Archived Information

**The Same High Standards for Migrant**

**Students: Holding Title I Schools**

### Accountable

# Volume II:  Measurement of Migrant Student Educational Achievement

##### Final Report

**2002**

**The Same High Standars for Migrnat Students: Holding Title I Schools Accountable**

**Volume II: Measurement of Migrant Student**

**Educational Achievement:**

**Final Report**

Prepared by:

Jean Lennon

Betty Markatos

Research Triangle Institute

Research Triangle Park, N.C.

Prepared for:

U.S. Department of EducationOffice of the Under Secretary

**2002**

# U.S. Department of Education

## Rod Paige

## Secretary

# Office of the Under Secretary

## Eugene W. Hickok

## Under Secretary

# Planning and Evaluation Service

Alan L. Ginsburg

## Director

# Elementary Secondary Education Division

Ricky T. Takai

## Director

September 2002

This report is in the public domain.  Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted.  While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Under Secretary, *The Same High Standards for Migrant Students: Holding Title I Schools Accountable.*Volume II:  *Measurement of Migrant Student Educational Achievement: Final Report,*Washington, D.C., 2002.

To order copies of this report, write:

ED Pubs

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U. S. Department of Education

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This report is also available on the Department’s Web site at: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/PES/ed_for_disadvantaged.html#migranted

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/OME/pubs.htm

On request, this publication is available in alternative formats, such as Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette.  For more information, please contact the Department’s Alternate Format Center (202) 205-8113.  

**CONTENTS**

Acknowledgements

Executive Summary

1I.Introduction

A.Overview of the Migrant Education Program5

A.1.Participants6

A.2.Migrant Student Services7

A.3.Migrant Program Staffing8

B.Migrant Students’ Performance on State Assessments9

B.1.Inclusion in State Assessments9

B.2.Performance of Migrant Students10

B.3.Barriers to Increased Participation and Improved Performance in State Assessments13

C.High School Completion and Postsecondary Education for Migrant Students14

D.Research Questions for the Current Study16

II.Methodology17

III.Study Findings19

Q.1.What assessment and accountability data are collected on migrant student achievement?20

Q.1.1.Extent of migrant student participation20

Q.1.2.Exemption and exclusion policies22

Q.1.3.Score reporting23

Q.1.4.Coordination between state and local levels24

Q.1.5.Current barriers to participation25

Q.1.6.Types of accommodations28

Q.1.7.Prevalence of accommodations30

Q.1.8.Ability to disaggregate by migrant status32

Q.1.9.Current estimates of migrant student performance35

Q.2.What data are available on migrant student graduation and dropout rates?35

Q.2.1.Availability of data on migrant student graduation rates36

Q.2.2.Availability of data on migrant student dropout rates39

Q.3.What other types of data are routinely collected on migrant student achievement?  Is information collected on postsecondary outcomes?41

Q.3.1.Availability of postsecondary data on migrant students41

Q.3.2.Availability of other data related to migrant student academic outcomes42

Q.4.What is the overall quality of the data on migrant students?43

Q.5.What steps can states and districts take to improve the quality and availability of data on migrant student outcomes?44

IV.Summary and Recommendations48

V.References53

**State and District Profile Data**

54Appendix A:Arizona

Appendix B:California60

Appendix C:Florida64

Appendix D:Georgia68

Appendix E:Kansas73

Appendix F:Kentucky77

Appendix G:Oregon80

Appendix H:Texas83

Appendix I:Washington86

**Tables**

8Table 1:Percentage of Participants Receiving Specific Services During Regular and Summer Terms, 1998–1999

Table 2:Percentage of Migrant Students and All Students Meeting or Exceeding State Proficiency Levels, by Grade and Subject12

Table 3.Size of Migrant Student Population, by State and District18

Table 4.State and District Abilities to Disaggregate State Assessment Data by Migrant Status32

Table 5.Examples of Graduation Rate Formulas37

Table 6.Calculation of Graduation Rates, by State and District37

Table 7.Examples of Dropout Rate Formulas40

Table 8.Calculation of Dropout Rates, by State and District40

**Figures**

19Figure 1:Top Nine States According to Size of 1998–1999 Migrant Child Count by Residency

**Acknowledgments**

We would like to thank the persons who provided us with assistance and support over the course of our work on this project.  We are especially grateful to the state and local education agency migrant education specialists and data specialists in the nine states involved in this study: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.  We very much appreciate the cooperation and assistance of these individuals and their colleagues.  

We also extend our appreciation to the federal officials who provided us with assistance, including Francisco Garcia and Alex Goniprow of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Migrant Education, and Robin Chait, Beth Franklin, and Elois Scott of the U.S. Department of Education’s Planning and Evaluation Service.  The Research Triangle Institute’s study team included Betty Markatos, Kimrey Millar, John Roberts, and Michael Tashjian.  We would also like to particularly thank Jennifer Drolet and Roxanne Snaauw for their editing and formatting expertise.

Jean Lennon

**Executive Summary**

This study investigated the extent to which migrant students participate in state and local assessment and accountability programs, and the types and quality of academic outcome data on migrant students collected and maintained by state and local educational agencies.  To obtain the information needed to address these issues, the Department of Education contracted with the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) to interview state and local officials in the nine states reporting the largest number of children eligible for migrant services, and in one district for each of these states.  In the remainder of this executive summary, the findings are briefly presented according to the five main research questions.

· **What assessment and accountability data are collected on migrant student achievement?**

Eight states reported having the ability to disaggregate assessment results by migrant status, but only five do so on a regular basis.  Only two of the nine states were able to provide actual estimates of the proportion of migrant students participating in state assessments.  State migrant officials reported not being able to rely on these data, as many believe the data to be misrepresentative due to inconsistencies in the procedures used to identify students as migrant on the assessments.  District officials generally reported more confidence that all migrant students were properly identified.  However, some district officials experienced difficulties in gaining access to the data, usually because assessment data are housed separately from those maintained by migrant education agencies.

The two most common barriers to migrant student participation in assessments continue to be language and mobility.  All states and districts make some type of accommodation related to language, including the allowance of secondary assessments in the student’s native language.  Only Texas has instituted assessment accommodations for mobility, by making arrangements with 21 other states to allow migrant students from Texas to take the Texas exit-level assessment if they are in one of these 21 states at testing time.

· **What data are available on migrant student graduation and dropout rates?**

Seven states have the capability to produce estimates of graduation rates and six would be able to calculate dropout rates among migrant students.  Most sites reported not calculating such rates, largely because they were not required for federal reporting purposes.  Dropout rates are particularly problematic because migrant students move frequently and schools are often left unaware of their status.

· **What other types of data are routinely collected on migrant student achievement?  Is information collected on postsecondary outcomes?**

States and districts typically collect little other academic outcome data for students in general, and thus for migrant students as well.  Three of the nine states collected some information on postsecondary outcomes, although only two of them are able to disaggregate these results by migrant status.

· **What is the overall quality of the data on migrant students?**

The relevant aspects of data quality for the purposes of this study were accuracy and comprehensiveness, with accuracy referring to whether migrant student data are correct, and comprehensiveness addressing the inclusiveness of the data.  In general, states and districts expressed confidence in the accuracy of the data currently collected and maintained.  However, states and districts are more concerned about the comprehensiveness of the data due to the identification issues mentioned above.  Use of data by states and districts is limited due to these concerns about comprehensiveness.  Efforts to conduct needs assessments, plan for programs, and evaluate migrant education services are limited by the lack of breadth of information on migrant students.  Migrant specialists seemed to be less involved in data collection efforts because of difficulty accessing data and inadequate time, staff, and funds to dedicate to data-related efforts.

· **What steps can states and districts take to improve the quality and availability of data on migrant student outcomes?**

Most current efforts in the area of migrant data are focused on issues of accessibility.  Many of the sites visited were piloting efforts to improve the migrant data situation, or had specific efforts in the planning stages for implementation in the near future.  Technological issues were often at the heart of problems with access to and use of migrant student data, especially the separate storage of migrant, academic, and assessment data.  

In order to improve the quality of data on migrant students, there are five main areas of recommended change at both the state and district levels.  The first is that systems for assigning and tracking identification numbers need to be created or improved.  The procedures for identifying migrant students should be standardized within and across states.  The second is that states need to increase awareness of their assessment, exemption, and accommodation policies and practices, especially as they relate to language exemptions.  To encourage the inclusion of migrant students in assessments, districts may need to reeducate schools about the ways in which accountability systems are used.

The third area of change concerns the linking of databases.  The majority of improvement efforts thus far have been aimed at easier linking of data sets and greater accessibility, especially at the district level.  This work is particularly critical in enabling migrant staff to use migrant data to their fullest advantage in planning and evaluation of programs.  Fourth, formulas for calculating graduation rate and dropout rate may need to be standardized or made more accessible.  Assessment personnel and data specialists should be more involved in reviewing migrant statistics.  Finally, more states need to develop programs to assist migrant students in overcoming educational disruptions due to mobility.  States and districts need to continue to focus efforts in these areas in order for more accurate and thorough data collection to be possible.

### I.Introduction

The purpose of the Migrant Education Program (MEP), established by Title I, Part C of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Improving America’s School Act of 1994 (IASA), is to help migrant students overcome the challenges of mobility, limited English proficiency, and other difficulties associated with a migratory life, in order to succeed in school.  Specifically, the program is intended to ensure that migrant students (1) receive appropriate instructional and support services that address their special needs, (2) have the same opportunity to meet state content and student performance standards all children are expected to meet, (3) benefit from state and local systemic reform, and (4) successfully transition to postsecondary education or employment.  The MEP provides state educational agencies with funding through a formula that is based on each state’s per pupil expenditure and counts of migratory children between 3 and 21 years old.

The Office of Migrant Education (OME), which administers the MEP, strives to strengthen and support the efforts of states and other grantees to continuously improve the quality of education provided to migrant children.  Acting on the legislative mandate above, OME has established as the goal for the MEP that “all migrant students reach challenging academic standards and graduate with a high school diploma (or complete a GED certificate) that prepares them for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment.”  In combination with other federal programs and state and local reform efforts, the program’s success in achieving this goal will be measured three key indicators of progress:

· the percentage of ninth grade migrant students who complete high school;

· the percentage of migrant students who meet or exceed proficient and/or advanced performance levels on state assessments of reading and math; and

· the percentage of migrant children entering elementary school ready to learn.

As with many federal programs, OME relies upon data collected by states and districts to evaluate its performance.  However, due to the mobility of the migrant student population, collecting and maintaining data on migrant student academic progress has proved more challenging.  In an effort to evaluate the current state of migrant student data collection methods and data quality, the U.S. Department of Education (ED), with the Research Triangle Institute, conducted a study with the following purposes:

· Investigate the extent to which data are available on migrant student participation in state assessments and accountability programs;

· Identify what other types of information are being collected about migrant student achievement;

· Examine state and local capacity to collect and maintain outcome and other data for migrant students, including educational achievement data that allow tracking of migrant students’ dropout rates, graduation rates, and postsecondary enrollments; and

· Determine what steps are being taken or planned to improve current migrant data systems.

