Overview
Title III is a part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA). The primary purpose of Title III is to help ensure that English learners (ELs) attain English language proficiency and meet state academic standards.
Title III state formula grant funds are allocated directly to Local Education Agencies (LEAs.) LEAs with allocations of less than $10,000 must join with other LEAs to form a consortium, with one district assigned as fiscal lead. Cooperative Educational Services agencies also serve as fiscal leads of consortia across Wisconsin. . LEAs that have had a significant increase in immigrant children and youth may be eligible to apply for Title III Immigrant Children and Youth Discretionary Grant funds. More specific information can be found on the DPI Immigrant children and youth website. All Title III allocations, including awards for the Immigrant Children and Youth discretionary grant, are distributed via WISEgrants
The ESEA has been amended several times since it was first signed into law, most notably by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, which codified many of the EL-specific rules that we continue to follow today. In 2015 the ESEA was amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which further clarified our responsibilities for ELs.
Title III state formula grant funds are distributed to LEAs based on the amount appropriate to Wisconsin as per ESEA and then allocated to districts on a per pupil count of the the number of identified English learners attending school within the LEA.
Under Title III states are required to demonstrate that EL students are not only attaining proficiency in English, but also demonstrate proficiency in state content and achievement standards in mathematics, reading or language arts, and science. Funds are provided for supplemental activities to support instruction, family engagement, and professional development as well as other activities aimed at improving outcomes for English learners above and beyond civil rights requirements. The Federal government provides non-regulatory guidance for State Education Agencies (SEAs) and LEAs on the implementation of Title III.
To ensure that ELs are meeting these accountability metrics, Wisconsin has adopted the 2020 WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, and measures student achievement toward these standards through the annual administration of the WIDA ACCESS annual English language proficiency assessment. Progress towards meeting meeting English language proficieny and academic achievement are part of the Department's ESEA Consolidated State Plan. Guidance for identifying, instructing, assessing, and reclassifying students as English Language proficient as per Wisconsin's approved ESEA Consolidated State Plan can be found within the Wisconsin's EL Policy Handbook.