Dear Title III State Directors, 

 Attached is a letter to Chief State School Officers inviting States to submit to ED amendments to State Title III assessment and accountability systems for the 2012-13 school year.  Please note that the submission deadline stated in the letter is April 10; however, this deadline has been extended until Friday, April 26, 2013.  Please contact your assigned Title III program officer if you have any questions related to CSA amendments.

Also, we want to call to your attention question  B-11b. of the Frequently Asked Questions Addendum, available under the "Overview" section of the Department's ESEA flexibility page: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/esea-flexibility/index.html.  Question B-11 has been revised and a new question has been added regarding how Title III AMAO 3 is calculated for States no longer making AYP determinations. 

B-11b. How must an SEA that received a waiver of the requirement to make AYP determinations hold its LEAs accountable for meeting AMAO 3 under ESEA section 3122?

Under ESEA section 3122, each SEA must set AMAOs for English Learners served under Title III of the ESEA.  AMAO 3 is based on making AYP for the subgroup of English Learners.  In a State that received a waiver of the requirement to make AYP determinations, an LEA is still held accountable for meeting AMAO 3.  However, that accountability is now based on whether the subgroup of English Learners met its AMOs for reading/language arts and mathematics, the 95 percent participation rate requirement, and, if the LEA includes one or more high schools, the State's graduation rate goal or annual target.  Because a subgroup must meet all of these elements in order to make AYP, meeting AMAO 3 in a State that has received the AYP waiver likewise requires meeting all of these individual AYP components. 

Thank you,
Supreet Anand