Section 200.83) and policy guidance states that needs assessment: • Must be current • Must identify the “special educational needs” of migratory children related to • Migratory lifestyle • Other needs so that children can have effective participation in school • Use the best information available • Guide the development of service delivery plans • Establish statewide priorities for local procedures • Provide a basis for allocation of funds

8. LEA Migrant Program Supplemental in Nature

9. Goal Areas from NCLB • School Readiness • Proficiency in Math • Proficiency in Reading • High School Graduation

10. Comprehensive Needs Assessment(CNA) • Gap Analysis • Continuous Improvement Cycle • Data-Based Decision Making • Broad-Based Involvement

11. Levels of Needs • Level I: Service receiver needs (Migrant students & their families) • Level II: Service provider & policy maker needs (School staff & migrant liaisons, administrators, community services staff) • Level III: System needs (resources/ procedures/retrieval systems /transportation/supplies/delivery systems)

12. Needs Assessment Key Terms • NEED – gap or discrepancy between the present state (what is) and a desired state (what should be) • TARGET GROUP – students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community-at-large • NEEDS ASSESSMENT – systematic approach that progresses through a defined series of phases

13. Key Terms (continued) • COMPREHENSIVE –the extensiveness required by law • CONCERN STATEMENT– a Level 1 statement expressing concerns related to the quality of migrant student education • NEED INDICATOR –measurable evidence related to a Concern Statement that demonstrates that an area of concern exists

14. State Migrant Education Program State Department of Education Student Information Systems Staff CNA Committee Contractor Comprehensive Center Staff Provide leadership, CNA management plans, finalize needs assessment program, service delivery plan Provide support to project; ensure state requirements are fulfilled Offer guidance and provide data to working teams and possibly a contractor Recommendation-making body that guides the process and makes final recommendations to SDE Conducts specified in-depth work, particularly in data collection/analysis, in conjunction with SDE Advisement and guidance in process Roles

15. Three Phase Process • Phase I: Explore “what is” • Phase II: Gather and analyze data • Phase III: Make decisions

16. Preparation • Prepare Management Plan for CNA Work • Select Committee and Goal/Data Team members • Develop Initial Migrant Student Profile using available data

17. Phase I • Finalize Migrant Student Profile by gathering community input and including additional data • Finalize Concern Statements • Determine Measurable Need Indicators • Identify Data Sources • Decide Preliminary Priorities

18. Migrant Student Profile • Starting Point • Comprehensive understanding of migrant student characteristics • Picture of population patterns • Student and family measures

19. Phase II • Develop Data Collection & Analysis Plan • Gather Data to Define Needs • Analyze Needs • Write and Prioritize Need Statements • Summarize Findings

20. Phase III • Identify Possible Solutions • Select Solution Strategies • Propose Action Plan • Final Approval • Prepare Report for USOME

21. Unique Needs of Migrant Students • Focus on migrant student and family needs (Level I) for first cycle of process • Consider the root causes and “unique” needs of migrant students • Consider cumulative effects

22. Root Causes • Mobility • Possible moves from one country to another • Low wages for work • Feelings of isolation from the larger community

23. Seven Areas of Concern • Educational Continuity • Instructional Time • School Engagement • English Language Development for Literacy in Content Areas • Educational Support in the Home • Health • Access to Services

24. Organization of Needs Assessment Goal Area of Concern Concern Statement Indicator 1 Data Sources Indicator 2 Data Sources Indicator 3 Data Sources Concern Statement Indicator 1 Data Sources Indicator 2 Data Sources

25. Data Sources • Surveys • Databases • Migrant • Student Information Systems • Links with other states • District/School Information

26. Outcomes • Process for states to use and improve • Most critical needs for migrant program focus • Change agent for state • Exchange among migrant staff • Improvement of database interfacing and pertinent fields