Data were collected in the nine states reporting the greatest number of children eligible for migrant services.  As a context for the presentation of the specific research questions, in the next section of this review, we provide a brief overview of the MEP program, based largely on information from annual state performance reports, which include data on participants, services, and staffing.  We then summarize information on migrant students participating in state assessments and their performance on these assessments relative to all students.  Barriers to increased participation and improved performance are identified, as well as ways some districts and states have attempted to overcome these constraints.  

# A.Overview of the Migrant Education Program

State and local agencies administering the MEP collect data on a variety of basic aspects of their migrant programs.  Data collected through annual state performance reports required by ED include the number of students eligible to participate, the number of students served during the regular school year and during the summer term, grade and race information, types of services available to migrant students, and counts of students by service type received.  Staffing is another aspect of migrant programs on which states collect data, usually for both the regular school year as well as for the summer program.  In this section of the review, we summarize the data available from states’ 1998–1999 performance reports to provide an overview of the MEP program (www.migranted.org).

#### A.1.Participants

Overall, in 1998–1999, states reported 782,903 eligible students, and of those, 575,220 (73 percent) were served during the regular school year.  In 1998–1999, 318,785 migrant students received services during the summer term.  States operated 11,120 local Title I MEP projects, a nine percent decrease from the previous year.  Of those projects, 54 percent served students only during the regular school year, 30 percent served participants both during the regular term and during the summer, and 16 percent of projects operated during the summer term only.  Approximately 19 percent of the projects were part of an MEP-funded schoolwide program, and approximately 30 percent were non-MEP-funded schoolwide programs.

The great majority of migrant students in 1998–1999 were Hispanic (86 percent), while eight percent were white, and six percent were Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, or black (not Hispanic).  During the regular term, approximately half (52 percent) of migrant students were in elementary grades (K–6), 30 percent were in secondary grades (7–12), and 13 percent of participants were in preschool.  The remaining 6 percent were classified as ungraded, or received services in out-of-school settings.  Compared with 1997–1998, on average, there was a 12 percent increase in number of migrant students in each elementary grade, and a six percent increase in each secondary grade.  There was a 33 percent increase in number of participants receiving out-of-school services from the previous year.

A handful of states accounted for a majority of all migrant students in the United States.  California had the largest number of eligible migrant students, with about one-quarter of all eligible students in the United States.  Texas had the next largest migrant population with 16 percent of the nation’s eligible students.  Based on a 12-month count, six other states reported having over 20,000 eligible students – Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon, and Washington. 

#### A.2.Migrant Student Services

Migrant students have many risk factors in common with other disadvantaged students (e.g., poverty, poor health, learning disabilities), but they face additional challenges unique to their situations (e.g., disruption of education, poor record-keeping between schools, cultural and language difficulties, social isolation).  Because migrant students usually account for only a small percentage of the total student population, many schools and districts find it difficult to dedicate the level of resources that may be necessary to ensure the best educational experience possible for their migrant students.  In this context, state migrant programs often support a comprehensive range of supplemental services in academics, English language, counseling, medical and social support. 

States report on services offered to students through the MEP in two basic categories: instructional services and support services.  In 1998–1999, the types of instructional courses offered included English as a Second Language (ESL), reading, other language arts, mathematics, vocational/career, social studies, science, and others (such as health education, art, or physical education).  Support services included guidance and counseling, social work and outreach, health, dental, nutrition, transportation, and others (such as translation services).  During the regular term, greater effort is devoted to ensuring that students benefit from existing school and community services than is the case during the summer term, when there are fewer existing academic offerings and the MEP focuses on providing supplemental instruction.  

***Table 1*** indicates the percentage of MEP participants who received each service during the 1998–1999 school year and the 1999 summer term.  As indicated, during the regular school year, the instructional services most often received by migrant students included reading (31 percent), mathematics (22 percent), and English as a second language/limited English proficiency (ESL/LEP; 15 percent).  Almost one-third of participants received instructional services in another unspecified subject area.  Social work/outreach is the specific support service most commonly received by migrant students (50 percent), followed by health, dental, and eye care services (18 percent).  More than half of all participants received some other form of support service.

**Table 1:Percentage of Participants Receiving Specific Services During Regular and Summer Terms, 1998–1999**

In contrast with the regular term, during the summer term, the MEP has an increased focus on instruction with greater proportions of migrant students receiving reading instruction (61 percent), mathematics instruction (42 percent), and other instructional services (53 percent).

#### A.3.Migrant Program Staffing

States reported 7,857 full-time equivalent (FTE) program staff whose salaries were paid by the MEP in 1998–1999.  About half of these were instructional staff including teachers (16 percent) or teacher aides (33 percent).  Other MEP-funded staff roles include support positions such as recruiters (13 percent), records staff (6 percent), clerks (5 percent), and administrators (4 percent).  During the summer term, the number of FTE program staff nearly doubled the number of regular term FTE staff, to 13,151.  Consistent with the increased emphasis on instructional services during the summer, 33 percent were teachers, 30 percent were teacher aides, and 8 percent were bilingual teachers.

# B.Migrant Students’ Performance on State Assessments

When states apply for MEP funding, they are required to describe how the state will provide all migratory students with an opportunity to meet the same challenging content and performance standards expected of all students.  States must also provide assurances that they will measure the effectiveness of their MEP programs using the same approaches and standards used to assess the performance of all students.  In addition, sending and receiving school districts must collaborate to provide continuity in migratory children’s education.

This section of the review provides information on estimated levels of participation among migrant students in statewide assessments and accountability programs, migrant student performance on these assessments relative to other students, and ways in which states, districts, and schools have tried to increase migrant students’ participation and improve performance.  

#### B.1.Inclusion in State Assessments

Title I requires each state to adopt yearly student assessments aligned with state content and performance standards, to measure proficiency in mathematics, reading or language arts and other subjects determined by the state, at some time during grades 3 through 5, grades 6 through 9, and grades 10 through 12.  Assessments must provide for the participation of all students, and states must provide for “the inclusion of limited English proficient students, who shall be assessed, to the extent practicable, in the language and form most likely to yield accurate and reliable information” (Section 1111(b)(3)(F)(iii)).  Moreover, these assessments must enable results to be disaggregated within each state, local educational agency, and school, by, among other factors, a student’s English proficiency and migrant status (Section 1111(b)(3)(I)).  Requirements that migrant student achievement data be collected, disaggregated and reported are meant to ensure that all migrant children are benefiting from state and local reforms, one of the MEP’s central purposes. 

Despite these requirements, research has shown that in most states and districts, migrant students do not fully participate in statewide assessments, owing to their mobility, limited English proficiency, and other factors.  Accurate estimates of the degree to which migrant students participate in state assessments and accountability programs are not available.  It is likely that some students do not participate because they move from one community to another during the spring months when much of standardized assessment occurs.  In addition, some districts may opt not to test students that have arrived in their school system just prior to the annual administration of assessments, while others may choose to test students on state standards in a state where they have only recently relocated.  Other students are intentionally exempted from state assessments if they are new to the United States, new to ESL programs, or score low on English proficiency exams.  

Currently, 29 states allow districts to exempt students from state assessments when their command of the English language is not sufficient for meaningful participation (Shaul, 1999).  However, because exempting migrant students from assessments is typically a local decision, the number of students affected is often not reported.  Moreover, some districts or schools choose not to categorize migrant students for fear of labeling, and as a result, it is not possible to identify the level of participation of migrant students in these districts.  Finally, many states have only recently implemented statewide assessment systems and associated data collection practices, further complicating attempts to identify the extent of migrant students’ participation.

#### B.2.Performance of Migrant Students

Student mobility and limited English proficiency not only influence the level of participation in statewide assessments among migrant students, but also the performance of those migrant students who do take these tests.  Most states allow school districts to accommodate language needs for students with limited English proficiency who are participating in state assessments by extending testing time, reading the test aloud, administering the tests in the students’ native language, and other means (Rivera, Stansfield, Scialdone, and Sharkey, 2000).  

However, recent research suggests that school staff often do not perceive that the educational or service needs of migrant students differ significantly from the needs of other educationally disadvantaged students in their schools, and thus make few special arrangements for measuring the achievement of migrant students (Siler, et al., 1999).  In fact, most schools implement the same type and method of assessment for migrant students as for all other students.  Further, only half of all summer projects reported that achievement test scores were available on records for most or all migrant students, and 15 percent reported that these data were not available for any migrant students in their state.  

Measuring migrant students’ performance relative to other students is further complicated in some states that do not require a single statewide test, but rather allow local educational agencies to select from a list of standardized tests, thus making statewide comparisons virtually impossible.  Additionally, most states historically have not disaggregated data by migrant status, although it is a federal requirement that they do so by the year 2001.  In 1997–1998, only 16 states tracked the achievement of their migrant students relative to state proficiency levels (Blank, Manise, and Brathwaite, 2000).  For these states, in ***Table 2*** we present the percentage of students meeting state proficiency levels by grade group and subject for migrant and all students. 

**Table 2:Percentage of Migrant Students and All Students Meeting or Exceeding State Proficiency Levels, by Grade and Subject**

Source: 2000 CCSSO report on 1997–1998 state assessments.

a Puerto Rico reported state proficiency data by migrant status, but did not separate data into elementary and middle school grade levels.  Pennsylvania reported data by migrant status, but did not provide a definition of proficiency, instead reporting results in terms of quartiles.

b Missouri did not report percentages for reading proficiency by grade level.

These data must be interpreted with caution for a variety of reasons.  First, because each state determines its own definition of proficiency, these figures cannot be used for comparison between states.  The instruments used for the assessments also vary from state to state, so the outcomes are not truly comparable.  The data are useful only for suggesting how migrant students perform on assessments when compared to all students who took the test within the same state.  However, even these within-state comparisons must be regarded cautiously since we do not know the number or percentage of migrant students who were tested in each state.  Some states are reporting data based on a very limited or incomplete sample, making true estimates of migrant students’ achievement relative to other students problematic.

With these cautions in mind, the data suggest that performance of migrant students relative to all students was lower in all states, with only one exception.  Washington, DC actually reported a higher percentage of migrant students meeting state standards, though the differences between scores were only a couple of percentage points at most, and may not be statistically significant.  The difference between migrant students and all students in most states is rather large.  For example, Arkansas and North Carolina reported 20 percent to 30 percent fewer migrant students achieving state proficiency levels for reading at the elementary school level.  Five states, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, and Texas, reported 10 percent to 20 percent fewer migrant students meeting state standards in mathematics at the middle school level.  

