Eligibility Reviewer Training Texas Migrant Education Conference November 1517, 2006

1
Eligibility Reviewer TrainingTexas Migrant
Education ConferenceNovember 15-17, 2006

• Maria Elena Garza,
• NGS/Quality Control Specialist
• megarza_at_esconett.org
• Region One ESC
• 1900 West Schunior
• Edinburg, Texas 78541
• [phone]
• www.esc1.net

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Purpose of Eligibility Reviewer Training

• To provide intensive training on procedures and
  re-interview verification scenarios to ensure
  accurate protocol in the Texas Quality Control
  Plan.

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AgendaEligibility Reviewers need to be familiar
with

• Texas Quality Control Procedures
• Eligibility Reviewer Responsibilities
• Eligibility Process
• PMOL Concerns
• Non-qualifying PMOL
• Non-qualifying conditions
• Mapping networking
• Agricultural Fishing Activities
• Required documentation for eligibility
  determinations comments for clarification
• Validation Process

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Importance of Identification and Recruitment
(IDR)

• The States core responsibility is to ensure that
  only those children who are eligible for MEP are
  recruited, counted and served
• State directs MEP-funded services only to
  eligible migrant children
• MEP allocation is an accurate reflection of
  children who are migrant and
• MEPs integrity remains strong.
• Section 5.1

5
Quality Control Plan

• Also ensures that
• Annual eligibility validations are conducted by
  trained ESC migrant staff.
• COEs are randomly checked.
• Section 5.1

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Texas Quality Control Plan

• All individuals involved in identification and
  recruitment for the MEP must follow the
  guidelines and procedures outlined in section 5
  of the IDR manual.

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Texas Migrant Education Program Quality Control
Procedures

• Know the Texas Quality Control Procedures
• Recruiters must be trained by their regional ESC
  annually in IDR and cannot begin recruiting
  students for the new school year until they have
  successfully completed the training. (Only
  those individuals who have undergone annual
  training can sign the COE-2.3, 2.16, IDR
  Manual).
• ESCs train all recruiters annually and certify
  them on NGS by assigning each trained recruiter
  and reviewer an I.D.
• 5.2

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Texas Migrant Education Program Quality Control
Procedures

• Recruiters must always use the newest version of
  the Texas COE to record eligibility (2.3).
• The COE Supplemental Documentation Form is
  required for any family who does not rely on
  migrancy for the sole source of income (2.20).
  There are 2 ways to answer question 2
• Migrant work is the familys only livelihood
  (2.21).
• Responses must be documented in the parents
  words and completed in the presence of the parent
  (2.20).
• 5.2

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Texas Migrant Education Program Quality Control
Procedures

• Trained eligibility reviewers verify recruiters
  eligibility determinations.
• The eligibility reviewers signature certifies
  that the COE has been reviewed by a district
  official and that no concerns exist regarding the
  eligibility of any of the children listed on the
  COE (2.16).
• COEs requiring more than 1 comment are forwarded
  to the ESC (1.28-1.29 or back of supplemental
  doc).
• 5.2

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Texas Migrant Education Program Quality Control
Procedures

• 7. COEs are used on an intra-state basis (2.6)
• Residency verification occurs annually (9/1 thru
  11/1 ).
• The ESC conducts annual eligibility validation in
  coordination with the LEA.
• ESC re-interviewers interview families if
  questions regarding the initial determination
  arise.
• The State MEP randomly selects children for
  eligibility review.
• 5.2

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To Investigate Eligibility

• A recruiter asks the following.
• Who
• What and Where
• Why
• When

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Eligibility Criteria

• Who-children under 22, no graduation or G.E.D.
• What-worker is engaged in qualifying activity
• When-within the last 36 months
• Where-across school district boundaries
• Why-PMOL
• Principal Means of Livelihood means that migrant
  work is necessary to sustain family.

