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Migrant Education Home
Welcome to ESC18s Title I, Part C Migrant Education Program (MEP). We are honored to serve the districts and communities across our region by supporting the unique educational needs of migratory children and youth. Our mission is to ensure every migratory student has equitable access to high-quality instruction, supportive services, and opportunities that allow them to thrive academically and personally.
As your ESC18 MEP team, we are committed to partnering with you to provide technical assistance, training, resources, and guidance that strengthen district capacity and compliance while keeping students at the center of our work. Together, we can help ensure that migratory students receive the stability, continuity, and support they need to succeed.
Region 18 ESC serves as a trusted partner to school systems across the Permian Basin and surrounding areas. Our Title I-C Migrant Education Program provides direct support to districts by:
- Offering professional development, technical assistance, and compliance guidance on federal program requirements.
- Supporting identification and recruitment of migratory students to ensure no child is overlooked.
- Assisting with instructional and support services that reduce barriers caused by mobility, language, or economic challenges.
- Collaborating with districts, families, and community partners to promote student success and graduation readiness.
Through these efforts, ESC18 works to ensure migratory children receive consistent, high-quality educational services and that districts are fully equipped to meet state and federal program expectations.
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Intent and Purpose
The Title I, Part C Migrant Education Program (MEP) exists to support high-quality and comprehensive educational programs and services that address the unique needs of migratory children. The intent of the program is to ensure that migratory children are not penalized by disparities in curriculum, academic achievement, or graduation requirements that result from frequent moves across school districts and states.
Through the MEP, students are guaranteed full and appropriate opportunities to meet the same challenging state academic standards expected of all children. The program is designed to help migratory students overcome educational disruption, cultural and language barriers, social isolation, and various health-related challenges, while also ensuring they benefit from state and local systemic reforms.
General Purpose: The overarching purpose of the Migrant Education Program is to ensure that migratory children fully benefit from the same free, appropriate public education provided to all non-migratory children.
These criteria ensure that migratory children and youth who face frequent educational disruption are identified and provided with the academic and support services needed to succeed.
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Intended Beneficiaries
The Migrant Education Program is designed to serve children and youth whose families move in order to obtain seasonal or temporary employment in qualifying agricultural or fishing work. Eligibility is determined using the following criteria:
- Who? Children and youth under the age of 22 who have not yet received a high school diploma or its equivalent.
- When? The qualifying move occurred within the past 36 months.
- Why? The move was made due to economic necessity.
- What? The qualifying work was temporary or seasonal employment in agricultural or fishing industries.
- Where? The move was across school district boundaries — either within the same state or to another state.
These criteria ensure that migratory children and youth who face frequent educational disruption are identified and provided with the academic and support services needed to succeed.
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Federal law requires that Texas identify and recruit every school-age child of eligible migrant parents residing in the state into the ESSA Title I, Part C Migrant Education Program.
In Texas, migrant children and youth are identified and recruited for the Migrant Education Program (MEP) through an interview process conducted by a recruiter. Because of the highly mobile nature of migratory work in agriculture, it is required that identification and recruitment be conducted beyond the campus and throughout the school district community.
The Texas Manual for the Identification and Recruitment of Migrant Children provides basic information regarding the responsibilities that local recruiters have in the identification and recruitment of migrant children in Texas. This manual is a reference guide designed to help recruiters:
- Make proper eligibility decisions;
- Complete necessary documentation; and
- Support Educational Service Center (ESC) and Local Education Agency (LEA) quality control measures
Identification and Recruitment for SSA Member Districts
As stipulated in the Letter to Administrators Regarding the Identification and Recruitment (ID&R) of Migrant Students, all districts are responsible for conducting active, year-round identification and recruitment of all eligible migratory children and youth, including Out-of-School Youth (OSY), within district boundaries.
Member District Responsibilities
- Family Survey: Ensure the Family Survey is included in all registration packets to assist with identification.
- District Migrant Contact: Assign a local migrant contact who will support the ESC MEP recruiter by gathering survey data, collecting family contact information, and serving as a liaison between the district and the ESC.
- Collaboration: Work with the ESC MEP recruiter to facilitate timely follow-up with families and ensure accurate communication of student eligibility.
ESC Recruiter Responsibilities
- Conduct the recruitment process on behalf of the SSA and maintain documentation to demonstrate active recruitment.
- Follow all procedures outlined in the Texas Manual for the Identification and Recruitment of Migrant Children.
- Obtain and maintain annual ID&R certification as required by TEA.
ID&R Process
- Pre-Screening
- Recruiter pre-screens a potential migrant family by phone to determine if an in-person interview is necessary.
- Interview & Documentation
- If eligible, the recruiter conducts an interview and completes the required legal forms:
- Certificate of Eligibility (COE) or Electronic Certificate of Eligibility (ECOE)
- Supplemental Documentation Form (SDF)
- If eligible, the recruiter conducts an interview and completes the required legal forms:
- Review & Approval
- Recruiter submits the COE/ECOE and accompanying documentation to the designated SEA reviewer for verification and signature.
- Data Entry
- The reviewer forwards the approved COE/ECOE to the Data Specialist, who enters the data into the Texas New Generation System (TX-NGS) database.
- Eligibility & Notification
- Children listed on the COE/ECOE are officially eligible to receive MEP-funded services.
- Copies of the COE/ECOE and SDF are provided to the parent and the district migrant contact for records.
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The Shared Services Arrangement (SSA) is required to conduct all four steps of the Continuous Improvement Cycle (CIC):
- Assessing – Gathering and analyzing data on migratory student needs.
- Planning – Developing strategies and action steps to address identified needs.
- Implementing – Delivering services and activities aligned to the plan.
- Evaluating – Reviewing outcomes to measure effectiveness and guide improvements.
This process is conducted using compiled data from all SSA Member Districts. Importantly, data must also be disaggregated so each Member District’s local migratory needs can be identified and addressed.
Because the CIC is ongoing throughout the program year, both the SSA Member District and Region 18 ESC MEP staff must maintain a strong partnership and clear communication to ensure responsibilities are met and the unique needs of migratory students are served.
The Migrant Education Program has identified the following areas of focus and concern:
Seven Areas of Focus
- Parental Involvement
- Migrant Services Coordination
- Early Childhood Education
- Secondary Credit Accrual
- Graduation Enhancement
- Identification and Recruitment
- New Generation System
OMEs Seven Areas of Concern
- Educational Continuity
- Instructional Time
- School Engagement
- English Language Development
- Educational Support in the Home
- Health
- Access to Services
The Texas Migrant Education Program (MEP) implemented a new Service Delivery Plan, which includes new Strategies and Measurable Program Outcomes (MPOs). Within the four goal areas identified in the Statewide CNA, there are 26 Strategies and 20 MPOs.
Needs Identified through the Migrant Statewide CNA:
- Goal Area # 1 Reading and Mathematics (grades 3-8)
- Goal Area # 2 School Readiness (ages 3-5)
- Goal Area # 3 High School Graduation (grades 9-12)/ Services to Out of School Youth (OSY)
- Goal Area # 4 Non-Instructional Support Services (all students)
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TX-NGS is a web-based interstate information network that communicates demographic, educational, and health data on migrant children to educators throughout the nation. The system allows educators to record the movement of migrant students through the educational process by producing online records of a student's educational progress and health profile. Educators can generate a student transfer document to facilitate academic placement as the student transfers schools. TX-NGS also allows educators to generate various student-level, management, and federal performance reports.
The TX-NGS Manual provides guidelines to assist Local Education Agency LEA) and/or Education Service Center (ESC) staff in implementing NGS activities.
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