#### B.3.Barriers to Increased Participation and Improved Performance in State Assessments

The major barriers associated with migrant students’ participation in and performance on state assessments are issues related to mobility and limited English proficiency.  Mobility creates multiple problems that constrain, and even prevent, accurate and timely assessment of student performance.  The first of these is that migrant students are sometimes assessed with tests that are not consistent with the curriculum of the sending state.  Additionally, migrant students may travel during the spring harvest season when statewide assessments typically occur.  Other students move before their test results are returned and may not have their scores included in student records needed by the receiving school to assist with registration and appropriate grade placement. 

The timely transfer of student records is an important issue related to the barrier of mobility of migrant students.  Without the most up-to-date records, it is possible that students will not be placed in the appropriate grade level nor assessed at the appropriate level.  Incomplete records further aggravate the situation.  For example, while most summer MEP projects reported that they had the majority of data regarding information on students’ last addresses, program availability, and last grades completed, only about half of these programs reported having records with achievement test scores, and even fewer had transcript records for students.  Also, although two-thirds of summer MEP programs reported having data on students’ limited English proficiency and health, some programs reported having no data for any migrant student on health records, language proficiency, transcripts, or achievement test scores (Parsad, Heaviside, Williams, and Farris, 2000).

Some attempts to address these barriers have been made.  The most frequent accommodation to the special needs of migrant students, relative to statewide assessments, is related to the language barrier.  In 1999, 37 states allowed language accommodations, 21 states allowed bilingual word lists or dictionaries on some or all assessment components, 13 allowed translation of directions, and 11 allowed translation of tests into the students’ native language (Rivera, Stansfield, Scialdone, and Sherkey, 2000).  Schools with larger proportions of LEP students who were migrant were more likely to have assessment results translated.  School officials who had implemented the program schoolwide believed there were improvements being made in reporting results, especially if they served large numbers of migrant students or had migrant parent participation in planning (Henderson, et al., 1999).  State or district accommodations of migrant students’ mobility are less common than accommodations for language difficulties.  Some efforts intended to address the challenges of student mobility included consortia of states to coordinate identification and recruitment.

# C.High School Completion and Postsecondary Education for Migrant Students

One of the primary goals of the MEP is to ensure that as many migrant students as possible complete high school and pursue postsecondary education.  This is also one of the greatest challenges of migrant education as migrant students come under increasing pressure to leave school so that they may contribute to their families’ income and child-care responsibilities (Morse and Hammer, 1998; Salerno, 1991).  In 1987, The Migrant Attrition Project found that the conditions most likely to lead to early school leaving for migrant students included overage grade placement, poverty, interrupted school attendance, lack of continuity in curriculum, inconsistent recordkeeping, and limited English proficiency (Salerno, 1991).  Because teenagers are much more productive in the field and more capable of caring for younger siblings than when they were younger, some are under greater demand by their families to work.  Some teenagers have pride in becoming an economic contributor to the household.  High school is also a difficult time for adolescents in general, when being different from other students, either because one is starting at an unfamiliar school or because one is older than most classmates, can be very uncomfortable.  With the added difficulties of poverty and limited English proficiency that are often part of the migrant student’s experience, it is not surprising that so many migrant students are lost to the education system during their high school years.

While it is estimated that graduation rates have increased over the past several decades from 10 percent to more than 40 percent (Morse and Hammer, 1998), it is reported that migrant students still have the lowest graduation rate in the public school system (Educational Resources Information Center, 1991).  Over the years, many programs have attempted to increase the number of migrant students finishing high school by developing measures that reduce negative school experiences.  Some of these programs target those migrant students still attending high school.  Others are designed to work with those who have left school and are seeking a high school equivalency degree (High School Equivalency Program, or HEP), or are ready to attend college (College Assistance Migrant Program, or CAMP).  Most programs share a core of support characteristics, which are believed to be critical in assisting migrant students to complete high school and prepare for postsecondary opportunities.

Many migrant students have limited English proficiency and experience some degree of language difficulties.  As a result, it is essential that programs to facilitate the pursuit of postsecondary education provide testing in the student’s native language, as well as ESL instruction.  The college admissions process and the procurement of financial aid are further complicated when the student has a limited grasp of the English language.  Another factor believed to be important in determining the migrant student’s success is ongoing support from family and educational personnel (Duron, 1995).

Programs that promote high school graduation vary from state to state (see Morse and Hammer, 1998).  One widespread program, however, is the Portable Assisted Study Sequence (PASS) program, found in 29 states.  Covering subject areas in grades 6 through 12, this semi-independent program allows students to take their studies with them in an uninterrupted fashion between states.  The PASS system provides a solution to one of the migrant student’s greatest academic challenges, the accrual of sufficient credits to graduate.

Evaluating the success of migrant students as they complete high school and pursue postsecondary education is difficult for several reasons.  As will be discussed in further detail below, academic databases containing graduation information very often do not have information on migrant status.  Therefore, MEP staff cannot examine graduation data relevant to their target population.  Postsecondary information is also obscured by the lack of disaggregated information, as well as the difficulty of tracking migrant students several months after graduation to collect data on postsecondary outcomes.  Finally, there are some students who may not qualify as migrant during their high school years but who benefited from MEP services at other times during their education.  Those successes are also important to measure, as services received through the MEP may have helped those students to maintain a level of proficiency sufficient for them to continue their education.

# D.Research Questions for the Current Study

In the preceding review, we have noted the difficulties in drawing conclusions about migrant student achievement due to incomplete, incompatible, or poor quality data.  The present study was designed to investigate the extent to which migrant students participated in state and local assessment and accountability programs, and the types and quality of academic outcome data on migrant students collected and maintained by state and local agencies.  Specifically, the study addressed five main research questions:

· What assessment and accountability data are collected on migrant student achievement?

· What data are available on migrant student graduation and dropout rates?

· What other types of data are routinely collected on migrant student achievement?  Is information collected on postsecondary outcomes?

· What is the overall quality of the data on migrant students?

· What steps can states and districts take to improve the quality and availability of data on migrant student outcomes?

### II.Methodology

Between the months of October 2000 and January 2001, we conducted site visits to the nine states reporting the greatest number of children eligible for migrant services in the 1998–1999 school year.  In descending order according to size, these states are California, Texas, Florida, Washington, Oregon, Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona, and Georgia (see ***Table 3*** and ***Figure 1***).  These nine states accounted for approximately 70 percent of the nation’s migrant student population in 1998–1999 (www.migranted.org).  We asked the director of the migrant education program in each state to select a district that represented a typical local migrant program in that state.  Districts were to be around the 25th percentile in size of migrant student population, and representative or average in terms of migrant education practices.  We interviewed migrant program directors and data and assessment records specialists at both state and local levels.  We followed up our on-site data collection via E-mail and telephone calls, as necessary, to fully address the study’s information goals.

Our analyses of information collected during site visits, as well as from state and district reports, focused on identification of themes both among and within states.  Interstate analyses focused on common obstacles to more efficient collection, storage, management of, and access to quality assessment data on migrant students.  We also examined the data for interstate differences in availability of migrant data, assessment participation rates, and assessment accommodation practices.  Within states, we looked for consistency between state reporting policies and district reporting practices.  In several cases, we observed that district-level officials presented information on current migrant education practices that differed from what was reported by the state officials.  

There are two limitations of the study design the reader should consider when reviewing the results.  First, the districts chosen by the state migrant directors may not have been truly representative of local migrant programs in that state.  Second, our findings are based primarily on information obtained through interviews with state and district staff, who may have been hesitant to be more specific when speaking about sensitive topics. 

**Table 3.Size of Migrant Student Population, by State and District**

Note: Migrant Education Programs serve migrant children and youth between the ages of 3 and 22.  However, school-based migrant statistics provide information only on those migrant children and youth who are enrolled in school.

* 1998–1999 Title I Migrant Education State Performance Reports

† As reported during site visits.

‡ Georgia’s Southern Pine Migrant Education Agency encompasses 19 of the state’s 180 school districts.

**Figure 1:Top Nine States According to Size of 1998–1999 Migrant Child Count by Residency**

Source: 1998–1999 Title I Migrant Education State Performance Reports.

* States were selected based on data available at the time of study design. According to final counts, Colorado had 20,259 eligible students and would have been included instead of Georgia.

### III.Study Findings

We organize our findings according to the five research questions, giving examples from specific states and districts to illustrate points wherever possible.  We provide a summary of information for each of the sites in Appendices A through I.

# Q.1.What assessment and accountability data are collected on migrant student achievement?

The IASA requires that states implement assessment systems that allow all students the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and knowledge.  The nine states involved in this study have assessment policies and instruments in place, but not all migrant students are participating in statewide assessments.  Migrant students are not tested at the same rate as non-migrant students as a result of language exemption policies, absenteeism due to high mobility, and other factors.  According to state performance reports, the majority of migrant students are Hispanic, and for many, English is a second language, one in which they may not be proficient.  Although states allow some accommodations on assessments on the basis of language, this does not ensure that migrant students’ scores are included in school, district, or state totals.

In this section of the report, we present study findings on the extent of migrant student participation in state assessments.  These findings refer only to state assessments; none of the nine states in this study collects information on the types of local assessments used by school districts, and only one state requires that districts administer assessments other than the statewide tests. 

#### Q.1.1.Extent of migrant student participation

The extent of migrant student participation on statewide assessments cannot be determined in most of the states we visited.  To accurately report the rate of migrant student participation in assessments, one should know (1) the number of students eligible for testing, (2) the number exempt, (3) the number not tested, (4) the number tested, and (5) the number tested with accommodations.  Texas and Kentucky were the only two states in this study that provided comparisons between the number of migrant students eligible to participate and the number of migrant students who actually participated.  Texas reports that 90 percent of eligible migrant students were tested on its 1999–2000 assessments.  (An estimate of participation in the Texas district is provided in Appendix H.)  Kentucky reported participation rates by each of the seven grades taking the test, ranging from a minimum of 42.56 percent in grade 5 to a maximum of 70.65 percent in grade 4, with an overall average of 61.04 percent.  Although these figures were made available to RTI, they appeared to be calculated for this study’s purposes, rather than for routine use by assessment or migrant personnel.  California and Washington reported only the number of migrant students who participated, not the total number of eligible migrant students.  

The inability of migrant coordinators to produce accurate rates of migrant student participation in assessments is indicative of the overall lack of migrant student statistics available.  Since migrant and assessment specialists have not been required to report the rate of participation, they do not compare the number of migrant students coded on assessments with the total number eligible for testing.  Complications due to incompatible databases, limited resources, and other state-specific issues further impede data collection efforts.  

Eight of the nine states in this study coded assessments for migrant status.  Assessment answer forms are coded with student identifiers and demographic information, enabling scores to be sorted by categories such as gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status (determined by free/reduced lunch status), or other variables.  In order to denote migrant status, a unique column, code, or “bubble” identifier on the answer sheet may be completed for eligible migrant students.  The one state that has not had a migrant status field on its assessment forms added one in the spring 2001 administration of the test.

