October Monthly Training- Getting Familiar & Overview Of The COE

10/15/2024

Agenda

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• What is the Certificate of Elegibility
• Why is Important
• How should be Completed

What is the Certificate of Elegibility?

The certificate of Elegibility (COE) is the form created by the Federal Office of Migrant Education and adapted by States to document their elegibility of migrant children

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The COE should be completed electronic at MIS2000

IL COE

Certificate of Elegibility

• The certificate of Elegibility should clearly demonstrates the necessary information for WHY as state determined a child to be eligible for the migrant Education Program

WHEN IS A COE NEEDED

All Students for the Migrant Education Program must have a COE completed and approved before they can receive services

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Multiple students from the same family may appear on the COE as long as they share the same qualifying information

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Certificate of Elegibility

Separate COEs are needed for any child who has a different Qualifying Arrival Date or for any child who has a different eligibility criteria than the rest of the children in the family such as OSY who is themselves a migratory agricultural worker

WHEN IS A NEW COE NEEDED

A new COE is needed when:

• Every time a student makes a new Qualifying Move or there is a new Q.A.D.
• If a student has a Q.A.D. or RESDATE that is different from other members of the family
• If parents of student also qualifies as an OSY

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Certificate of Elegibility

Instructions for completing the COE can be found at the ID&R Manual. That is available at the google recruiter website

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2024 ID&R Manual.docx - Google Drive

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Certificate of Elegibility

It helps to read and look over the whole COE, look at every single part of the COE, understand, and know what each line means

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IL COE REQUIRED DATA ELEMENTS

School Year – the current program year.�MEP Project Name – the name of the project completing the COE.�COE ID# – the unique number assigned to the COE by MIS2000.�Home Base District/State – indicates the school district and state the family �considers to be their home base

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�Section A. Qualifying Moves and Work Section –

Contains key dates, places and employment information that documents the child’s eligibility for the MEP.�1. from a residence in _________ (School/District/City/State/Country). This location is the child(ren)’s last place of residency immediately prior to the qualifying move.� NOTE: the child (ren) might have made subsequent non-qualifying moves.

2. This location is where the child(ren) resided immediately following the qualifying move as the worker, or with or to join/precede, the worker. A qualifying move can never be made to a country outside of the United States. As mentioned previously, the child(ren) might have made subsequent non-qualifying moves.

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●Mark the box “as a worker” if the child moved as the worker.

●Mark the box “with the worker” if the child(ren) moved with the worker.

●Mark the box “to join or precede the worker” if the child(ren) moved either before or after the date the worker moved. If this box is marked, also complete “i” under 2b.

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Section A. Qualifying Moves and Work Section

• If the child(ren) joined or preceded the worker, record the reason for the child’s later move or the worker’s later move. If the worker moved from a different school district than the child(ren), record the name of the school district in which in the worker resided immediately prior to the move. Also record the reason for the different move dates, and whether the worker moved from a different location than the child(ren), in the Comments section. Example: “The father moved 6/04/2024 to find housing. The children moved 6/21/2024 after housing had been secured.”
• Record the QAD, using the two-digit numbers that refer to the month and day, and the last two digits of the year. For example, May 20, 2024, would be written as 05/20/2024

Section A. Qualifying Moves and Work Section

Section A. Qualifying Moves and Work Section

3. The worker moved due to economic necessity on __________ (MM/DD/YY), from a residence in ___________ (School District/City/State/Country) to a residence in ___________ (School District/City/State), and: [Mark only one of the following boxes: either a or b.]

• a. □ engaged in new qualifying work soon after the move (provide comment if worker engaged more than 60 days after the move) OR
• b. □ actively sought new qualifying work AND has a recent history of moves for qualifying work (provide comment)

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4. Describe agricultural or fishing work. When describing the specific agricultural or fishing work, the recruiter should use an action verb (e.g., “picking”) and a noun (e.g., “strawberries”). In other words, the recruiter should describe the worker’s action (e.g., “picking”) and the crop, livestock, or seafood (e.g., “strawberries”). For example: picking strawberries; thinning sugar beets; pruning grapes; detasseling corn; catching chickens; walking (weeding) soybeans; and harvesting crabs.

