TESOL Policy Update and Outlook – What’s Next?

John Segota, CAEAssociate Executive Director for Public Policy & Professional Relations

2016 WATESOL Workshop

Overview

• 114th & 115th Congress• Leadership Transition• Education Policy

– Federal Budget– ESSA– WIOA– Immigration

114th Congress

House of Representatives

– 247 Republicans– 188 Democrats

Senate– 54 Republicans– 44 Democrats– 2 Independents

115th Congress

House of Representatives

– 241 Republicans– 194 Democrats

Senate– 52 Republicans– 46 Democrats– 2 Independents

U.S. Department of Education

• John B. King, Jr. – Secretary of Education

• Johan Uvin – Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Voc. & Adult Ed.

• Libia Gil – Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director, OELA

Presidential Transition

• Transition team review• Nominees for top-level positions• New member orientation (Congress)

November

• Lame-duck session (Congress)• Nominees for top-level positionsDecember

• 115th Congress sworn in• President takes oath of office• Orientation for agency heads

January

Education Policy Leadership - 2017

• Betsy DeVos – Nominee for U.S. Secretary of Education

• Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) – Incoming Chair, House Education and Workforce Committee

Federal Budget Process

Budget Proposal

February

Budget Resolution

17 Appropriations Bills(Labor-HHS-Education)

President’sSignature

By September 30

FY2017 ED Budget Proposal

FY2016 FY2017 Budget Request

Title I - ESSA $14.9 billion $15.4 billion

Title III -ESSA

$737 million $800 million

Title II - WIOA $596 million $607 million

FY 2017 - Continuing Resolution through Dec. 9, 2016

Second Continuing Resolution through April 28, 2017

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

• Reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

• Replaces the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)

• Signed into lawDecember 2015

ESSA Timeline

2015 2016 2017 2018* 2019

December 2015: President signed

ESSA into law

August 1, 2016: ESEA waivers expired

October 1, 2016: competitive programs

March & July 2017: State Title I Plans are

due to ED2017-2018 Transition

Year

July 1, 2017: Formula Funds

2017-2018*: Full Implementation?

*ED is under pressure to move start date from

2017-2018 to 2018-2019 school year

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

Legislation Regulation

Rulemaking

ESSA Regulations• Title I: Accountability and State Plans

(Final Regulations 11/30/16)

• Title I: Academic Assessments: Negotiated Rulemaking (comments closed 9/9/16)

• Title I: Part B: Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority (Pilot) (comments closed 9/9/16)

• Title I: Supplement Not Supplant (comments closed 11/7/16)

• ED has issued non-regulatory guidance:• Title II

• Title III

• Title IV

Shifts from NCLB / ESEA Waivers

• No requirement for states to implement teacher evaluation systems and/or link results to student test scores.

• Migrates many previous Title III requirements to Title I.

• Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) eliminated.

• Shifts focus from “college and career readiness” to all children receiving “high-quality education” to close achievement gaps.

New ESSA Provisions

• States must adopt EL proficiency standards that are aligned with state academic standards.

Previously English language proficiency accountability part of Title III in NCLB.

• New comprehensive birth-grade 12 literacy program - Literacy for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) authorized.

• States determine the ‘evidence-based’ interventions to implement in lowest performing schools. Districts determine interventions [and timing] when subgroups lag behind.

• State report cards require substantial, easy to understand information for the public (including parents).

ESSA Title III

• Title III, Part A formula grant maintained

• After consultation with LEAs representing the geographic diversity of the state, States must establish and implement standardized EL entrance and exit procedures. NEW

• Any student who might be an EL must be assessed for status within 30 days of enrollment. NEW

• SEAs may use 5% of Title III funds that is set-aside for state-level activities to support status assessment. NEW

Reporting Requirements for ELsStates must: • Report the number and percentage of ELs meeting standards including

4 years after no longer receiving Title III services. Reports must include specific category for ELs with a disability.

• The number and percentage of ELs that have not reached proficiency within 5 years.

• Must report on the academic performance of ELs, long-term ELs and ELs with special needs.