Since six of the nine states have assessment scores as their only source of disaggregated migrant student data, it is especially critical that their assessment databases include all migrant students and that these students are accurately identified as migrant.  However, migrant specialists frequently expressed a lack of confidence in the accuracy of migrant coding.  Migrant status coding is the responsibility of the local school systems, although districts allocate this responsibility in different ways.  In seven of the states, the regular school databases that hold information on attendance and grades do not have fields to denote migrant status.  Therefore, school personnel are often asked to complete the migrant identifier on assessments even though they may not have received training on defining criteria.  Some districts and states provide lists of students already identified as migrant to principals or teachers for use in coding migrant status.  In other cases, migrant staff provide the defining criteria of “migrant” to teachers who then become responsible for the coding.  In some cases, students themselves may be asked to indicate their migrant status on their assessment sheets.  

Some state officials expressed concern that students may be coded as migrant because they move frequently, even if they move for reasons other than migratory work (e.g., military relocation, construction work).  If school staff are coding assessments without a full understanding of migrant eligibility criteria, they may neglect to complete the migrant identifier or they may fill it in for more students than is appropriate.  This lack of standardized migrant status identification for assessments increases the likelihood of errors and may lead to over- and under-inclusion of migrant students.  Awareness of this variation undermines the confidence of migrant specialists in migrant identification, and therefore their confidence in the validity of the disaggregated assessment scores.

#### Q.1.2.Exemption and exclusion policies

Exemption and score reporting policies play a major role in the under-representation of migrant students in state assessment reports (Rivera, et al., 2000).  The great majority of migrant students are Hispanic, and for many, English is a second language.  Eight of the nine states in this study allow schools to exempt students from assessments based on English language proficiency.  Only California does not exclude students from assessments for reasons related to language proficiency, although they allow a second test to be taken in Spanish.  Rivera, et al. says exemption decisions are based on language-related criteria, with emphasis on time-related, academic, or opinion-related criteria, and often depend on formal assessments of English proficiency, language program placement, and other factors to determine if students will be included in assessments.  Unfortunately, there is no way of estimating how many migrant students are affected by these policies, as none of the states that allow exemptions keeps records of how many students are exempted.  Only Texas automatically administers alternate native language assessments to exempted students, while some other states make them available by request. 

In some states, migrant personnel were not fully aware of state assessment policies.  In one state, MEP staff believed that state policy did not set parameters for determining English proficiency for exemption purposes.  However, as quoted by Rivera, et al., that state’s policy explicitly defines non-English-proficiency as a specific score on a named formal language proficiency test (2000).  In another state, migrant education personnel said that all students are to participate in assessments; however, state policy lists the criteria for exclusion as formal assessment of English proficiency, language program placement, and the student’s best interest.  One of the smaller states’ contacts said that students are only eligible for exemption during their first year in the United States, although this is not written into the state policy.

#### Q.1.3.Score reporting

When states allow students to be tested with accommodations, they may also develop policies concerning how accommodated students’ scores will be reported.  Three of the nine states require the scores of ELLs (English language learners) who have received accommodations to be included with the school, district, and state totals (Kentucky, Texas, and Washington).  Other states allow accommodated students’ scores to be excluded from totals and use unreported scores only at the individual level (Kansas and Oregon).  Rivera, et al. holds that Arizona does not have a policy on score reporting, but migrant and assessment specialists there mentioned that they do exclude some ELL scores.  Several migrant education contacts said that districts are not required to include scores of students not enrolled for the entire school year, which is relevant in the case of migrant students due to their high rate of mobility.

#### Q.1.4.Coordination between state and local levels

Communication between state and local levels concerning migrant student participation in assessments varies by state.  The state migrant office involvement at the local level depends on the number of project districts in the state, the number of state-level staff, and whether the personnel have a categorical or consolidated approach to special programs.  The local migrant education administering agency may be a school district, a consortium, or a private organization.  Some designs allow for more direct interaction with the local level, with migrant staff actively participating in migrant coding on assessments, as well as assisting with other services.  Other states may be less aware of local testing situations due to the sheer number of district migrant programs or the number of staff who manage the migrant education programs.  One state has four regional Migrant Education Agencies, which provide assistance to the districts in their part of the state.  As a result, the state coordinator interacts less with the school districts than with the four administering agencies.  Other factors also influence communication and coordination, like one state’s recent migrant director position vacancy.  Without a state migrant director, service coordination and data collection fell behind and local migrant specialists assumed responsibilities that would otherwise be filled by the state official.  The structure of state and local migrant responsibilities plays a major role in the communication between migrant specialists throughout each state.

Gaps between state and district knowledge appear to exist around migrant assessment identification issues and the availability of migrant data.  State personnel were not always aware of exactly what data are or could be collected at the district level.  The district staff generally expressed confidence in the quality of their assessment coding for migrant status, but state personnel had less faith in statewide coding because not all districts have effective migrant coding procedures.  Similarly, migrant specialists and assessment specialists are often unaware of each others’ needs and capabilities at both state and local levels.  With no prior requirement to report migrant-specific data, there has been no precedent to establish regular communication concerning the types of data available, migrant identification on assessments, or disaggregated migrant score reports.  The lack of communication significantly affects the level of confidence migrant specialists have in migrant data.  Also, state and local migrant education personnel do not always have the same understanding of allowable accommodations.  For example, in one large state, district personnel were not aware of the testing accommodations allowed under state policy, although the state director reported the accommodations were in use across the state. 

#### Q.1.5.Current barriers to participation

Barriers to participation are of two types: those that are institutionalized in schools, assessment systems, and policies, and those inherent in the migrant lifestyle.  Those barriers that are part of the system include exemption policies, accountability systems with sanctions for poor performance, lack of enforcement of inclusion rules, and low expectations held by school personnel of specific groups of students.  Challenges that are specific to the migrant population often include poverty, lack of transportation, fear of immigration officials, lack of formal schooling, mobility, and language difficulties.  These last two are the leading barriers to migrant student participation in statewide assessments.  

**Mobility** is a defining characteristic of the migrant student and his or her family. Frequent moves cause disruption of the educational process that may lead to problems with credit accrual, challenges meeting academic standards, and lower participation in statewide assessments.  Migrant students travel at different times throughout the year, including during testing times, and they may be tested in a state other than their home state, or they may miss being assessed altogether.  Only Texas has taken steps to permit its migrant students to participate in out-of-state testing.  These conditions lead some migrant education personnel to question whether assessment scores accurately represent what students are learning if they are tested on curricula they may not have been taught in their home state.  Schools may also feel it is an inaccurate reflection of their students’ skills if they are forced to include migrant students, whom they have not had the opportunity to teach for the entire school year.  It cannot be determined how this directly affects rates of migrant student participation because, as previously discussed, data are very rarely collected to enable such an analysis.

**Language** is also a significant barrier to migrant student participation in assessments.  In fact, it was cited as a bigger problem than mobility in two of the largest states, California and Florida.  State and district staff in California and Florida believe that most of their students now move within the state.  While this still creates disruptions in a student’s education, it means that more migrant students can be tested against their home state’s standards.  However, limited or non-English-proficiency was repeatedly noted as the largest challenge to migrant student participation in statewide assessments.  Many migrant students are Hispanic, sometimes moving directly from Mexico to work in the United States, and may have little knowledge of English.  Districts and states must find ways to provide this growing population with instruction services, including staff, books, tests, translators, and other services.  

Using assessments as part of an accountability system****provides a strong disincentive for administrators to make extra efforts to ensure participation by all populations, and might actually lead school-level staff to discourage migrant students from participating.  If state or local personnel are judged on the performance of their students, they may attempt to exclude students who are expected to perform less well.  While none of the state respondents explicitly reported purposeful exclusion of migrant students, some acknowledged the potential for such practices.  None of the contacts were able to provide definitive evidence of current violations of state or federal policy, but two large states’ contacts believe that schools make an effort to exclude students who are expected to do poorly by encouraging parents to request that their children be exempt.  The contacts from one of the smaller states in the sample expressed concern about the lack of enforcement of the state policy that all students be tested.  Although a state mandate declares that all students are to be tested, local administrative control is strong, and the extent to which this rule is followed cannot be guaranteed.  Several district officials in other states held similar views.  In one district, the migrant coordinator believed that such exclusions had been a practice there in the past, but that the problem had been addressed.  Another district coordinator admitted such exclusions were a problem, but qualified her assertion by saying she thought it was happening elsewhere in the state, but not in her particular district.  Although there are no clear data, the possibility exists of migrant student exclusion for reasons of accountability concerns.

Migrant education personnel may conduct programs that assist migrant students with English language proficiency or test-taking skills, but they have no direct responsibility for assessment administration, accommodations, or reporting.  Each state has its own assessment department and policies, and migrant education staff members are not charged with overseeing assessments or accommodations.  Migrant education specialists recognize barriers to migrant student participation in assessments, but their focus is more on providing services to help overcome these barriers than enforcing rules on statewide testing.

#### Q.1.6.Types of accommodations

The two types of assessment accommodations made for migrant students are those related to language difficulties and those related to mobility.  Language accommodations are specific changes to the testing situation that enable English language learners (ELLs) to demonstrate their academic knowledge despite limited proficiency in the English language.  Accommodations may involve the setting of the test, timing and/or scheduling, presentation (e.g., translation), and response.  State policies often apply time limits to accommodations, making them available to students for a maximum of one, two, or three years, with the assumption that students will become proficient in English within that time.  Mobility accommodations are changes that allow students to take assessments outside of the regular testing window or allow students to take their home-state assessment in whatever state they are living during the time assessments are normally administered.

All states and districts included in this study make some type of **language accommodation** for ELLs, except California.  California does not allow accommodations on its statewide assessment, but offers an additional assessment in the student’s native language.  The demand for language accommodations is likely to increase as the Hispanic population grows and more states face the challenges of meeting their language needs.  For example, the Hispanic population was virtually non-existent in Kentucky a few years ago.  However, the state migrant director estimates the number of Spanish-speaking students has burgeoned from 300 to 3,000 in the past four years.  Now, schools there are struggling to find Spanish-speaking staff and to establish programs that meet the linguistic needs of these students.

Rivera, et al. (2000) found that the accommodations which best address the linguistic needs of ELLs are the least frequently allowed and the most frequently prohibited.  These include accommodations in test presentation and response, such as those that allow students to test in their native language or answer with the assistance of a dictionary or a translator.  For example, Georgia allows ELLs extra time on tests, but no assistance with translation.  Spanish assessments are available in some of the states that have traditionally had a Hispanic population – Arizona, California, Oregon, and Texas.  California’s Spanish assessment is in addition to the regular English assessment, and some states’ policies set aside maximum time limits for which students may test in Spanish. 