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5. Mark the box for “seasonal employment” if the employment occurs only during a certain period of the year because of the cycles of nature and that, by its nature, may not be continuous or carried on throughout the year (e.g., detasseling corn, picking peaches, sorting seed corn, packing apples, picking pumpkins).

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Mark the box for “temporary employment” if the employment lasts for a limited time, usually a few months, but not longer than 12 months. It typically includes employment where the worker states that the worker does not intend to remain in that employment indefinitely, the employer states that the worker was hired for a limited time frame, or the SEA has determined on some other reasonable basis that the employment is temporary (e.g., feeding pigs, milking cows, trimming fat).

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6. The QAD is the date that both the child and worker completed the move to the school district listed in #1. The child must have moved as a worker, or with or to join/precede a parent/guardian or spouse who is a migratory agricultural worker or migratory fisher. As referenced in #2a, the child and worker will not always move together, in which case the QAD would be the date the child joins the worker who has already moved, or the date the worker joins the child who has already moved. The QAD is the date that the child’s eligibility for the MEP begins. The QAD is not affected by subsequent non-qualifying moves. For more information on determining the QAD, see the chart below.

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FAMILY DATA

Section C- Family Data

Parent/Guardian 1 [Last Name(s), First Name]. Record the name of the individual (if any) currently responsible for the child(ren). Record this individual’s legal last name (or names) and legal first name. If the parent/guardian has two last names or a hyphenated last name, record the individual’s legal last name(s). The term “parent/guardian” on this form and in other sections of these instructions includes a legal guardian or other person who is standing in the place of the parent, such as a grandparent, or stepparent with whom the child lives.

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Legal Parent/Guardian (1) (Last Name, First Name) –If the child(ren)’s legal parent/guardian is different from the current parent/guardian, record the name of the child(ren)’s legal parent/guardian.

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Parent/Guardian 1 Telephone. Record the telephone number, including area code, of the individual currently responsible for the child(ren). If no telephone number is available, write a dash (-) or “N/A.”

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Parent/Guardian 1 Email Address. Record the email address of the individual currently responsible for the child(ren). If no email address is available, write a dash (-) or “N/A.”

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Current Address – indicate the Street, City, State, and Zip Code where the family is currently residing, and where the family will be located during a home visit. Do not exclusively use the name of a building, employer, orchard, or migrant camp as the address. For example, include the trailer number for families living in a trailer park or the room number for families living in hotels/motels. If the physical address is different from the mailing address, provide the mailing address in the Comments section of the COE.

Section D - Child/School Data

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• This section includes information for children and youth who have been determined eligible. Recruiters should not include children on a COE who:
• Last Name 1/Last Name 2 – indicate the legal last name of each eligible child in the family. If the child has a multiple or hyphenated last name, include both names (e.g., Ramirez-Garcia).
• First Name – record the legal first name of each eligible child in the family. This is the name given to the child at birth, baptism, during another naming ceremony, or through a legal name change. Do not record nicknames or shortened names (e.g., Ale or Alex for Alejandra).
• Middle Name – record the legal middle name of each eligible child in the family. This is the secondary name given to the child at birth, baptism, during another naming ceremony, or through a legal name change. Do not record nicknames or shortened names (e.g., Mili for Milagros).
• Suffix – record the generation in the family (e.g., Jr., Sr., III, 3^rd).
• MIS2000 Student ID – indicate the unique MIS2000 student number for each child.
• Sex – indicate the sex of each child using “M” for “male” and “F” for “female”.
• Birth Date – indicate the month, day, and year the child/youth was born using MM-DD-YY format. A child born on March 12, 2006, would be documented as 03-12-06.
• Code – record the last two numbers of the birth date verification code that correspond to the evidence listed below used to confirm each child’s birth date:

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Section D - Child/School Data