States’ implementation challengeEach State will determine its own policies, practice and criteria for reclassifying EL students. Could include home-language surveys, EL Classification- Screener/ Placement tests, etc.

Questions for State Plans• What elements will my State consider in setting long-term goals

and determining what is meant by a “measure of progress?

• Does “making progress in achieving English language proficiency” include the number of students reaching proficiency?

• Inclusion of former English learners provides a long-term picture of how ELs do over time but it also has the potential to mask performance of current English learners.

• Is disaggregating current and former EL student outcomes provide a more accurate picture?

• How will SEAs take into account the grade distribution, geographic distribution and the proportion of newcomers and long-term ELs in developing their ELP indicator?

• What criteria will our statewide procedure for EL entrance and exit include?

NEW ESSA Resource Kit

English Learners and

ESSA: What Educators

Need to Know

http://www.tesol.org/ESSA

OCR/DOJ Dear Colleague Letter

• Issued January 7, 2015• Single guidance document that addresses

array of federal laws governing schools’ obligations to ELs

• Distributed to states• Available online at

http://1.usa.gov/1Dl9Wt0

English Learner Toolkit

Chapters include:– Staffing and Support

– Creating an Inclusive Environment

– Ensuring Meaningful Communicationwith EL Parents

– Updated for ESSA

Available online at http://1.usa.gov/1exU0tO

Supporting Undocumented Youth

Includes:– An overview of the rights of

undocumented students– Tips for educators on how to support

undocumented youth in high school and college

– Financial Aid information– Information on federally-funded adult

education programs at the local level

Available online athttp://1.usa.gov/1XGgw59

Newcomer Toolkit

Toolkit for all staff who work directly with immigrant students and their families, including asylees and refugees.

Available online athttp://bit.ly/2fi1G5d

Adult EducationWorkforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)

– Signed into law July 22, 2014

– Reauthorizes and replaces the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA)

• Amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (Title II)

– Effective date of implementation July 1, 2015

– State plans and accountabilityprovisions take effectJuly 1, 2016

AEFL Activities under WIOA

• Adult education• Literacy• Workplace adult education

and literacy• Family Literacy• English Language Acquisition• Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education• Workplace preparation activities• Integrated Education and Training

English Language Acquisition

• Statue clarifies multiple components of ELA that leads to GED and transition to postsecondary education or employment

• This does not preclude those who wish to improve ELA to improve education of children– Any eligible participant can participate, regardless of whether

they are pursuing GED, postsecondary, or employment– Those individuals do count against performance

accountability– ”That leads to" requirement applies to the program design,

and not the participants

“That Leads to” Qualification

1. Program has implemented state adult education content standards, and that this is reflected in local program materials

2. Offer educational and career counseling services that assist eligible individuals to transition to postsecondary education or employment

3. Be part of a career pathway

Integrated English Literacy / Civics Education

• For all levels of learners• Must include literacy and ELA and civics

education• May include workforce training• States can choose between ELA or IEL/CE

services best meet the needs of learners• Different from IEL/CE program - separate

grant/set-aside

IEL/CE Program

• Set-aside funding under Title II • Must be combined with IET• Department intends to be flexible• Requirement is on the program, but not the

student.Requirements for providers• Include instruction in literacy and ELA and civics• Designed to prepare adult ELLs for in employment• Integrate with local workforce training

DACA and DAPA

• Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA)• Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA)• United States v. Texas

– Amicus Brief

DACA Recipients

Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy (BRIDGE) Act

– Over 741,000 current DACA recipients

– Bill introduced with bipartisan support

– If enacted, would provide “provisional protected

presence” for DACA recipients

– Would allow DACA-eligible individuals to apply

Other Bills

H.R.2794 - SUCCEED Act of 2015

H.R.4643 - FLUENT Act of 2015

H.R.4541 - STAPLER Act of 2016

2017 TESOL Advocacy & Policy Summit

June 18 - 20, 2017Hilton Alexandria Old Town

Alexandria, VA

TESOL International Associationhttp://www.tesol.org

E-mail: jsegota@tesol.orgTwitter: @JohnSegota

SlideShare.net