Various other types of accommodations are allowed, unique to each state.  In one state, policy allows test directions to be translated and permits students to use word lists or dictionaries on the mathematics, writing, and listening content areas, but not on the reading section.  Another state allows translation and explanation of directions, the use of dictionaries, and extended testing time.  Although a third state allows translation and the use of dictionaries, district personnel were unaware of these accommodation possibilities so the extent to which they are used is questionable.  These students would likely benefit more from assistance with translation or other accommodations that help reduce the disadvantage of not being proficient in English.  One of the smaller states allows a simplified language version of the test that reduces the use of cultural idioms and bias, but this sort of accommodation is rare.  Even with a variety of accommodations allowed across states, migrant ELL students are limited in ways that may prevent them from performing to the best of their ability.

In contrast to the prevalence of language accommodations, only one state has created a system of **mobility accommodations** for student assessments.  Migrant students’ high rate of mobility disrupts their time in a school district, and may interfere with assessment testing schedules.  Migrant students may be tested in districts where they have attended school for only a short period of time, and may be tested on material in which they have not received instruction.  In an attempt to overcome some of these obstacles, Texas has made an agreement with 21 other states to allow Texas-based students to take the exit-level Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) exam.  In this study, the states which administer the TAAS under this agreement included California, Florida, Georgia, Oregon, and Washington.  Texas holds annual training for states that use the TAAS at the National Migrant Education Conference.  Migrant education agencies in other states do offer services tailored to helping students handle frequent transitions (e.g., academic, family, and community programs tailored to the migrant student population), but no changes are made in the administration of statewide tests.

#### Q.1.7.Prevalence of accommodations

As with the lack of information on exemptions, none of the states collects or reports data on how often accommodations are used on assessments.  Only one district was able to provide information on the prevalence of accommodations for this study, but does not regularly calculate this figure.  Migrant education specialists are not required to submit data on how many students take assessments with accommodations.  Although migrant education coordinators may be better able to assess the performance of migrant students with more complete and accurate disaggregated information regarding state assessments, their lack of evaluation training and support are further hindered by the fact that historically these data have not been tracked.  In one of the smaller states in this study, the assessment specialist reported that the type of accommodation allowed is coded on the answer form, and therefore could be tallied for reporting.  However, a report showing the prevalence of these accommodations was not available and there was no discussion of preparing these data for review in the future.  In all states, this lack of information, when combined with a similar dearth of exemption data, leaves migrant educators largely uninformed about the conditions under which their students are tested.  

Data are also lacking concerning the number of students not tested.  Students who are not formally exempted may still not be tested for reasons including absence from school or local exception policies for students in the district for less than a year.  Only two states made reference to the number of students not tested, but they placed little emphasis on this issue.  Washington state reports show how many students were not tested, but not how many were exempted.  Kansas’ assessment administration manual states, “Reporting percentages of students not tested, on the building report cards, is being seriously considered.”  Data specialists typically do not seek out this information since it is not required for reporting and there has been no precedent to raise their awareness of the utility of such data collection.

The recent legislative emphasis on assessments has not been accompanied by a correspondent focus on accommodation or score reporting data.  States vary in their approaches to ELL students’ education and assessment.  California, Georgia, and Kentucky require that assessments be taken in English although short-term exceptions are sometimes made for students new to the state.  While California does offer Spanish language tests, they are in addition to the formal English assessments.  Arizona passed a proposition in 2000 that requires English-only instruction, and policymakers have not yet determined how this will affect assessments.  The other five states in this study do allow some accommodations on the basis of language, but have no statistics on how often they are used. 

#### Q.1.8.Ability to disaggregate by migrant status

Eight of the nine states in this study had the capability of disaggregating their statewide assessment data by migrant status in order to view migrant data compared to that of all students or to that of non-migrant students (***Table 4***).  The ninth state added this capacity to its spring 2001 testing.  However, these disaggregated data are used predominantly by districts, rather than at the state level.  Although eight states are able to disaggregate data, only five regularly do so at the state level.

**Table 4.State and District Abilities to Disaggregate State Assessment Data by Migrant Status**

a As of Spring 2001, Georgia can disaggregate by migrant status.

Technically, it should be possible to report assessment scores by any demographic category recorded on the test answer sheet.  The variables by which states most often report performance on assessments are content area, grade, gender, race/ethnicity, economic status (determined by free/reduced lunch), and special education.  Four states’ reports are also available by LEP status, two by gifted and talented program placement, one by at-risk status, and another by type of disability.  Since most assessment database systems are not electronically linked to school-based systems, data reports do not show comparisons by attendance or classroom academic performance.  District migrant staff could disaggregate data for migrant students in all of the eight states that could designate migrant status on assessments.  However, in order to maintain confidentiality, assessment personnel often require that there be a minimum number of students per school or district in the migrant category in order to report performance.  This does limit the utility of assessment data for migrant education program staff in smaller districts, as scores for their students may be coded as missing or unavailable.

Washington’s assessment office enables districts to view data in two ways, both hard copy and on disk in spreadsheet format.  District personnel can rearrange data on the spreadsheet by any of the variables measured.  However, with migrant specialists’ many responsibilities, they often do not spend time manipulating the data report format.  Washington’s Migrant Student Record System is capable of holding assessment data, but has not been used for this because disparate student identification numbers do not allow for the transfer of information between databases.  Programmers are working to match the identification numbers in order to begin making assessment data available in the migrant system through a single transfer of information from the assessment system.

States we visited do not track district-level assessment information in the state migrant or assessment office, and very few of the districts involved in the study perform assessments in addition to the statewide tests.  Although Oregon does not have records of Ontario School District’s local assessments or score reports, they are aware that Ontario’s data collection and disaggregation capabilities are more advanced than most other districts in the state.  Ontario School District tests the non-benchmark grades with assessments composed of comparable questions to the regular assessments so that all students are assessed annually with equivalent instruments.  However, Ontario enjoys better communication between migrant and data collection staff than many districts.  For example, district migrant coordinators in two large states reported delays in receiving responses to their data requests from accountability offices.  In another state, migrant personnel were unaware that they could request disaggregated reports. 

While disaggregated assessment data are potentially available in all of the states visited, they are not generally used.  Overall, the migrant education staff members do not seek out state or district assessment results by variables other than those provided by the assessment department.  Complications in combining migrant student data with meaningful academic data from the existing systems discourage migrant education coordinators from seeking migrant statistics.  Only two of the nine states’ migrant databases are currently compatible with the state academic databases, and the remaining seven states in this study are very limited in what information they can disaggregate by migrant status.  Their migrant data systems hold information regarding the number of migrant students in the state by gender, grade level, race, and any other demographic data included in the database, including address, age, and family information.  For information not otherwise listed by migrant status, migrant specialists must take time-consuming steps to disaggregate data from other sources.  This disaggregation of data is an involved task due to discrete data systems and the need to collaborate with other offices, which also prove to be major disincentives to evaluation.  California and Oregon are piloting comprehensive databases that combine many sources and will help with disaggregation, but neither system is yet complete.

Migrant education specialists often view assessments as an imperfect way to gauge migrant student performance due to application of characteristics of the testing system to this mobile population.  Migrant education coordinators generally believe that the coding of migrant status on assessments is not accurate.  In addition, migrant students are often prohibited from being allowed significant accommodations or being tested in a native language other than English.  Some migrant specialists said that assessment data may be useful for migrant staff evaluating particular students, but not the population as a whole.  This lack of confidence in disaggregated data on migrant student assessment performance was common across most states.

#### Q.1.9.Current estimates of migrant student performance

Migrant education staff in all nine states believed that migrant students are not performing as well as non-migrant students.  Three states provided reports on performance of migrant and non-migrant students, while most states show disaggregated migrant scores in comparison to all students.  Districts in eight states showed local migrant student performance on assessments. 

The data available from the three states that presented state-level assessment scores broken down into categories of migrant and non-migrant students show the performance disparity between the two groups.  Migrant scores lag significantly behind non-migrant scores, with few migrant consolidated scores matching or exceeding those of non-migrants.  Specific state and district assessment data are provided in Appendices A through I.

# Q.2.What data are available on migrant student graduation and dropout rates?

In addition to migrant student participation in assessments, an area of interest to the study was the availability of other data on migrant student academic achievement.  We asked migrant education staff about graduation rates, dropout rates, postsecondary information, and any other information routinely collected to measure academic outcomes for migrant students.  Such data could be used to supplement the assessment data upon which most states currently rely in order to show a more complete picture of migrant student achievement.

#### Q.2.1.Availability of data on migrant student graduation rates

The rate of graduation is a statistic calculated based on the number of students completing a secondary education, and can be used to evaluate how migrant student achievement compares to that of all students.  States and districts use slightly different methods for calculating these rates, rather than using a standard formula.  Variations include whether rates compare a four-year cohort or a one-year peer group, as well as whether GED completions are considered.  ***Table 5*** lists examples of several formulas used for graduation rates.

Although most states reported having the capacity to calculate graduation rates for their migrant student populations, only two states did so on a regular basis (see ***Table 6****)*.  Migrant education personnel in the other seven states cautioned that such calculations would require several steps, and they emphasized that the process would be both lengthy and labor-intensive.  Graduation data are stored in general school databases that are separate from those containing migrant status information and do not have a field to denote migrant status.  While the combination of the databases for the purpose of computing a migrant student graduation rate is possible in theory, few states pursue these data because of the investment of resources involved and because they are not required by the federal government.  Some migrant information databases have a field for graduation information, but since the systems cannot be linked, that information would have to be manually entered by local staff.  This is not done consistently enough to allow state rates to calculated.

**Table 5.Examples of Graduation Rate Formulas**

**Table 6.Calculation of Graduation Rates, by State and District**

Texas and Florida were the two states that provided recent graduation rates. Texas’s 1998–1999 state-level graduation rate is a four-year cohort rate.  The Texas state-level cohort graduation rate was 82.4 percent for migrant students, compared to 79.5 percent for non-migrant students.  The migrant student graduation rate for Texas’s La Joya Independent School District was 89 percent.  

Florida’s 1999–2000 one-year graduation rates were 78% for migrant students and 82% for non-migrant students.  Florida reported a four-year cohort graduation rate for migrant students for the first time in 1999–2000.  The four-year cohort graduation rates are reported as 42% for migrant students and 59% for non-migrant students.  Florida’s state synopsis of migrant students in Florida for 1999–2000 states, “This is the Cohort Graduation Rate as it appears in the Department of Education Advisory Council Report.  Please note that for Migrant students this rate is an estimation at best.”  For Florida’s Hillsborough County School District, the one-year graduation rate was 91% for migrant students and 89% for non-migrant students.  Hillsborough County School District’s four-year cohort graduation rate was  59% for migrant students and 68% for non-migrant students.  The report cautions the reader to note the number in the migrant cohort (110) in comparison with the number in the non-migrant cohort (10,324) when considering district-level data.  

