Title III Programs in New Mexico

New Mexico Public Education Department has provided a comprehensive guide for the implementation and policies regarding Title III Programs and state-funded bilingual multicultural education programs in New Mexico. In summary,

The Title III English Language Acquisition Act provides funds to local districts to implement language acquisition programs to ensure English Language Learners and immigrant students:

• attain English proficiency;
• develop high levels of academic attainment in core academic subjects; and
• meet the same challenging state academic standards as all children are expected to meet Federal Laws, Court Decisions, and OCR Policy Concerning English Language Learners

Under federal Title III programs, there are three funding options. These include:

• Formula-Based Program where funds may be used by local education agencies (LEA) to improve the education of limited English proficient (LEP) children.
• Emergency Immigrant Funding where funds may be used to assist eligible LEA that experience unexpectedly large increases in their student population due to immigration.
• Recognition for English Language Learners where the Bilingual Multicultural/Title III Bureau recognizes schools where English Language Learners are succeeding. To be eligible, schools must provide evidence of effectiveness according to several performances criteria.

The guide also covers topics such as research about second language acquisition, program content, identifying and assessing English Language Learners, program placement, and implementation policies. If you would like additional information, New Mexico’s Bilingual Multicultural Education Bureau (BMEB) provides leadership and technical assistance to support New Mexico districts and schools implementing Bilingual Multicultural Education and Title III Programs. You can visit their website here.

For information on The Latino Family Literacy Project™ and how our programs support Title III goals, please take a look here.