2017 Summer School Program for English Language Learners (ELLs) in Kindergarten and First Grade
May 17, 2017
TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED:
Subject: 2017 Summer School Program for English Language Learners (ELLs) in Kindergarten and First Grade
Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Section 89.1250, Required Summer School Programs, requires districts to provide a summer school program for English language learners who will be eligible for admission to kindergarten or first grade at the beginning of the next school year. This letter is to inform school districts that funds have been appropriated for the 2016-2017 school year to reimburse school districts for operating a summer school program in accordance with TAC §89.1250.
This information is provided to help districts prepare and coordinate building services, transportation, calendars, and instruction with other state and federal programs. Districts required to offer a bilingual education or special language program during the 2016-2017 school year, including those with approved exceptions, must offer the summer school program. Reimbursement for costs of enrolling English language learners will be processed in the fall of 2017 through the Grants Administration Division.
In accordance with TAC §89.1250(3)(b), districts operating a two-semester system are required to offer the program for one-half day for eight weeks while school is recessed for the summer or for a total of 120 hours of instruction on a schedule established by the board of trustees. Districts operating year-round schools are required to offer a program during intercessions for a total of 120 hours of instruction.
For students who have not attended school previously and need to be identified as an English language learner, TAC §89.1225 rules related to testing and classification of students must be followed. The List of Approved Tests for Assessment of English Language Learners is required for the identification process and can be found on the Bilingual/ESL webpage at http://tea.texas.gov/bilingual/esl/education under the Documents section.
Funding for the program will be on a teaching unit basis with 18 students or a fraction thereof constituting a unit. Since the appropriation for this program is a fixed amount, it will be necessary to prorate unit allotments if enrollment exceeds projections. Based on 2016 program costs, it is suggested that districts plan for reimbursement of approximately $1,100 per unit. Business managers should be informed that the fund code is 289 and that payment to the district will be provided through direct deposit.
Please note that data will be collected through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) for summer school 2017. The “BILINGUAL/ESL-SUMMER-SCHOOL-INDICATOR-CODE” is reported in the Student Program Extension as documented in the 2016-2017 Texas Education Data Standards (TEDS) to identify students participating in the Bilingual/ESL Summer School Program. This indicator code is collected in Submission 4 only, and the first submission due date is August 31, 2017.
If you have any program questions, please contact Susie Coultress, State Director of Bilingual/English as a Second Language/Title III/Migrant Education, at (512) 463-9581. Please submit questions regarding the PEIMS submission requirements to the TSDS Incident Management System (TIMS), which is available within the TSDS portal. Funding questions may be submitted to the TEA Help DESK.
Sincerely,
Justin Porter, Ed.D.
Executive Director
Special Populations Division
JP/sc