All other sampled states and districts require manual computations with several steps to arrive at the same information.  In the Sunnyside School District in Washington, the migrant coordinator compares the names on graduation ceremony programs to his list of migrant students.  Though he did not report what the most recent graduation rate was, he explained his method of calculation.  At the end of each school year, the district coordinator reviews graduation programs from across the district for the names of migrant students.  Using these programs, he then calculates a migrant student graduation rate for the district.  In Arizona, the district contact went through a similar process to arrive at graduation rates for each of the district high schools, comparing migrant student file lists to the district list of graduating seniors.  The district contact did so in preparation for our site visit, but does not make such calculations regularly.  This time-consuming process is apparently the most viable method for many school districts.

In addition to being an unwieldy process, calculating a migrant student graduation rate is less likely to yield an accurate figure than one for non-migrant students.  The graduation rate for regular students is often based on a 4-year cohort rate.  Such a formula is more difficult to calculate for the migrant student population because, by definition, a student cannot remain in one school district for more than three years and still qualify as migrant.  Therefore, extensive tracking efforts would be needed to obtain data from all of the schools attended by all migrant students over the 4-year period.  Setting up such a tracking system would most likely prove difficult due to the lack of unique migrant student identification numbers and the inability to track students between states.  Until states are able to dedicate the resources needed to track all students who had received migrant services at any time during their high school years, the statistically less preferred 1-year graduation rate will have to be used.

#### Q.2.2.Availability of data on migrant student dropout rates

Similar obstacles to the calculation of reliable graduation rates impede the regular calculation of migrant student dropout rates.  Inherent in the migrant student’s lifestyle is a degree of mobility that obscures the true dropout rate in any particular district, regardless of the calculation formula.  (See ***Table 7***for examples.)  While most states reported that they would be able to calculate a dropout rate for migrant students, none did (***Table 8***).  Just as with graduation data, data needed to calculate the dropout rate are stored in a system that does not communicate with the system storing migrant information.  Further, migrant staff on both the state and district levels reported very strong doubts about the accuracy, and therefore utility, of such dropout rates if they were to be computed.  

Table 7.Examples of Dropout Rate Formulas

**Table 8.Calculation of Dropout Rates, by State and District**

One district official described the tracking of migrant dropouts as “chasing butterflies in the dark.”  This characterization of keeping accurate migrant dropout data as extremely difficult was consistent across all nine states.  There is no reliable mechanism by which to track students who enroll in another district or take up another form of education, such as GED classes, although a pilot study in California is adding such information to the CoEstar database (see pages 44–48 on steps to improve data quality and availability).  Districts with smaller numbers of students may have anecdotal knowledge of the outcomes for each of their migrant students, but there is often no formal notification of a student’s withdrawal from school.  Migrant staff expressed concern that even if they reported dropout rates for migrant students, these rates would be an inaccurate reflection of the number of students who left school permanently.  For example, one state’s rate relies on schools assigning an official dropout code, which may not always be done for migrant students because schools may not have definitive information by which to assign such a code.  Therefore, that state’s assessment specialist expressed concern that reporting a dropout rate would not accurately portray migrant students.

# Q.3.What other types of data are routinely collected on migrant student achievement?  Is information collected on postsecondary outcomes?

In addition to assessment information, some states collect other indicators of student achievement, such as postsecondary outcomes or performance on national norm-referenced tests.  Some schools collect information from students in the 12th grade about their immediate postgraduate plans and others send surveys or do follow-up telephone calls with students several months after graduation.  National norm-referenced tests may be used in addition to state assessments to compare student performance within the state to performance across the nation and to test students in grades that are between mandatory assessment years.  We asked each state and district if they did collect such information, and if so, whether they were able to examine it by migrant status.  

#### Q.3.1.Availability of postsecondary data on migrant students

Florida, Kansas, and Kentucky were the only states in the study to collect postsecondary information for their students.  Kentucky and Florida record the information in their accountability systems that list MEP eligibility, which makes disaggregation by migrant status possible.  However, these states do not examine these data by migrant status.  Florida collects data on postsecondary plans prior to graduation, Kansas surveys students one year after graduation, and Kentucky surveys graduates after three months.  The Kentucky survey collects information on “transition to adult life,” as graduates are categorized as employed, unemployed, taking further education, or being a homemaker.  The Kansas survey reports survey respondents in one of the following categories: enrolled in 4-year college or university, 2-year college, other type of college, other postsecondary (non-college), employed, unemployed, parenting (and not employed outside the home or attending school), military service, other, and unknown.  Kansas provides district and state breakdowns by gender and race/ethnicity.  

Though a limited amount of data are available on postsecondary plans and outcomes for all students, collecting such information from migrant students is particularly problematic, and their mobility makes it more likely that they are under-represented in these reports.  Kentucky and Kansas mail surveys to students’ last known addresses three months to a year after they graduate, by which time migrant families may have moved.  None of the states that collects postsecondary data translates their surveys into Spanish or other languages, which may further hinder migrant student participation in such measurements.  

#### Q.3.2.Availability of other data related to migrant student academic outcomes

States routinely maintain very little other achievement data.  Two of the smaller states did not collect any achievement data other than assessment scores at the state or local level.  Georgia is phasing out its current high school graduation tests and replacing them with end-of-course examinations based on state-specific criterion-referenced testing.  Several states, including Arizona, California, and Washington, are developing a high school exit exam in an effort to ensure that their graduates have met state standards. All students in California beginning with the class of 2004 must pass the High School Exit Exam.  Washington expects that the 10th grade Washington Assessment of Student Learning will be a graduation requirement by 2008, and Arizona will require that all 2002 graduates pass Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards for 10th grade, with the mathematics portion possibly delayed until 2004.  Under their current systems, Georgia cannot disaggregate these data, but California will be able to do so after the California Student Information System is fully implemented and the migrant data component has been added.  Arizona and Washington were not aware of plans to disaggregate these data by migrant status.

# Q.4.What is the overall quality of the data on migrant students?

One objective of this study was to solicit the views of state and district migrant staff concerning the quality of data on migrant students.  Data quality was discussed in terms of accuracy and comprehensiveness.  **Accuracy** refers to the degree to which the data in the system faithfully reflect the academic achievement of those students for whom data has been collected.  **Comprehensiveness** refers to the extent to which the data in the system represent all migrant students.  Both of these characteristics need to be reviewed in order to determine how useful the available numbers are in measuring the educational achievement of migrant students. 

State and district staff were overall much more certain of the accuracy of their data than they were of the data’s comprehensiveness.  Most state staff were confident in the demographic information that they currently collect.  Their reliance on these data is based on their beliefs that the staff entering the data into the system are doing so correctly, due to training, controlled system access, and approval processes that work to ensure the information is precise.  There was less assurance of the quality of data regarding migrant participation in assessments.  Larger districts had concerns about the number of migrant students improperly identified on assessment forms, but staff in smaller districts generally mark the assessments themselves, or have much closer ties to the school staff who do, and thus are more confident.  

State and district migrant personnel were generally more doubtful of the comprehensiveness of their data.  Data collection issues that impact the comprehensiveness of current migrant data include improper identification of migrant status on assessment forms, language exemptions that reduce migrant student participation, and a high degree of mobility that leads migrant students to miss assessment administration windows.  Both state and district migrant educators are aware of these complications, and therefore do not believe the data are comprehensive.  Regardless of accuracy, if data are not being collected on all migrant students, limited conclusions may be drawn about migrant student academic achievement as a group.  Without a more thorough understanding of overall migrant student achievement, efforts to plan and design programs or realistically report performance measures are inhibited.  

# Q.5.What steps can states and districts take to improve the quality and availability of data on migrant student outcomes?

There are two main areas in which steps should be taken to improve migrant data –quality and availability.  **Data quality** is limited by differences in data systems and statistical methods across districts, staff turnover that necessitates the expenditure of resources on repeated data system trainings, and a lack of enforced standards in determining the types of data to be collected. 

To improve data quality, local and state migrant staff need to thoroughly evaluate what data is collected and how and when it is gathered and stored.  Ensuring truer data requires established formulas and consistent data collection protocols.  States should standardize the way in which local staff report migrant student enrollment counts, assessment participation, and service provision.  Information concerning academic and assessment policies needs to be readily accessible.  Training sessions should be made available and possibly supplemented by manuals, resource guides, or online instruction.  Approaches must be catered to each area’s needs and capabilities, but each state should conduct a thorough review of their data collection methods to improve the quality of data gathered.

The single practice that most plagues the **availability** of migrant student data is the storing of assessment data separately from databases containing migrant information and school information, such as attendance and graduation data.  Overall, academic databases and migrant student databases contain discrete information that cannot be readily combined to provide disaggregated data.  Seven of the nine states in this study are very limited in the amount and type of information they can disaggregate by migrant status, since their migrant databases are incompatible with their academic databases.  Migrant eligibility information is most often stored in a system maintained by the migrant education office.  School databases and assessment databases in most cases do not denote migrant program eligibility, so the wealth of information contained in those sources cannot be disaggregated by migrant status.  This means that migrant coordinators cannot look at assessment scores according to variables such as health, attendance, grades, behavior, retention, dropout, or graduation.  Moreover, migrant staff may have limited access to assessment and school databases, and are therefore required to make requests through the offices controlling those databases.  One district coordinator reported being very grateful for the ease with which he was able to access district databases, as he believed few other district migrant educators in his state enjoyed such good relations with their district academic offices.  Several state and district migrant personnel expressed frustration at the length of time it takes for them to receive data reports, while some others seemed unaware of the types of data available through other systems and offices.  

At both the state and district levels, migrant education staff were aware of the need for improvements in the collection, maintenance, and sharing of migrant student achievement data.  Furthermore, in most states we visited, efforts were underway to make such needed changes.  Some of these changes are focused on migrant data, while others are more global and designed to improve the quality and accessibility of achievement data for all students.

The three largest states in the study had some type of migrant student data system in place or were in the process of developing one.  Texas and Florida have systems that provide a fairly comprehensive examination of migrant student achievement data.  California is in the midst of overhauling its entire student data system and installing the California Student Information System (CSIS), which will include the Migrant Student Information System (MSIS).  Three regions are participating in a pilot study of the MSIS.  Data fields have been added to the CoEstar system in participating regions, increasing the types of data that can be accessed and manipulated by migrant education staff and reducing the need to link additional local school, migrant, and assessment databases.  Pilot regions are collecting data on state assessment performance, whether students have met state standards, and level of language proficiency.  On the high school level, regions are also collecting data on grade point average (GPA) and college track information, as well as data on out-of-school youth.  Out-of-school youth information includes whether they have been contacted and interviewed by school staff, and whether they are enrolled in other types of education, such as GED classes.  The latter is especially promising in its potential to increase the accuracy of migrant student dropout rates, currently problematic due largely to lack of information on student outcomes.

