Department of Education

ENGLISH LEARNER EDUCATION

Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Request

CONTENTS

Page

Appropriations Language ......................................................................................................... I-1

Appropriation Adjustments and Transfers ................................................................................ I-2

Authorizing Legislation............................................................................................................. I-3

Appropriations History.............................................................................................................. I-4

Activity:

Language acquisition State grants....................................................................................... I-5

*State Table

*State tables reflecting final 2013 allocations and 2014 estimates will be posted on the Department’s Web page at: 

http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/index.html#update
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 Appropriat ions Lan guag e 

NOTE

 

No appropriations language is included for this account. All programs are authorized under the expired 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act; when new authorizing legislation for the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act is enacted, a budget request for these programs will be proposed.
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Appropriation Adjustments and Transfers

(dollars in thousands)

Appropriation/Adjustments/Transfers 2012 2013 2014

Discretionary:

Discretionar y Appropriation............................................................ $733,530 $732,144 $732,144

Discretionar y Across-the-board reduction (P.L. 112-74)................. -1,386 0 0

Discretionar y Across-the-board increase (P.L. 112-175)................ 0 +4,480 0

Total, adjusted discretionary appropriation ........... 732,144 736,624 732,144
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Authorizing Legislation

(dollars in thousands)

Activity

2013

Authorized

footnote

2013

Estimate

2014

Authorized

footnote

2014

Request

Language acquisition State grants

(ESEA-III-A) 01 $732,144

To be 

determined2 $732,144

Unfunded authorizations

Program development and enhancement

(ESEA-III-B-1) 01,3 0 03 0

Research, evaluation, and dissemination

(ESEA-III-B-2) 01,3 0 03 0

Professional development (ESEA-III-B-3) 01,3 0 03 0

Immigrant education (ESEA-III-B-4) 01,3 0 03 0

Total definite authorization

Total appropriation 732,144 732,144

Portion of request subject to reauthorization 732,144

Total appropriation including 0.612 percent ATB increase 736,624

1 ESEA section 3001(b)(1) provides that only Part A will be in effect in any year in which the appropriation equals or exceeds $650 million. 2 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2008; reauthorizing legislation is sought for FY 2014. 3 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2008. No appropriations language or reauthorizing legislation is sought for 2014.
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Appropriations History

(dollars in thousands)

Year

Budget Estimate 

to Congress

House 

Allowance Footnote

Senate 

Allowance Footnote AppropriationFoot

-

note

2005 681,215 681,215 700,000 675,765

2006 675,765 675,765 683,415 669,007

2007 669,007 N/A1 N/A1 669,0071

2008 670,819 774,614 670,819 700,395

2009 730,000 730,0002 730,0002 730,000

2010 730,000 760,000 750,0003 750,000

2011 800,000 750,0004 800,0003 733,5305

2012 750,000 733,5316 733,5306 732,144

2013 732,144 732,1447 732,1447 732,1448

2014 732,144

_________________

1 This account operated under a full-year continuing resolution (P.L. 110-5). House and Senate allowances are 

shown as N/A (Not Available) because neither body passed a separate appropriations bill. 

2 The levels for the House and Senate allowances reflect action on the regular annual 2009 appropriations bill, 

which proceeded in the 110th Congress only through the House Subcommittee and the Senate Committee.

3 The level for the Senate allowance reflects Committee action only.

4 The level for the House allowance reflects the House-passed full-year continuing resolution. 5 The level for appropriation reflects the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 

2011 (P.L. 112-10). 6 The level for the House allowance reflects an introduced bill; the level for the Senate allowance reflects Senate 

Committee action only. 7 The level for the House and Senate allowances reflect action on the regular annual 2013 appropriations bill, 

which proceeded in the 112th Congress only through the House Subcommittee and the Senate Committee. 8 The amount shown includes the 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided by P.L. 12-175, in effect 

through March 27, 2013. 
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Language acquisition State grants 

 (proposed legislation)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2014 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority:

2012 2013 2014 Change from 

2012

$732,144 $732,1442 $732,144 0

_________________

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2008; reauthorizing legislation is sought for FY 2014. 2 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P.L. 112-175.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Funding for Language Acquisition State Grants, which are authorized by Title III, Part A of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), supports formula grants to States to serve 

English Learners (ELs) as well as competitive awards for a variety of national activities.

The Department uses 92.5 percent of program funds to make formula grants to States based on 

each State’s share of the Nation’s EL and recent immigrant student populations, with 

80 percent of allocations based on State shares of ELs and 20 percent based on State shares 

of recent immigrant students. The Department uses American Community Survey (ACS) data 

provided by the Census Bureau to determine the counts of both EL and immigrant students. 