• MB (Multiple Birth) – Record “Y” for “yes” if the child is a twin, triplet, etc. “N” to indicate that the child is not a twin, triplet, etc.
• Birthplace – record the city, state, and country of birth for each eligible child.
• Facility – indicate the name of MEP summer program in which the child is enrolled. During the regular school year, write the name of the school building that student is attending. Non-attendees, both OSY and P0-P5s, are enrolled under the name of the school district of residence.
• NOTE: In the summer, all students are enrolled in the corresponding summer MEP. This includes OSY and P0-P5s.
• Enrollment Date – indicate the date that the child enrolled in school, either during the regular or summer term.
• Grade Level – the grade level recorded should be one of the following:
• P0, P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 for those children who are not school-aged and are not attending a pre-school program. The number following the “P” corresponds to the age of the child on September 1 of the program year.
• PS (pre-school) for children enrolled in a pre-school program.
• For students attending school:
• During the school year, the grade (K-12) in which the child is enrolled on the date of recruitment; or
• If recruited during the summer, the grade in which the child was last enrolled during the prior school year.
• OSY (out-of-school youth) for youth who have dropped out of school or have never attended school in the United States. (Do not record the grade in which the child was last enrolled prior to dropping out.)

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COE PAGE 2

COE PAGE 2

• The program year and project name are recorded at the top of the back of the COE.
•  Section E – Interviewee Signature
• The interviewee signs and dates the COE on the day the interview is conducted. The interviewee must also write his or her relationship to the child. The person who signs the COE must be the source of the information contained in the document and should verify any information provided by another source.
• If the interviewee is unable to sign his or her name, he or she must mark an “X” in the signature section and the recruiter must print the interviewee’s name and relationship to the child in the Comments section. If the interviewee refuses to sign his or her name, the recruiter must document the interviewee’s refusal in the Comments section and print the interviewee’s name and relationship to the child.
• The language used to explain the contents of the COE must also be indicated.

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COE PAGE 2

• For a child to participate in the MEP, the interviewee is required to check (√) the box giving permission for the child(ren) to participate. The interviewee must also check (√) the box of the Release of Records section, indicating that the rules for migrant eligibility, services, student record transfer, and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act
• Recruiter’s Signature, Name, and Date – recruiters are required to sign and date the COE to indicate that they are trained and certified to make eligibility decisions and that they believe that the evidence obtained in the interview suggests MEP eligibility. The signature must be that of the recruiter who conducts the interview.
• LEA Reviewer’s Signature, Name, and Date – after the recruiter has signed and dated the COE, it is sent to the LEA Reviewer for review. This review is part of the effort to ensure that each COE is complete and accurate. After reviewing the COE with the COE Checklist, the LEA Reviewer signs and dates the COE to indicate approval of the document.
• SEA Reviewer’s Signature, Name, and Date– after an LEA reviewer has reviewed the COE using the eligibility checklist, signed and dated a COE, it is sent to the State Reviewer.
• Every effort is made to ensure that each COE is complete and accurate.
• IL collects and reports race and ethnicity for each child/youth determined eligible for the MEP. Identification for children should be done by parents/guardians. If a student’s parent/guardian declines to indicate race and/or ethnicity, the recruiter is required to do so for each child.

COMMON COE MISTAKES�

• Home Base District and Home Base State

Data for these fields is optional and can be left blank. 

• From School District and To School District CO

Data for these fields is optional and can be left blank.

• State

Data for these fields are required for cities in the USA or MEX and are to be left blank for any other country. 

• Misspellings

Take special care in the spelling of names and/or names of cities/states/countries. Recruiters should always attempt to review written documentation with the interviewee to verify the correct spelling of names and locations. Recruiters may also consult the Appendix section of this manual for the names and abbreviations of the states in Mexico and the US.

• Inappropriate Dates

All dates must be written in month/date/year format (MM/DD/YY).  

A child born or adopted after the QAD does not qualify.

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COMMON COE MISTAKES

• Descriptions

Descriptions of the qualifying activity should be as specific as possible and follow the specific format [verb(ing) + noun].

• COEs with a “To join” date must describe the circumstances of the “To join” move in the Comments section.
•  Worker’s and Children’s Move From and Moved To
• When eligibility is based on a prior qualifying move: a. The migratory agricultural worker’s move from and move to information should correlate to the most recent, qualifying move where the worker engaged in qualifying work.
• The child’s move from and move to information should correlate with their current location.  
• Enrollment
• COE must include the student’s current grade level. During the Summer Term, the current grade level will be the grade completed at the end of the Regular School Year 2022-2023.

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Contact Us

Reina Franco�ID&R Coordinator�224-605-4743�rfranco@niu.edu

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Maria Rodriguez�Program Coordinator: Elegibility Coordinator�815-753-8566�mrodriguez27@niu.edu

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