One of the regional directors implementing the pilot of California’s MSIS found the additional capacities of the CoEstar system to be extremely helpful.  She emphasized the utility of the new system in allowing her to use data to pinpoint the greatest need among the 36 school districts in her region.  In one of her districts, she noted a significant drop in Stanford Achievement Test-version 9 reading scores between the third and fourth grades, and provided that district with extra funds to be used for staff development.  The system also now allows her to follow up on outliers in the data because she can look at student-level data files.  Errors were more likely to be missed under the old system, in which only school-level information was available.

The remaining four states that are addressing the need for better student data systems are in various stages of implementation.  Kansas is creating a central electronic migrant data system, accessible via the Internet, that will store information gathered from Certificates of Eligibility.  Until now, staff conducted counts of eligible migrant students by hand, so this system, scheduled to be updated on-line throughout 2001, will greatly increase the state’s ability to generate state-level migrant data.  However, the system is intended for Certificate of Eligibility data, not assessment or academic information, and there are no plans at this time to add such a capacity.  

In Kentucky, school districts are in the process of installing a standardized attendance system, scheduled to be fully operational in 2002–2003.  This system will allow staff to attach migrant student identification numbers to student-level data.  The Kentucky Department of Education’s intention is to capture information such as migrant status as part of the attendance system, thereby expanding the types of student achievement analyses that can be conducted.

Oregon staff on both the state and district levels reported finding the Oregon Migrant Student Information System (OMSIS), which stores demographic, contact, health, and enrollment data, to be useful and useable.  Though it may be expanded to do so in the future, it is not currently used to calculate graduation or dropout rates, nor does it hold assessment information.  However, Oregon is developing a state database, the Enterprise system, that will include both migrant status and assessment scores.  Migrant staff expressed some hesitation in embracing this system, as the Enterprise data comprise several sources and may not be as clean as they believe the OMSIS to be.

The Washington Migrant Student Record System (MSRS) was taken directly from the former national Migrant Student Record Transfer System (MSRTS) and has been available on-line for three years now.  The search capabilities are extensive and personnel at the state and district levels applauded its accessibility, quality, and potential.  The biggest disadvantage to the MSRS seems to be that the system generates and depends upon student identification numbers that do not match those used by other state databases.  MSRS programmers are now working on changing this discrepancy by using state identification numbers as migrant identification numbers, which will allow the loading of assessment data into the migrant data system.

Improving the quality and availability of data on migrant students is a necessary step to make informed decisions concerning migrant education programs.  Staff training, technological changes, and collaborative planning should continue to be part of the steps states and districts use to advance these efforts.  Some of these changes are already occurring, but they must continue on a widespread basis for ongoing improvements.

### IV.Summary and Recommendations

Migrant student achievement data are generally limited to performance on state assessments.  While estimates are not regularly calculated on the percentage of eligible migrant students actually participating in such assessments, most states in the study can disaggregate their data and compare migrant student performance to that of all students or specifically to non-migrant students.  There are significantly less data available that measure any other type of academic outcome, including graduation, dropout, and postsecondary information, and there are significant concerns about the inclusion of all migrant students in these statistics.  In general, larger states are more likely than smaller states to have the systems that would allow them to produce more achievement data. 

Across the nine states visited, state and local staff generally did not rely upon available migrant student data to evaluate programs.  There are several reasons why migrant education coordinators may not ardently pursue and use migrant student statistics.  MEPs tend to focus their limited time, personnel, and funds on providing services to migrant students rather than evaluating data.  Migrant education coordinators often come from education backgrounds rather than research areas.  They assist migrant families with basic services including transportation, literacy, and English as a second language, and tend to see data more as information needed to fulfill federal reporting requirements than as a means to evaluate their efforts.  Many respondents stated that they only collect data they are required to collect.  They also expressed reluctance to burden individual teachers, administrators, or migrant education specialists with requests to collect data for which no immediate need is seen.  Moreover, calculating statewide statistics is often very difficult, due to discrepancies in the way the data are assembled at each locality.  The lack of emphasis on, and training in, evaluation combines with cumbersome data systems to keep migrant education coordinators focused more on migrant students’ needs than on migrant statistics.  State migrant coordinators appear unlikely to initiate further data collection or compilation without federal encouragement and assistance.

Technological, logistical, and communication barriers may also factor into states’ limited ability to gather and evaluate migrant student data.  For example, Kansas previously has not had migrant student demographic information available at the state level and is in the process of updating their technology by launching a statewide web system in 2001 with this data.  Migrant staff in Kentucky have faced logistical problems as the number of limited English proficient migrant students has increased far more quickly than the state’s ability to assist them.  In another state, a lack of communication resulted in the migrant education coordinator being unaware that the assessment specialist could prepare state-level migrant student assessment data.

Another factor that reduces the pursuit and use of data by migrant educators is the lack of resources to dedicate to data issues.  In addition to the demands of running an MEP, the migrant education coordinator has the responsibility of requesting migrant reports from those who collect and distribute the data.  Therefore, the coordinators must determine and communicate the types of information to be compiled.  While some states’ migrant education specialists have good communication with the state assessment office, others experience a gap in communication that results in the inability to review disaggregated data.  Several states had migrant data specialists, who were often the individuals who manage the state migrant databases, like Texas’ NGS, Oregon’s OMSIS, Washington’s MSRS, and CoEstar in Arizona and Georgia.  California has hired a contractor for this purpose.  In Kansas, a superintendent with experience in migrant education helps collect data from districts, as the state is still in the process of preparing its state migrant database.  However, none of the states funds a full-time migrant staff position dedicated to reviewing the migrant data and evaluating program effectiveness and migrant student academic achievement.  Improving interaction and communication with state assessment offices and other data system specialists will bring about collaboration that will help yield more statistics concerning migrant students.

There are several areas in which a modest amount of effort may produce significant improvements in the collection, maintenance, and comparability of migrant student achievement data.  The first of these is **migrant student identification procedures**.  Systems of creating and tracking migrant student identification numbers need to be created or improved.  To allow students’ records to be maintained and transferred when necessary, prevent duplication of paperwork, and track accurate information on migrant students, each state’s identification procedures need to be reviewed and validated.  Migrant identification systems should, where possible, implement a statewide unique student identification number so that data can be more easily transferred across districts.  States need to ascertain exactly how students are being identified and if possible, standardize these procedures across districts, at least for the purposes of state assessments.  For example, the criteria for migrant status are printed on all Wisconsin assessment forms.  This ensures that whoever is completing the migrant status code on the form, be it a district migrant official, a teacher, or even a student, that person has the correct information available to make a migrant status determination.  

Introducing valid identification procedures may also involve distributing lists of migrant students to schools and providing teachers with the federal definition of migrant students.  These steps would make the migrant data set more complete and would thereby increase confidence in, and perhaps use of, the assessment data among state-level staff.  Communications in general should also be improved between state and district migrant staff, and migrant and assessment staff.  We saw examples of districts being unaware of state data capabilities, as well as state migrant staff being unaware of what the state assessment data systems could provide for them.

The second area in which migrant student data practices could be improved concerns the **clarification of policies surrounding assessments**.  Several states’ migrant personnel were unaware of aspects of assessment policies, including exemptions, accommodations, and score reporting.  It appears that migrant students may be informally excluded from assessments due to the use of accountability ratings based on student performance and the expectation that migrant students’ scores will lower the collective average.  However, migrant student scores are not used for accountability decisions.  Therefore, reeducating schools on what scores are part of the accountability system would decrease or even eliminate this potential cause of migrant student exclusion.  

A third area in which efforts should be is the **linking of databases** so that migrant student data may be viewed by a collection of variables.  Databases need to be linked to show demographic information, school-based information (such as grades, attendance, and discipline), and assessment by migrant status.  For planning, reporting, and needs assessment purposes, it is important that migrant staff be able to view individuals’ profiles according to these variables, often stored in different software systems.  Such work is already underway in a number of states, but the inability to combine data across these three systems remains a widespread problem and is a major deterrent to regular examinations of migrant student educational achievement.

The fourth way in which states and districts can improve migrant data quality is to **standardize the formulas** used to report on migrant student achievement.  This recommendation relates to graduation rates, dropout rates, and may also include assessment scores.  Although disaggregated reports of proficiency of migrant students as compared to non-migrant students may vary according to each state’s specific assessment instrument, it is possible to collect data on graduation and dropout rates with common formulas. The National Center for Education Statistics has specific formulas for computing these rates, although many states are in nonconformance with the standard definition and reporting practices (Winglee, Marker, Henderson, Young, and Hoffman, 2000).

Finally, more states need to **develop methods to allow for migrant student mobility**.  Several states have services that enable students to continue some of their coursework, but only one state allows its exit-level assessment to be administered in other states so that students may continue to work towards graduating under a consistent set of standards.  Improving intra- and interstate communication on records transfer, assessment administration, and standards for graduating will benefit migrant students.

Migrant education programs provide numerous services to migrant students, and are working to improve those services and their data collection efforts.  However, further encouragement, assistance, and education may enable them to take the necessary steps to elevate these endeavors to the levels of which they are capable.

### References

Blank, R.K., Manise, J., and Brathwaite, B.C. (2000). *State education indicators with a focus on Title I, 1999*. Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Officers. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 442 868)

Duron, S.B. (1995).  *Migrant farmworker students:  Decisions involved in post-secondary participation and success.* Geneseo, NY: BOCES Geneseo Migrant Center. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 383 506)

Educational Resources Information Center (1991). Highly mobile students: Educational problems and possible solutions. *ERIC/CUE Digest, 73*. New York, NY: ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 338 745)

Henderson, A., Daft, J., and Fong, P. (1999). *State Title I migrant participation information 1997–98: First Draft* (Contract No. EA94052001). Rockville, MD: Westat.

Morse, S., and Hammer, P.C. (1998).  *Migrant students attending college:  Facilitating their success.* Charleston, WV: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 423 097)

Parsad, B., Heaviside, S., Williams, C., and Farris, E. (2000). *Participation of migrant students in Title I migrant education program (MEP) summer-term projects, 1998*(NCES 2000-061). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 438 997)

Rivera, C., Stansfield, C.W., Scialdone, L., and Sharkey, M. (2000). *An analysis of state policies for the inclusion and accommodation of English language learners in state assessment programs during 1998–1999.*  Arlington, VA:  George Washington University Center for Equity and Excellence in Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 445 037)

Salerno, A. (1991).  *Migrant students who leave school early:  Strategies for retrieval*.  Charleston, WV: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 335 179)

Shaul, M.S. (1999). *Public education: Title I services provided to students with limited English proficiency* (GAO/HEHS-00-25). Washington, DC: General Accounting Office. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 441 335)

Siler, A., Stolzberg, S., von Glatz, A., and Strang, W. (1999). *Meeting the needs of migrant students in schoolwide programs:  Congressionally mandated study of migrant student participation in schoolwide programs* (Contract No. EA94052001). Rockville, MD: Westat. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 427 930)

Winglee, M., Marker D., Henderson A., Young B.A., and Hoffman, L. (2000). *A recommended approach to providing high school dropout and completion rates at the state level* (NCES 2000-305). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 439 194)

# Appendix A: Arizona

# Yuma Union School District

Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS)—2000

Table values at the state level show the percentage of students at each of Arizona’s four achievement levels.  Values at the district level show percentage of students meeting or exceeding the standards.  Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding.