States must use at least 95 percent of their formula funds for subgrants to eligible entities, (local 

educational agencies (LEAs) or consortia of LEAs), based primarily on each subgrantee’s share 

of the State’s ELs and a plan submitted by the subgrantee to the State on how it will meet the 

State’s annual measurable achievement objectives (AMAOs) for ELs. States must use up to 15 

percent of these funds to increase the size of awards to subgrantees that have experienced a 

significant increase in the percentage or number of recent immigrant students over the 

preceding 2 years. States may use up to 5 percent of their allocations for State-level activities, 

such as professional development, planning, and evaluation, as well as the provision of 

technical assistance. State-level planning and administrative costs may not exceed 60 percent 

of the State set-aside, or $175,000, whichever is greater.

States must develop AMAOs that measure ELs’ improvement in and achievement of English 

language proficiency and whether ELs meet the State’s academic content and academic 

achievement standards. If a subgrantee fails to make progress toward meeting these objectives 

for 2 consecutive years, the State must require the subgrantee to develop an improvement plan. 
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If the subgrantee fails to meet AMAOs after 4 consecutive years, the State must require the 

subgrantee to modify the curriculum or method of instruction or replace educational personnel. 

The State may also terminate assistance to the subgrantee. 

The statute also establishes a 0.5 percent or $5.0 million, whichever is greater, set-aside for 

schools operated predominantly for Native American and Alaska Native children. Under this 

set-aside, the Department makes competitive awards to tribes, schools funded by the 

Department of the Interior/Bureau of Indian Education, and other qualifying entities. The statute 

also sets aside 0.5 percent of the appropriation for the Outlying Areas.

The statute requires the Department to set aside 6.5 percent of the appropriation for the 

following national activities: the National Professional Development project (NPDP), the 

National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational 

Programs (NCELA), and evaluation activities. Under the NPDP, the Department makes 5-year 

awards to institutions of higher education that have entered into consortium arrangements with 

State or local educational agencies for the purpose of providing professional development 

aimed at increasing the pool of certified or licensed teachers prepared to serve ELs and 

enhancing the skills of teachers already serving them. NCELA collects, analyzes, synthesizes, 

and disseminates research-based information about instructional methods, strategies, and 

programs for ELs. The Department uses 0.5 percent of the appropriation, out of the 

6.5 percent, for evaluation activities. 

State formula grants and Native American grants are forward-funded, with funds becoming 

available on July 1 of the fiscal year in which they are appropriated and remain available for 15 

months through September 30 of the following year. National activities funds are available for 

24 months, from October 1 of the fiscal year in which they are appropriated through September 

30 of the following fiscal year. 

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were as follows:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

2009...................................................................................$730,000

2010.....................................................................................750,000

2011.....................................................................................733,530

2012.....................................................................................732,144

2013....................................................................................732,1441

_________________

1 Excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P.L. 112-175.

FY 2014 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2014, the Administration requests $732.1 million for Language Acquisition State 

grants, the same as the fiscal year 2012 amount. The request assumes the Administration’s 

ESEA reauthorization proposal, which would support strengthened professional development for 

educators, stronger accountability, and implementation of innovative and effective programs. 
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The Administration’s reauthorization proposal also would strengthen the conditions governing 

States’ receipt of formula funds and provide the Secretary with the authority to reserve 

additional funds for national activities to advance the field, including competitive grants for 

innovative projects that support the development and implementation of dual-language, 

transitional bilingual, and other high-quality language instruction educational programs (LIEPs) 

for ELs. 

According to the Census Bureau’s ACS data, the number of school-aged ELs has risen from 

less than 1 million in 1980 to almost 4.4 million in 2011 1 in the 50 States, DC, and Puerto Rico. 

ACS data from 2011 also show that California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas enroll 

61 percent of the Nation’s ELs (excluding Puerto Rico). In recent years, however, the growth

rate in the EL student population in other States has exceeded that of these five. For example, 

ACS data show that from 2005 to 2011, the EL population increased by 52 percent in Alaska, 

26 percent in Nevada, 36 percent in North Dakota, 20 percent in Hawaii, and 19 percent in 

Washington. In contrast, during that same timeframe, the EL population in California, Florida, 

Illinois, New York, and Texas changed by -16 percent, -6 percent, -11 percent, 9 percent, and 

6 percent respectively. Since those States with the most significant increases over that 6-year 

period are not the traditional immigrant gateway States, they often lack the infrastructure and 

service capacity compared to States with a longer history of high EL and immigrant student 

enrollment. In addition, while immigration has slowed nationally in recent years, some States 

have experienced large recent increases in this population over a very short period of time. 

