Title III

“English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement Act”

Title III of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is part of legislation enacted to ensure that limited English proficient (LEP) students, including immigrant children and youth, develop English proficiency and meet the same academic content and academic achievement standards that other children are expected to meet. As such, Title III provides Federal financial support to state and local educational agencies for this objective (Section 3101 & 3102). The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction receives funding under Title III based on the number of limited English proficient students and immigrant youth identified by schools in the state. In turn, districts receive funds based on the number of students identified.

To ensure that ELLs are meeting these standards, Wisconsin established the English language proficiency standards and measures student achievement toward these standards through the annual administration of an English language proficiency assessment (ACESS for All) and through state academic content assessments or WKCE. Likewise, it is our mission to work with local school districts to ensure that quality, research-based programs are offered to our ELL students in the state of Wisconsin. Due to an accountability mandate, the academic progress and performance of ELLs, as a group, is critical to a school’s overall performance, requiring more professional development for staff and increased outreach and information to ELL parents.

Under NCLB, state education agencies are held accountable for the progress of ELLs in two ways:

• Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) expectations for language arts and mathematics under Title I, and
• Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAO) under Title III, demonstrating satisfactory progress in learning English and attaining English proficiency

When developing a Title III plan, keep in mind priority use of funds to:

• increase English proficiency and academic achievement in core academic subjects of LEP students by providing high-quality language instruction programs and content area teaching;
• provide high-quality professional development to enable classroom teachers to deliver effective sheltered content and English language instruction; and
• develop, implement and provide extended day, weekend, and summer opportunities for English language and academic content instruction for LEP students.

To help districts with use of funds, the Title III Program provides technical assistance with:

• Grant application process & design
• Compliance & legal requirements
• ESEA Monitoring
• Accountability issues
• Professional development

Key Features of Title III are:

• Annual proficiency testing in all domains
• Parental Information
• Private School Participation
• AMAO Accountability
• Technical assistance for staff
• English Language Proficiency Standards
• LEA/Consortium ESEA Monitoring

For questions about this information, contact Jacqueline A. Iribarren (608) 266-7292

Last updated on 4/27/2009 11:22:17 AM