**Reading**

* District data were available only for grade 10 because the district identified for this study contains high schools, but no elementary or middle schools.

**AIMS (continued)**

Table values at the state level show the percentage of students at each of Arizona’s four achievement levels.  Values at the district level show percentage of students meeting or exceeding the standards.  Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding.

**Mathematics**

* District data were available only for grade 10 because the district identified for this study contains high schools, but no elementary or middle schools.

**AIMS (continued)**

Table values at the state level show the percentage of students at each of Arizona’s four achievement levels.  Values at the district level show percentage of students meeting or exceeding the standards.  Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding.

**Writing**

* District data were available only for grade 10 because the district identified for this study contains high schools, but no elementary or middle schools.

**Stanford Achievement Test (Stanford-9)—2000**

Table values show the number of students tested and their percentile ranks.

**Reading**

**Mathematics**

**Stanford-9 (continued)**

Table values show the number of students tested and their percentile ranks.

**Language**

# Appendix B: California

# San Jose Unified School District

**Stanford Achievement Test (Stanford-9)—2000**

Table values show the number of students tested and the percentage at or above the 50th national percentile rank.

**Reading**

**Mathematics**

**Stanford-9 (continued)**

Table values show the number of students tested and the percentage at or above the 50th national percentile rank.

**Language**

**Spelling**

**Stanford-9 (continued)**

Table values show the number of students tested and the percentage at or above the 50th national percentile rank.

**Science**

**Social Science**

# Appendix C: Florida

# Hillsborough County School District

**Florida State Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT)—2000**

Table values show the number and percentage of students performing at each achievement level, from Level 1 (lowest) to Level 5 (highest).

**Reading**

Source: Survey 3, 1999–2000, Matched to FCAT Results for 2000

**FCAT (continued)**

Table values show the number and percentage of students performing at each achievement level, from Level 1 (lowest) to Level 5 (highest).

**Mathematics**

Source: Survey 3, 1999–2000, Matched to FCAT Results for 2000

**FCAT (continued)**

Table values show the number and percentage of students performing at each achievement level, from Level 1 (lowest) to Level 5 (highest).

**Writing—Expository**

**Writing—Narrative**

**Writing—Persuasive**

Source: Survey 3 1999–2000 Matched to FCAT Writing – (Formerly Florida Writes!)

# Appendix D: Georgia

# Southern Pine Migrant Education Agency

* Georgia can disaggregate assessments by migrant status as of the 2001 administration.

Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS)—2000

Table values show percentile scores, which rank students in comparison to all the students in the norming group who scored lower than the average student in that school or system.

**Reading Comprehension**

**Reading Vocabulary**

**Mathematics**

**Language Arts**

* The local migrant education program identified for this study is a Migrant Education Agency composed of a consortium of districts. Therefore, no specific district assessment scores are available.

**ITBS (continued)**

Table values show percentile scores, which rank students in comparison to all the students in the norming group who scored lower than the average student in that school or system.

**Science**

**Social Studies**

**Sources of Information**

**Composite Score**

* The local migrant education program identified for this study is a Migrant Education Agency composed of a consortium of districts.  Therefore, no specific district assessment scores are available.

**Criterion-Referenced Comprehensive Test (CRCT)—2000**

Table values show the percentage of students which did not meet, met, or exceeded standards.

**Reading**

**Mathematics**

* The local migrant education program identified for this study is a Migrant Education Agency composed of a consortium of districts.  Therefore, no specific district assessment scores are available.

**CRCT (continued)**

Table values show the percentage of students which did not meet, met, or exceeded standards.

**Language Arts**

* The local migrant education program identified for this study is a Migrant Education Agency composed of a consortium of districts.  Therefore, no specific district assessment scores are available.

**Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT), 1999–2000**

Table values show the percentage of regular program 11th graders passing the Georgia High School Graduation Test on first administration.

# Appendix E: Kansas

# Emporia School District

**Kansas Reading Assessment—2000**

Table values at the state level show number of students tested and percentage at each level of performance.  District values show percentage of students in top three quintiles.

**Kansas Mathematics Assessment—2000**

Table values at the state level show number of students tested and percentage at each level of performance.  District values show percentage of students in top three quintiles.

**Mathematics**

**Kansas Writing Assessment—2000**

Table values at the state level show number of students tested and percentage at each level of performance.  District values show percentage of students in top three quintiles.

* No students were identified as migrant in the classes tested.

# Appendix F: Kentucky

# Hardin County School District

**Kentucky Core Content Tests—2000**

Table values show the number of students tested and the percentage meeting standards.

**Reading**

**Mathematics**

**Writing**

* Cells with fewer than 10 students are not reported.

**Kentucky Core Content Tests (continued)**

Table values show the number of students tested and the percentage meeting standards.

**Science**

**Social Studies**

**Arts and Humanities**

**Practical Living and Vocational Studies**

* Cells with fewer than 10 students are not reported.

# Appendix G: Oregon

# Ontario School District

**Oregon Assessment Test—2000**

Table values show the number and percentage of students at each performance level at the state level.  At the district level, the number and percentage of students who met or exceeded standards are given.

**Reading/Literature**

**Oregon Assessment Test (continued)**

Table values show the number and percentage of students at each performance level at the state level.  At the district level, the number and percentage of students who met or exceeded standards are given.

**Mathematics**

# Appendix H: Texas

# La Joya Independent School District

**Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS)—2000**

Table values show the percentage of students meeting minimum expectations.

**Reading**

**Mathematics**

**Writing**

**Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) Percent Participation Rates of the La Joya Independent School District Migrant Students**

Table values show the percentage of district migrant students participating in state assessments.

* Grades 3, 5, 6, and 7 are not tested on the TAAS writing.

# Appendix I: Washington

# Sunnyside School District

**Washington ITBS/ITED—2000**

Table values show number of students tested and their mean national percentile rank.

**Reading**

**Mathematics**

**Reading/Mathematics Composite**

**Language**

**Washington ITBS/ITED (continued)**

Table values show number of students tested and their mean national percentile rank.

**Expression**

**Quantitative Thinking**

**Core/Core Total**

**Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL)—2000**

The table values show number of students tested and percentage of students meeting standards.

**Reading**

**Mathematics**

**Writing**

**Listening**

Size		Number of Children Eligible

Ranking	State*	for Migrant Services	

1	California	220,860

2	Texas	122,877

3	Florida	52,715

4	Washington	34,574

5	Oregon	26,408

6	Kentucky	25,146

7	Kansas	22,718

8	Arizona	18,141

9	Georgia	17,949

Key Findings

Most states could not estimate the percentage of migrant students participating in assessments.

The identification and coding of migrant students on assessments may be problematic.

Key Findings

Eight states allowed exemptions for migrant students based on limited English proficiency.

No state could provide an estimate of the number of migrant students affected by language exemptions.

Key Finding

State and district officials differed in their knowledge of migrant student identification procedures and data capabilities.

Key Findings

Language and mobility remain the greatest barriers to greater migrant student participation in assessments.

Most states considered language to be a greater problem for migrant students than is mobility.

The accountability system may discourage efforts to include migrant students in assessments.

Key Findings

Language accommodations were found in almost every state, but do not always best address the linguistic needs of English language learners.

Spanish assessments were available in four states.

Only one state had accommodations that specifically addressed migrant student mobility.

Key Finding

No state could provide an estimate of the number of migrant students who were tested with accommodations.

Key Findings

All nine states can disaggregate assessment data by migrant status.

Disaggregation is more often done at the district level (five states reported doing so, as compared to eight districts).

The use of separate databases often prevents the examination of assessment data in conjunction with other academic information (e.g., grades, attendance, etc.).

Key Findings

The use of separate databases often prevents the examination of migrant student graduation data.

Of the seven states reporting the ability to calculate a migrant student graduation rate, only two did so on a regular basis.

Of the eight districts reporting the ability to calculate a migrant student graduation rate, only three did so on a regular basis.

Key Findings

The use of separate databases often prevents the examination of migrant student dropout data.

Estimating dropout rates for migrant students is problematic due to their high mobility.

Key Findings

Only three states collect postsecondary data and although two of them could examine it by migrant status, they do not do so.

Tracking migrant students after graduation to collect postsecondary information may be difficult.

Key Finding

None of the states currently examine any other data on migrant student achievement.

Key Finding

Due to concerns about incomplete data, almost all migrant staff expressed doubts about the extent to which assessment data fully reflected migrant student performance.

Key Findings

Two states have fairly comprehensive migrant student data systems and one state is currently piloting such a system.

Four other states are in various stages of improving the utility of regular student databases for examining migrant data.

Summary of Key Findings

Currently, there is no way to estimate the percentage of migrant students participating in assessments.

The inability to link migrant, assessment, and academic databases is the single greatest barrier to evaluating migrant student achievement more accurately.

Lack of data on the number of migrant students not tested, exempted, or tested with accommodations leaves migrant staff relatively uninformed about conditions under which their students are being assessed.

Data on migrant student achievement, especially on assessments, are most likely incomplete, making conclusions or comparisons with non-migrant students difficult.

Most states are in the process of large-scale adjustments to their data systems, so the picture may change a great deal in the near future.

� The statute defines “migratory child” as a child under 22 years of age who is a migrant agricultural worker or fisher, or who has a parent, spouse, or guardian who is a migrant agricultural worker, and who has moved across school district boundaries within the previous 36 months, either on his/her own or with or to join his/her migrant parents, in order to obtain temporary or seasonal employment in agricultural or fishing work.

� Counts within states are unduplicated, but the national total may contain duplicates due to students moving out of state and being counted in multiple states. 

� States were selected based on data available at the time of study design.  According to final counts, Colorado had 20,259 eligible students and would have been included instead of Georgia.

� The other sixteen states that participate in administration of the TAAS are Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

� The ninth state added this capacity to their 2001 assessment.

� The four final outcomes for Texas’s four-year cohort are graduated, received GED, continued high school, and dropped out.  The percent graduated is calculated with the following formula: number of on-time graduates from the 1995-96 cohort plus early graduates divided by the number of 9th graders in 1995-96 plus transfers in minus transfers out.

� ‘Graduation Rate’ is calculated based on the number eligible to graduate (number of 12th graders) compared to the number of students receiving a diploma or certificate of completion.

� This is the Cohort Graduation Rate as it appears in the Department of Education School Advisory Council Report.