Delaware, the District of Columbia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, New Hampshire, North Dakota, 

Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming all experienced more than a 

20-percent increase in their immigrant population during the 2009 to 2011 timeframe. These 

demographic trends – the overall increase in ELs over the past three decades and rapid recent 

growth of the EL and immigrant populations in States lacking an infrastructure for serving them 

– underscore not only the ongoing need for Federal assistance but also the need for effective 

educators to meet the educational needs of ELs and for information on effective instructional 

practices.

Formula and Native American Grants

In 2008, the Department initiated a study by the National Research Council of the National 

Academy of Sciences (NAS) to determine the most reliable data source and methodology for 

future years’ formula allocations to States. The NAS study, which became available in January 

2011 (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13090), included a recommendation that the 

Department use a combination of ACS data and State-reported data to determine each State’s 

EL count and continue using ACS data for the State count of immigrant students. The 

Administration’s reauthorization proposal would authorize the Secretary to use ACS or Statereported data or a combination of the two (which could be multi-year period estimates) to 

determine State allocations. The proposal would also strengthen the Title III program by 

requiring States to use consistent methods for identifying ELs and for exiting them from 

language instruction educational programs. In order to support the selection of effective 

programs and to improve existing programs, States would also be required to put in place a 

 1 Note that 2011 ACS data are estimates from a 3-year period (2009, 2010, and 2011).
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system that evaluates the effectiveness of LIEPs and a data system that provides information 

on the achievement of subgroups of ELs.

In the event that reauthorization is not enacted in time to govern fiscal year 2014 allocations, the 

Department would recommend to Congress the inclusion of appropriations language for fiscal 

year 2014 that permits the Department to implement the NAS study recommendations. More 

specifically, the Department would request the authority to use a combination of State-reported 

and ACS data, consistent with the reauthorization proposal. In determining the count of ELs for 

the purpose of making State formula grants in fiscal year 2014, the Department would assign a 

weight of 10 percent to State-reported data and 90 percent to ACS data. Also consistent with 

the NAS recommendations, the Department would continue to use ACS data to determine the

State counts of immigrant students for the allocations. In fiscal year 2015, the Department 

anticipates increasing the weighting of State-reported EL counts to 20 percent, depending on 

our estimation of the quality of those data at that time.

Under the Administration’s reauthorization proposal, the statute would continue to set aside 

0.5 percent of the appropriation, or $5 million, whichever is greater, for schools operated 

predominantly for Native American and Alaska Native children. In fiscal year 2014, the 

Department (with a combination of fiscal year 2013 and fiscal year 2014 funds) would make 

approximately 30 continuation awards for grants serving this population awarded in fiscal 

years 2011 and 2013. 

National Activities

Under the reauthorization proposal, the Secretary would set aside a portion of the appropriation 

to carry out national activities that support advancements in education for ELs. The proposal 

would authorize the Secretary to use these funds to continue support for NCELA as well as 

competitive grants through the NPDP for teacher and paraprofessional preparation and 

professional development activities to improve classroom instruction of ELs. The proposal 

would also provide the Department with the flexibility to carry out additional discretionary 

activities that support the improvement of EL education.

For fiscal year 2014, the Department would reserve $47.6 million for National Activities. The 

Department would use $42.3 million to continue 115 NPDP grants, $1.6 million for NCELA, and 

$3.7 million for evaluation activities. The Department expects to award a new NCELA contract

in 2013, focusing the Center more specifically on meeting the technical assistance needs of the 

field.
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2012 2013 2014

Total Appropriation $732,144 $732,144 $732,144

State formula grants:

Language acquisition State grants $679,554 $679,554 $679,554

Formul a grants: Number of States 57 57 57

Native American discretionary grants $5,000 $4,950 $5,000

Nati ve American: Number of new projects 0 17 0

Nati ve American: Number of continuation projects 20 13 30

Nati ve American: Peer review of new award applications 0 $50 0

National activities:

National professional development $42,236 $42,357 $42,313

Nat’l Acti viti es: Number of new projects 73 0 0

Nat’l Acti viti es: Number of continuation projects 42 115 115

: Peer review of new award applications $111

 Acti viti es: Clearinghouse $2,000 $1,572 $1,616

 Acti viti es: Evaluation $3,661 $3,661 $3,661

_________________

NOTE: 2013 excludes 0.612 percent across-the-board increase provided in P.L. 112-175.