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IDR Whats New?
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Eligibility Process

• 1. Recruiter
• begins by recruiting and identifying
• 2. Eligibility Reviewer
• Re-examines and verifies the eligibility of
  migrant children on COE
• 3. NGS Data Specialist
• Enters COE data into NGS
• 4. Re-Interviewer
• Validates childs eligibility
• Section 5.4-5.5

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Key Roles in the Eligibility Process
Potentially misidentified children - COE sent to
State MEP

1. The Recruiter
COE back to recruiter for documentation/clarificat
ion.
2. The Eligibility Reviewer
4. Re-Interviewer
3. The NGS Data Specialist
5.8
5.8
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MAKING DIFFICULT ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATIONS
2. ESC
1. LEA
3. State MEP
5. LEA
5.10
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1. Role and Responsibilities of the Recruiter

• Primary Role
• Find and enroll eligible children.
• Responsibilities
• Attend annual training.
• Locate families.
• Gather facts determine eligibility.
• Keep records.
• Additional duties.
• Section 3.2-3.4

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Residency Verification

• The recruiter verifies between 9/1-11/1/06 that
  all the children on the COE are present in the
  school district within the reporting period
  9/1-8/31.
• Residency Verification - Date parent signed the
  COE. (for new COEs)
• Residency Verification by
• conducting face-to-face visit with the family or
  
• obtaining school PEIMS enrollment lists.
• Non-enrollees ages 3-21 who are not attending
  school.
• Section 5.13

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Termination of Eligibility
MEP eligibility terminates when a student

• Has no eligible moves within three years from the
  last QAD
• Graduates from high school/GED or
• Turns 22 years of age.
• Section 1.25

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Who is Eligible for the MEP?

• Children, not their parents, are enrolled in the
  MEP.
• Children benefit from the services offered by the
  MEP.
• Children qualify because they do the qualifying
  work or they have moved with a parent/guardian
  who does the qualifying work.
• Section 1.3, 1.21

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Children should not be included on the COE if

• They were born after the QAD
• They have graduated from a U.S. high school or
  have obtained a General Education Diploma (GED)
• They did NOT move across school district lines
  with or to join the worker
• They did not make a new qualifying move within
  three years (36 months) of their existing QAD).

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2. Role of the Eligibility Reviewer

• Primary Role to re-examine verify the
  eligibility of the children listed on the COE.
• The Eligibility Reviewer must
• Attend annual intensive training conducted
  specifically for reviewers by the ESC before
  conducting eligibility verification and signing
  COEs.
• Carefully re-examine the COE and verify the
  accuracy of all required information.
• Know and identify situations that require
  additional documentation in the form of comments.
• 5.4

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Role of the eligibility reviewer

• The Eligibility Reviewer must
• Know how additional documentation must be
  recorded on the COE and COE Supplemental
  Documentation forms.
• Know how to interpret eligibility-related data on
  the New Generation System (NGS).
• Know which qualifying agricultural and fishing
  activities take place in the local area and
  throughout the state and nation.
• 5.5

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Role of the eligibility reviewer

• The Eligibility Reviewer must
• 7. Verify eligibility based on the reviewers
  thorough knowledge of eligibility guidelines, as
  outlined in the Non-Regulatory Guidance and in
  this manual.
• 8. Maintain an auditable work log detailing the
  jobs and time spent fulfilling the reviewers
  duties. (5.5)
• 5.5

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Based on the eligibility review

• The Recruiter may be asked to revisit family.
• A second recruiter may be asked to visit family.
• The family may be determined ineligible for the
  MEP.
• Section 5.5

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Role of LEA in the Eligibility Process

• After COE has been signed (by recruiter and
  reviewer) and entered into NGS
• LEAs never re-interview parent/worker to verify
  eligibility after the COE has been signed by the
  recruiter eligibility reviewer entered into
  NGS.
• COEs are forwarded to ESC.
• Section 5.6

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Sections of the COE
The COE is composed of the following parts

• I. Family Data
• Eligibility Data
• Child/School Data
• Parent/Guardian/Self Certification
• Eligibility Certification Data
• Continued Residency Verification
• Section 2.2

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Why Eligibility Criteria PMOL
ConcernsClarification should be documented on
COE.

• Family indicates that migrancy is the only source
  of income, yet
• the timeframe surrounding the qualifying move is
  very limited.
• multiple moves are NOT made during the year.
• Worker or family members have positions that are
  professional in nature, requiring training or
  higher education.
• Non-entry level occupation, especially for
  non-qualifying work non-agricultural/fishing
  occupations
• 1.23

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Why Eligibility Criteria PMOL
ConcernsClarification should be documented on
COE.

