Idaho State Department of Education

You will receive ongoing training from your regional ID&R coordinator and through Idaho State trainings and webinars. However, to get you started, go to Files → General Information → Program Information and start with the Idaho Migrant Education Program Manual. The table of contents is hyperlinked to make it easier to find what you are looking for.

In order to be “in the loop” you need to be added to the Idaho District Contact Information (IDCI) application in one of the two migrant roles (below). In order to be added, contact your district ISEE Coordinator and ask to be added in the appropriate role. This can only be done by the district. As soon as you are in IDCI you will receive regular program update emails and invitations to webinars and trainings.

IDCI Migrant roles are:
MEFR-Title 1-C Migrant Education Liaison/Recruiter or
MED-Title 1-C Migrant Education Coordinator.

You will receive a extensive one-on-one training from your regional ID&R coordinator, who will also provide you with opportunities to shadow him/her on the job. In addition, there are Idaho State trainings and regional trainings twice per year each and quarterly webinars. However, to get you started, go to Files → Identification and Recruitment → Guidance and start with the Identification and Recruitment Manual.

The CNA is a decision-making tool for state migrant policy and district programs. It encourages a thorough review of the entire statewide Migrant Education Program which benefits not only state education agency administrators, but also district staff who will be able to target services more closely to the needs of migrant clients. Most importantly, it directly benefits and engages migrant students and their families to help shape the program and direct efforts to the most needed services. The CNA delivers a rational decision-making process for determining how funds are allocated. The focus is that of policy and programs, not individual diagnosis; however, a well-conducted CNA can lead to solutions that will directly benefit individual needs.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the statute that authorizes Migrant Education, requires a Comprehensive Needs Assessment to be conducted at the SEA and LEA levels. It must include:

Sec 1306 (a) (1) IN GENERAL.—Each State that receives assistance under this part shall ensure that the State and its local operating agencies identify and address the unique educational needs of migratory children in accordance with a comprehensive State plan.

Program Regulations and policy guidance issued by the Office of Migrant Education (OME) [34 CFR 200.83] state that:

The plan must include an identification and assessment of—

• The unique educational needs of migratory children that result from the children's migratory lifestyle; and
• Other needs of migratory students that must be met in order for migratory children to participate effectively in school.

Within P.A.S.S., a student works semi-independently with the assistance of a mentor/instructor who meets with the student on a regular basis. The curriculum is learner-centered and developed to include teaching techniques that assist the learner. Students can take these courses at their own pace.

Each semester course consists of five study units complete with unit tests. A student who needs only a partial credit for a semester course, or seeks a way to gain a specific skill, can complete only the units necessary instead of an entire course.

The P.A.S.S program is maintained at all levels of its development and use. The curriculum is developed by education specialists and certified teachers who are experienced in their academic areas. District staff members determine the specific academic needs of the student and choose appropriate P.A.S.S courses based on those needs. Student work is monitored and tests are administered and evaluated by trained staff. Districts award credit when work is completed.

The Migrant Student Information System, or MSIS, is a database, created by the Idaho State Department of Education to track migrant student moves, demographics, MEP services, assessments, and health information. Frequent review of MSIS is a critical component of keeping your data up to date and accurate. Reports also provide important information for identification and recruitment and evaluating your program.

The Online Tool for IT Support, or OTIS, is a ticket system to Idaho Tech Support used for making corrections to MSIS. These corrections are for correcting mistakes in data entry (e.g. name is misspelled). One migrant staff person should be responsible for making OTIS tickets after first verifying the information from a reliable source (e.g. birth certificate).

The SFTP site is a secure way to transfer documents with personally identifying information. You should never send student information though email, per Idaho law (33-133). The secure site is an easy way to upload a copy of a COE for transfer to another district. You must then email the Idaho MEP coordinator or regional ID&R coordinator to move the file to the other district’s folder. You should also notify the receiving district that the COE will be there. If you are using the system because of an in-state migrant move, you should also create an MSIX notification.

New migrant liaison or coordinator should:

• Ask the district technology director in the district to get the new person put into the appropriate role in IDCI. (This MUST be done first.) This is how you get emails from the SDE.
• Each person requesting to access an SDE or application is required to register his or her district email address with the State Department of Education (SDE). Visit the ISEE Portal, select “Other” as your organization, then click on the "Register" hyperlink.
• Follow the on screen instructions to register using your school email address as your username. After submitting, you will then receive an email at the address you entered and it will instruct you to click on a link in the delivered email to finalize the registration process.
• Directions for Registering as a New User on ISEE
• Ask the district technology director/ISEE coordinator to give you access to MSIS and OTIS in the ISEE Portal Admin Tool.

Regional ID&R coordinator should:

• Verify that the IDCI role is completed and then create an OTIS ticket asking that the new person be granted access to the SFTP site. Include the email address, district name, and employee name of the new person.

The Migrant Student Information Exchange, or MSIX, facilitates the exchange of migrant student records to ensure the appropriate enrollment, placement, and accrual of credits for migrant children nationwide. As a national database it includes important information on student’s course history, assessments, move history. It is also a useful tool for identification and recruitment and is searchable.

Go to the MSIX website. At the bottom of the page is REQUEST AN ACCOUNT. Click here and follow the directions as follows:

1. Download the MSIX User Access Guide and Application and complete the User Access Application (Applicant-page 13).
2. Submit your application to your supervisor to complete the application (Verifying Authority-page 14).
3. He or she will review the application and confirm your identity and need of an account.
4. Forward the form (pages 13 & 14) to the Idaho Migrant Education Coordination (email or US Mail).
5. Once the form is received and approved, a new account will be created and you will receive an email with information on how to log in for the first time.