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

This section presents selected program performance information, including GPRA goals, 

objectives, measures, and performance targets and data; and an assessment of the progress 

made toward achieving program results. Achievement of program results is based on the 

cumulative effect of the resources provided in previous years and those requested in fiscal 

year 2014 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those served by 

this program. 

States report their data for the Language Acquisition State grants program annually through the 

ESEA Consolidated State Performance Reports (CSPRs). Within the Department, the office 

that administers the State Grants program and the office that oversees the administration of the 

CSPR have been working together to respond to States’ questions about the data-collection 

requirements as well as to clear up data discrepancies. Flexibility within the current law permits 

States to define “making progress” and “attaining proficiency” differently, even when they use 

the same assessments. Also, in 2011 the Department reviewed States’ targets and found that 

almost all State targets (reflected below) are far less than the targets set by the Department. As 

a result, for some measures, we have decided to maintain target levels for several years rather 
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than continue to increase them in order to reflect performance levels in the States. Note that 

Puerto Rico did not receive funding in 2009 and, as a result, did not have a program that year. 

Goal: To help English learners learn English and reach high academic standards.

Objective: To improve the English proficiency and academic achievement of students served 

by the Language Acquisition State Grants program. 

Measure: The percentage of ELs receiving Title III services who are making progress in 

learning English.

Year Target Actual

2009 60 59

2010 65 59

2011 65 58

2012 65

2013 65

2014 65

Additional information: The percentage is calculated by taking the total number of students 

who are making progress in learning English and dividing that number by the number of 

students tested, less those students who do not have two data points. 

Measure: The percentage of ELs receiving Title III services who have attained English 

language proficiency.

Year Target Actual

2009 30 24

2010 35 26

2011 35 26

2012 35

2013 35

2014 35

Additional information: Students who are counted in the denominator for this measure 

include students who are new to this country and have had very little exposure to English.
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Measure: The percentage of ELs who score proficient or above on State reading assessments.

Year Target Actual

2009 34 35

2010 35 39

2011 35 39

2012 36

2013 38

2014 38

Additional information: This measure was instituted in 2008. States are required to report 

data on the performance of the EL subgroup on State reading/language arts assessments for 

both Title I and Title III. 

Measure: The percentage of monitored former ELs who score proficient or above on State 

reading assessments.

Year Target Actual

2009 62 73

2010 64 71

2011 64 72

2012 64

2013 70

2014 70

Additional information: This measure was instituted in 2008. The success of States on this 

measure may be an indicator of the quality of LIEPs.

Measure: The percentage of subgrantees receiving Title III funding that meet all three annual 

measurable achievement objectives (AMAOs) for ELs.

Year Target Actual

2009 57 55

2010 59 56

2011 59 48

2012 59

2013 59

2014 59

Additional information: In 2008, the Department revised this measure to make it better 

aligned with the goals and objectives of the program. States set AMAOs based on State 

English language proficiency standards and assessments. The three AMAO objectives for ELs

are: (1) making progress in learning English; (2) attaining English proficiency; and (3) making 

adequate yearly progress under Title I. 
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Efficiency Measures

The Department has developed two efficiency measures for this program. These measures 

address the Department’s emphasis on the timely and effective use of Federal funds. 

Measure: The average number of days States receiving Title III funds take to make subgrants 

to subgrantees.

Year Target Actual

2009 46 60

2010 45 52

2011 45 51

2012 45

2013 45

2014 45

Additional information: The Department has worked with States to help them make subgrants 

in a timely manner and has made considerable progress on this measure over the past 5 years. 

In that year, the amount of time taken by States to make subgrants ranged from 0 days to 313 

days. Eleven States reported making subgrants within one day of receiving their State grant. 

Measure: The annual cost per English learner attaining English language proficiency.

Year Target Actual

2009 $780 $832 

2010 775 638

2011 770 669 

2012 770

2013 770

2014 770

Additional information: This measure examines the national annual cost per EL attaining 

English language proficiency (a figure derived by dividing the total amount of funding allocated 

to States in a given year by the number of students reported as attaining proficiency). The 

targets are not intended to motivate States to eliminate important services to students but, 

rather, to encourage efficiencies in order to serve as many students as possible without 

sacrificing the quality of the services. 

Other Performance Information

The statute provides a set-aside for evaluation activities equal to 0.5 percent of the total 

appropriation for this program. Current activities include the following studies, which are 

supported by previous fiscal-year funds, but do not require funding in 2014:

• Evaluation of State and Local Implementation of Title III Standards, Assessments, and 

Accountability Systems – The purpose of this study, which was funded in fiscal years 
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2008-2011, is to provide an in-depth picture of the implementation of current ESEA

provisions for ELs throughout the Nation. The study includes an analysis of studentlevel assessment data to identify the relationship between ELs’ acquisition of English 

and their progress in meeting content-area standards.

