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A Title III grant is funding specifically designated to improve Language Instruction for English Language Learners (ELLs) and Immigrant Children and Youth.
In addition to increasing members’ buying power, Maricopa County Education Service Agency (MCESA) provides timely professional development for teachers, ELL coordinators, and administrators at little or no cost to participating LEAs. Any school or district is welcome to join the Consortium. Please contact us to discover our most current opportunities.
Federal law states that if an LEA is scheduled to receive Title III sub-grant of less than $10,000, the LEA must enter into an agreement to form and/or join a consortium in which the total amount of the sub-grants of members of the consortium collectively total $10,000 or more.
Title III has two required activities for funding:
- To increase the English proficiency of limited English proficient children by providing high-quality language instruction programs and,
- To provide high-quality professional development to classroom teachers, principals, administrators, and other school or community-based organizational personnel.
Title III, Section 3115 (c) (2), specifies and requires high quality professional development activities that are:
- designed to improve the instruction and assessment of limited English proficient children;
- designed to enhance the ability of such teachers to understand and use curricula, assessment measures, and instruction strategies for limited English proficient children;
scientifically based research demonstrating the effectiveness of the professional development in increasing children's English proficiency or substantially increasing the subject matter knowledge, teaching knowledge, and teaching skills of such teachers;
- based on scientifically based research demonstrating the effectiveness of the professional development in increasing children’s English proficiency or substantially increasing the subject matter knowledge, teaching knowledge, and teaching skills of such teachers; and
- of sufficient intensity and duration (which shall not include activities such as one-day or short-term workshops and conferences) to have a positive and lasting impact on the teachers' performance in the classroom, except that this subparagraph shall not apply to an activity that is one component of a long-term, comprehensive professional development plan established by a teacher and the teacher's supervisor based on an assessment of the needs of the teacher, the supervisor, the students of the teacher, and any local educational agency employing the teacher.
Title III funds may only be used to provide additional supplementary materials (Title III, Section 3115 (d) (g)). Basic instructional materials (for core curriculum) may not be purchased with Title III funds.
Yes, it is allowable to use Title III funds to pay for administrative costs to implement the Title III program. However the amount of Title III funds which may be used to pay administrative costs to implement the program must not exceed 2% of the program’s budget amount. In calculating total administrative costs subject to the 2% limit, all appropriate indirect and direct costs, such as administrative salaries, must be included. If the local education agency (LEA) contracts with an outside vendor to provide Title III services, the LEA must require that the contractor break out administrative costs, which are included within the 2% limit, as well.
Use of the term, extra-duty pay, typically refers to payment to staff already paid through the same program in question. As long as the activity is Title III-specific and supplemental (and meets all other supporting conditions, such as necessary and reasonable, etc.), it is allowable.
This is allowable as long as all other supporting conditions are met (e.g., it is reflected in the application, it is determined to be necessary and reasonable, the teachers are serving LEP students, etc.).
This is allowable providing all other supporting conditions are met and the district maintains time and effort records to demonstrate the time spent on instructional and/ or administrative duties.
Title III, Section 3115(g), requires that funds available under a sub-grant be used "…to supplement the level of Federal, State, and local public funds that, in the absence of such availability, would have been expended for programs for limited English proficient children and immigrant children and youth and in no case to supplant such Federal, State, and local public funds." For example, if a particular activity last year was paid with non-federal funds, the same activity this year cannot be paid with federal funds. State-mandated activities must be paid with state funds first. There are four questions noted below an LEA should check before requesting funding. Remember: Services provided through Title III must be in addition to the below:
- What services are provided to ALL students?
- What does the LEA do to meet the requirements? (identification and placement of ELLs)
- What services are the LEA required to offer by other Federal, State and local laws?
- Was the program previously funded with Federal, State or local funding?
- An LEA must assess students and then enter those students who qualify into ELL programs,
- The students must have a current assessment, program participation and an entry date into a program entered into SAIS to be identified as an ELL.
- Based upon the number of identified ELLs each LEA has reported in SAIS, the Arizona Department of Education sends out funding allocation letters.
- The LEA must access the Arizona Department of Education Grants Management Enterprise (GME) for the appropriate grant application, e.g., the "Title III LEP Program".
- Once an application for the Title III funding is received by ADE it is reviewed for approval and if approved, the LEA may begin to draw down funding.
- To be eligible for a direct-funded Title III sub-grant, LEAs must be scheduled to receive a sub-grant of $10,000 or more. If the allocation is for less than $10,000.00, the LEA must join a consortium.
Yes, eligible LEAs must apply for Title III funds annually and ensure compliance with Title III statute and regulations each year. LEAs may apply online through the Arizona Department of Education Grants Management Enterprise (GME) system at
http://www.ade.az.gov/gme/ . LEAs must meet all evaluation and reporting requirements (Title III, sections 3114, 3115, 3116, 3121, and 3123). Additionally, LEAs must comply with any added assurances or data collection elements appended to the sub-grant fiscal application.
Yes, LEAs may carry over Title III funds from one year to the next, with a maximum of twenty-seven months. For example, funding received July 1, 2010 will expire September 30, 2012. There is no cap on the percentage of funding that may be carried over for Title III.
At the conclusion of each school year, each LEA is required to submit a final annual fiscal report (Completion Report) of all Title III expenditures. Additional information on this matter and related fiscal issues can be found on the GME site:
http://www.ade.az.gov/GME.
No, as private schools are not LEAs, they are not eligible to receive Title III funds, directly; however, ELL and immigrant students enrolled in private schools should receive Title III services provided by the public schools in their geographical jurisdiction (Title IX, Section 9501). The LEA must provide timely and equitable services to the private schools.