• ?Moves from urban or non-traditional migrant
  areas
• ?part-time non-agricultural/fishing employment
• ?non-migrant lifestyle
• 1.23

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Why Eligibility CriteriaNon-Qualifying
Conditions Related to Primary Purpose

• A single one day move.
• A move to relocate to the United States.
• A move to seek non-agriculturally related work
  such a construction work.
• A move to seek political asylum.
• A move from a country other than Mexico or
  Canada.
• Section 1.20

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Why Eligibility CriteriaNon-Qualifying
Conditions Related to Primary Purpose

• A move back to Mexico.
• A move where a worker is returning form doing
  agricultural work in Mexico, visiting a sick
  relative, or traveling for personal reasons.
• A move where a worker is returning to the same
  job after taking a vacation or taking leave
  without pay.
• A to seek move back to the workers homebase.
• 1.20

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When Eligibility CriteriaNon-Qualifying
Conditions

• A first time to seek move
• A second consecutive to seek move
• A to seek move back to the workers home base.
• A to seek short distance and/or short duration
  move.
• A to seek move where the worker never arrived
  at the work site.
• Section 1.26

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When Eligibility CriteriaNon-Qualifying
Conditions

• Any to seek move that cannot be documented by
  well-established migratory pattern AND an
  explanation as to why work was not obtained.
• A to join move in which a childs move occurs
  after a year of the workers move.
• A move of a single day.
• Moves for 7 day or less, unless required
  documentation is supplied in the comment section.
• 1.26

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When Eligibility CriteriaNon-Qualifying
Conditions

• A move of short distance (100 miles or less),
  unless required documentation is supplied in the
  comment section.
• A move with the purpose of establishing a new
  residence or permanent location.
• Permanent employment in a qualifying activity.
• Work in which a worker is hired on a
  probationary basis.

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When Eligibility CriteriaNon-Qualifying
Conditions

• A move where a worker is returning from vacation,
  leave without pay, doing agricultural work in
  Mexico, visiting a sick relative, or traveling
  for personal reasons.
• A move for political asylum
• An international move from a non-border country.
• Activities involving transporting or hauling.
• Personal subsistence.
• Daily commuting.
• Activities, or a series of activities, that would
  be either temporary or permanent.
• Supplemental income involving work in a
  professional or certified field.
• 1.27

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What is an eligibility comment?

• There are eleven comments related to eligibility
  that must be supplied on a COE.
• From The Weekly Recruiter July 12, 2006

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Required DocumentationComments Needed on COE

• To seek move
• Short distance move
• Short duration move
• Temporary employment
• To join move
• Qualifying move back to home base
• Section 1.28

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Required DocumentationComments Needed on COE
(cont.)

• Multiple intent move
• Early move
• Industrial survey
• Unusual qualifying work
• Series of activities that could be considered
  year round
• Industrial survey
• Section 1.29

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What is a procedural comment?

• A procedural comment is a comment that clarifies
  an item on the COE that is not directly related
  to the eligibility determination. Examples of
  procedural comments are
• A second COE was needed to include all the
  children in the family who made the move with the
  worker
• The child was the worker but, because of age, the
  mother signed the COE. Child was present during
  the interview and supplied the information or
• Comment references another COE on file.
• From The Weekly Recruiter July 12, 2006

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Required for Clarification PurposesAdditional
Comments

• Guardian
• Self
• Cross-Referencing Children
• Intrastate Movement
• Changes on the COE
• 1.29

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Basic Steps for Accuracy

• Complete COE using black or blue ink
• Corrections are made using red ink, dated and
  initialed (Section 2.5)
• Review COE for blanks
• Compare Qualifying Arrival Date (QAD) vs.
  Residency date
• Include all necessary comments to support
  eligibility
• Check COE for accuracy, legibleness and neatness
• Must be completed in English only
• Recruiters MUST not give the parents a copy until
  all signatures have been obtained eligibility
  has been established.
• Section 2.3

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Critical and Non-Critical Errors4.41

• A critical error is data or information that
  indicates that the children listed on the COE are
  not eligible for migrant services. Examples of
  critical errors are the following
• Child did not accompany worker
• Move was to permanently re-locate or
• Work was of a permanent nature.
• A non-critical error is data or information that
  is missing or is specified incorrectly, but is
  not essential to identifying the children listed
  on the COE as eligible for migrant
  services. Examples of non-critical errors are
• Lack of supporting comments on COE
• Lack of specific detail in qualifying activity
  or
• Wrong dates reported on COE.
• From The Weekly Recruiter July 12, 2006

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Forward COEs forAdditional ReviewLEA to ESC

• COEs containing more than one comment (may be
  forwarded from ESC to State MEP if unable to make
  an eligibility determination).
• PMOL concerns (may be forwarded from ESC to State
  MEP if unable to make an eligibility
  determination).
• COEs on existing QADs containing conflicting
  qualifying information (may be forwarded from ESC
  to State MEP if unable to make an eligibility
  determination).
• LEAs cannot change QADs on COEs. LEA must
  forward COE and reasons why QAD should be changed
  to the ESC migrant staff. (ESC should check with
  the state if unsure if new QAD falls outside of
  the reporting window).
• Extenuating circumstances.
• Potentially misidentified children
• Section 5.