As part of this study, the Department funded three policy briefs in 2010, entitled, Title III: 

A State of the States, Title III: Behind the Numbers, and Title III: Accountability and 

District Improvement Efforts. These briefs served as an immediate resource for the 

Administration, Congress, and other key stakeholders, in particular, to inform the 

development of the Administration’s Title III reauthorization proposal. Additional reports 

released in 2012 include Exploring Approaches to Setting ELP Performance Criteria and 

Monitoring EL Progress, a Report on State and Local Implementation, and A Survey of 

States’ English Language Proficiency Standards.

• Study of School Turnaround – The Department is conducting case studies for an indepth examination of the school turnaround process in a diverse sample of schools 

receiving Title I School Improvement Grants (SIG) over 3 years. The studies will 

describe the schools’ context, the decisions and strategies the schools and their school 

districts undertake (and why), and the challenges they face as they attempt to improve 

school performance. Fiscal year 2009 Title III funds supported the inclusion of data 

collections focused on schools with high EL populations. Descriptive analyses of State 

SIG applications and SIG-eligible and SIG-awarded schools are available for the first

and second cohorts of SIG grantees (fiscal year 2010 and 2011 competitions)

2

. Reports 

on findings for the case-study SIG schools, which will include ELs, are expected in 2013

and 2014.

• Language Instruction Education Programs: Lessons from the Research and Profiles of 

Promising Programs – This project, begun in fiscal year 2011 with fiscal year 2009 

funds, will provide a literature review and guide on promising practices for educators at 

the State and district levels, highlighting the components of effective language 

instruction educational programs. The study will also help educators gain some basic 

information on how to evaluate these programs at the local level. The final report is 

currently under review and is expected to be available in April 2013.

• Updating the EL Practice Guide – The Department is currently updating the 2006-07 

publication, Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in 

the Elementary Grades: A Practice Guide, to reflect advances in the field over the past 

5 years. Fiscal year 2009 funds support this work. The update, which began in fiscal 

year 2012, is scheduled for completion in fiscal year 2013. 

• Exploratory Study on the Identification of ELs with Disabilities – This study will examine 

the identification of ELs with disabilities, through a review of previous research and 

through exploratory case studies in six school districts with three schools in each district. 

The literature review was completed in February 2012. Preliminary findings from the 

 2 http://ies.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=NCEE20114019 and 

http://ies.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=NCEE20124060
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case studies are expected in June 2013, and the final report is due in October 2013. 

Fiscal year 2010 funds support this study. 

• Descriptive Study of NPDP Grantees – This study will examine how a sample of NPDP 

grantees are implementing their grants, including how they have leveraged their grants, 

with a specific focus on: (1) the content and structure of the education they provide to 

current and prospective teachers of ELs; (2) the nature of changes grantees attempt to 

make to the teacher education programs at their institutions; (3) the efforts grantees

make to institutionalize their projects for sustainability; and (4) grantees’ efforts to track 

former program participants. A literature review was completed in 2012 and a final 

report is expected in September 2013. Fiscal year 2010 funds support this study.

• Implementation and Impact Evaluation of the Race to the Top (RTT) and School 

Improvement Grants (SIG) programs – As part of the Department’s study of these two 

programs, fiscal year 2010 and fiscal year 2011 Title III funds support an increased 

focus on how the implementation and impacts of the programs by States, districts, and 

schools are related to EL students’ needs and outcomes. For instance, the evaluation 

will examine the extent to which States have adopted common academic standards; the 

changes in practice that have been instituted statewide and at the local level to 

implement these new standards, including the extent to which supports have been 

provided for ELs; the strategies and practices being used to support schools in 

transitioning to new standards; and the lessons to be learned from the transition. Two 

reports on findings, which will include ELs, are expected in 2014.

• Study of Promising Features of Teacher Preparation Programs – The Department

awarded a contract in late fiscal year 2011 for a study of promising features of teacher 

preparation programs, which will look at the impact on student achievement of teachers 

who chose preparation programs that differ on a particular preparation feature, such as,

intensive clinical practice (both fieldwork and student teaching), coursework in content 

areas, and coursework in pedagogy. The study will also use State administrative data 

from two to three States to conduct correlational analyses that focus on EL students and 

the preparation of their teachers. Fiscal year 2010 and fiscal year 2011 funds support 

this study. Reports are expected in early 2015. 

The Department is currently exploring products in other areas of interest, such as a study of 

States’ EL exit criteria and a guide for assessing the quality of State English language 

proficiency assessment systems.