About

The New York State Migrant Education Program (NYS-MEP) conducted a statewide Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) in PY 2013-14, updated it in PY 2015-16, and again in PY 2018-19. It identified the concerns and needs of migrant students in New York State and gathered input on evidence-based strategies and solutions from a broad-based group of stakeholders, including non-MEP personnel, parents of migrant students, and other stakeholders who are providing technical assistance and support to the MEP as well as migratory children and families.

The CNA process is designed to be ongoing, with annual data updates and trend analyses, with a formal statewide CNA every three years. This serves as the foundation for the continual improvement cycle for the development and revision of the State Migrant Service Delivery Plan (SDP) in response to new or emerging needs.

Each CNA process begins with preparation of the Migrant Student Profile – a report that analyzes the most recent migratory student data, continues with meetings of the CNA/SDP Stakeholder Committee and subsequent collection and analyses of data on the needs of migrant student and their families, and informs the development and implementation of the next iteration of the SDP. The collaborative and consultative stakeholder process is designed to meet legislative requirements under Title I, Part C and to be responsive to the unique needs of migratory children and their families.

The New York State Migrant Education Program (NYS-MEP) adopts an integrated and holistic approach to providing academic and social supports to ensure that migrant children and youth are college-, career-, and life-ready. The NYS-MEP utilizes a multifaceted and interdependent approach of subject content and instruction, advocacy to self-advocacy, and positive identity development that is grounded in the trusting migrant educator-student-parent relationship.  The integration of these key areas creates a research informed Theory of Action (ToA) that allows Migrant Educators and Recruiters to respond to individual situations based on a common framework and shared goals and connects all aspects of our organizational processes to ensure program success.

The Service Delivery Plan (SDP) describes the nature, extent and scope of migrant education programs and services, and outlines the goals, outcomes, activities, and systems of accountability that are aimed at increasing the academic achievement of all migrant children, including Priority for Service (PFS) students, preschool migratory children, and out-of-school youth.  These programs and services are at a level of quality and intensity commensurate with the the needs of the children and families being served and the capacity and resources of the individual Migrant Education Tutorial and Support Services (METS) program centers.

The NYS-MEP recognizes that raising and educating the next generation of migratory children and youth is a shared responsibility.  The SDP outlines parent and family education, engagement, and involvement activities which seek to bring families, communities, and schools together to better address the academic, emotional, and social needs of all migratory students.

The SDP further recognizes that the proper and timely identification and recruitment of eligible migrant students are critical to the implementation of the NYS-MEP.  The plan outlines the policies and procedures that will be implemented to effectively and efficiently identify and recruit all eligible migratory children residing in New York State, especially those designated as Priority for Services (PFS).

 Click here to view the full State Migrant Education Draft Service Delivery Plan (SDP) for 2022-2025. 

The NYS-MEP uses data from MIS2000 and the MSIX student data management systems, and information from the child’s school during the needs assessment process to identify students who are “failing” or “at risk of failing.” The Qualifying Arrival Date (QAD) from the student’s Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is used to identify the students with a qualifying move within the previous 1-year period.

In accordance with ESEA Section 1304(d), the New York State Migrant Education Program (NYS-MEP) and its component Migrant Education Tutorial and Support Services (METS) program centers must give Priority of Services to migratory children who have made a qualifying move within the previous 1-year (12 month) period and who are failing, or most at risk of failing, to meet the challenging State academic standards; or have dropped out of school.

Under ESSA section 1309, a qualifying move refers to a move by a migrant student accompanied by the migratory agricultural worker due to economic necessity (a) from one residence to another residence, and (b) from one school district to another school district.

Key factors that are considered by the NYS-MEP program in determining “failing” or “at risk of failing” include the following:

• Failed State Test(s)
• Limited English proficiency;
• Below modal grade (i.e., the student is older than the typical student in that grade);
• Retention in grade;
• Credit Deficiency in grades 9-12; and
• Low academic grades

Migrant students face multiple risk factors, such as cultural and language barriers, educational disruptions, social isolation, high mobility and health-related problems that impact their ability to be successful. Working in partnership with parents, schools, and the community-at-large, the New York State Migrant Education Program (NYS-MEP) adopts a holistic approach which addresses each student as a whole person in order to better respond to the myriad and complexity of needs that our migrant students possess.

To do this, the NYS-MEP has developed and implemented a Theory of Action (TOA) which serves to clarify and amplify strategies for change in order to increase migrant student achievement.  The TOA identifies three interdependent focus areas that are essential to supporting migrant children and their families. These focus areas are:

1.    Subject Content and Instruction
2.    Advocacy to Self-Advocacy
3.    Identity Development

These interdependent focus areas serve as the basis of/for NYS-MEP’s fundamental competencies, both from the perspective of migrant children and their families as well as Migrant Educators and Recruiters.   It is aligned with the realities within the NYS-MEP and seeks to connect strategies to the actions and relationships crucial to improving programs and services to ensure student learning and success.  The focus areas serve to connect the goals and objectives in terms of student achievement to specific strategies and outcome measures that lead to college-, career-, and life-readiness.

 Click here to view the whole Theory of Action.