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Forward COEs forAdditional Review (cont.)From
ESC to State

• Extenuating circumstances
• Potentially misidentified children
• Section 5.11

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Exceptions

• Children not eligible for the MEP
• Children who are born after the qualifying
  arrival date.
• Children who did not make the move across school
  district lines or to join the worker.
• Youth who have graduated from a U.S. high school
  or have obtained a General Education Diploma
  (GED).
• Did not make a new qualifying move within three
  years of the existing QAD.
• Section 2.2

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COE Copy Distribution

• After the form is signed by the recruiter and the
  eligibility reviewer, the copies should be
  distributed as follows
• The recruiter should give the goldenrod copy to
  the parent/guardian/worker.
• The original (white) form should be filed in the
  auditable file for the district or the fiscal
  agent.
• The yellow copy should be forwarded to the ESC.
• The pink copy should be forwarded to the PEIMS
  clerk unless arrangements have been made to keep
  PEIMS copy in the migrant department/office.
• Section 2.22

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Yellow Copies

• The Texas MEP recommends that in districts with
  more than 100 identified migrant students, the
  ESC select a random sample of at least 1 of the
  yellow copies submitted to them to review for
  non-critical as well as for critical errors.
  This should be done as part of the ESCs ongoing
  quality control process. When errors are found,
  the ESC must contact the district to follow up in
  terms of eligibility determinations and/or to
  make corrections on the COE as needed.
• 5.7

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Maintaining Auditable Files

• The original Certificate of Eligibility must be
  maintained by the fiscal agent. The fiscal agent
  must also maintain documentation regarding annual
  training of all individuals signing the COE.
• Retention of COE (original) is 10 years from the
  QAD
• Section 2.24

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Why Mapping and Networking?

• To locate all migrant children residing within
  the state
• Map where migrant families reside
• Map agriculture and fishing areas
• Maintain lists of migrant housing
• Conduct community and industrial surveys
• Network with agencies.
• Section 5.3

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Texas Fresh Produce Availability Chart

• Created by the Texas Department of Agriculture.
• Information on the months when the fruits and
  vegetables are available in different regions of
  the state.
• Familiarizes recruiter with produce season/cycle.
• Section 4.27, 4.29-4.32

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3. NGS Data Specialist

• Enters COE data into NGS
• Possible 3rd prong/eye in eligibility process

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4. Eligibility Validation

• The ESC is responsible for conducting eligibility
  validations for the entire region.
• Children chosen for the eligibility validation
  process may be located
• In independent project districts
• SSA member districts or
• Non-projects districts.
• Section 5.

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Eligibility Validation Process for ESC

• Receive list of children selected for process
  from State MEP.
• Collect copies of COEs corresponding to reporting
  period.
• Review COE and information on family.
• Contact district to schedule re-interview.
• Local MEP recruiter may accompany the
  re-interview.
• Section 5.13

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Eligibility Validation Process (cont.)

• Re-interviewer follows questions in order on
  Eligibility Validation form.
• Then re-interviewer may use the COE and other
  data to review for discrepancies.
• Section 5.13

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Eligibility Validation Process

• ESC migrant contact will thoroughly review the
  re-interviewers notes to verify that the
  re-interviewer has confirmed the following and
  has addressed the following
• If the sample child made the move
• The dates of the move
• The locations involved in the move and
• The qualifying activity.
• 5.17

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Importance ofQuality Control

• Some Final Words
• All roles share in the effort.
• School districts, region ESCs, and the State MEP
  can be assured that
• Eligibility determinations are correct
• Texas MEP will continue to reach the many
  children we all strive to serve.
• Section 5.14

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Scenarios

• Please review the 8 COEs and document information
  requested on the eligibility review form.

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Congratulations!

• You survived eligibility reviewer training!
• Questions/Comments/Concerns
• Thank you for being a wonderful audience!