[The prepared statement of Mr. de la Rosa follows:]

STATEMENT OF RAUL DE LA ROSA
SUPERVISOR OF MIGRANT EDUCATION, STATE OF WASHINGTON

FOR

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR
SUBCOMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURAL LABOR
RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING

OCTOBER 12, 1977

CHAIRMAN FORD AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE:

IT IS A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TODAY TO SUBMIT TESTIMONY ON
BEHALF OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE DIRECTORS OF
MIGRANT EDUCATION.

TWO YEARS AGO, WHEN I FIRST TESTIFIED, THE ASSOCIATION WAS IN ITS INFANCY, PRIOR ATTEMPTS TO RECEIVE SANCTION FROM USOE FOR AN INTERSTATE COMMITTEE WERE FUTILE. BECAUSE OF OE'S CONTINUED REFUSAL TO SANCTION SUCH A COMMITTEE, THE

STATE DIRECTORS FORMED AN INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATION TO PROMOTE

NATIONAL ISSUES RELEVANT TO MIGRANT EDUCATION AND TO SEEK

ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS TOWARD EFFECTING INTERSTATE COOPERATION

AND FURTHERING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNICATION THROUGH
THE MIGRANT STUDENT RECORD TRANSFER SYSTEM (MSRTS).

TO CLARIFY THE MATTER OF OE'S REFUSAL TO SANCTION AN INTERSTATE
COMMITTEE, ONE MUST REALIZE THAT, FIRST, IT WAS A DEPUTY
COMMISSIONER, SINCE DEPARTED FROM OE, WHO WAS THE KEY FORCE
IN THE CONTINUED REFUSAL. SECONDLY, WE BELIEVE THAT OE is

UNABLE TO GRASP THE COMPLEXITY OF DEALING WITH STATE-OPERATED PROGRAMS, SUCH AS MIGRANT EDUCATION, INASMUCH AS THERE IS A FAILURE AMONG TOP OE OFFICIALS TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS OF THE ESEA TITLE I REGULAR PROGRAM AND ITS STEP-CHILD, THE ESEA TITLE I MIGRANT PROGRAM.

WHEN I LAST APPEARED BEFORE YOU TWO YEARS AGO, I SPOKE TO
THIS VERY ISSUE. AND, I AM SAD TO SAY, THERE HAS BEEN NO

CHANGE IN UNDERSTANDING NOR ANY ATTEMPT TO REORGANIZE AT THE

NATIONAL LEVEL. THE PROBLEM, AS I SEE IT, APPEARS TO STEM FROM THE FACT THAT TITLE I MIGRANT FUNDS ARE TAKEN FROM THE TOP OF THE ESEA TITLE I ALLOCATION. BECAUSE OF THIS, OE HAS ATTEMPTED TO ADMINISTER TITLE I REGULAR AND TITLE I MIGRANT IN THE SAME MANNER. I CAN SEE NO REASON WHY, DESPITE THE

FUND SOURCE, THERE CANNOT BE A SEPARATE SET OF ADMINISTRATIVE

GUIDELINES AND STRUCTURE TO SERVE STATE ADMINISTERED PROGRAMS
SUCH AS MIGRANT. TO REEMPHASIZE, I DO NOT SEE A NEED FOR,
NOR DO I SUBSCRIBE TO, SEPARATE FUNDING FOR TITLE I MIGRANT,
MERELY A SEPARATE ADMINISTRATION OF THE FUNDS WITHIN OE, AN

ADMINISTRATION WHICH WILL MEET THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF THE

STATES AS THEY ADMINISTER THE MIGRANT PROGRAM,

IT WAS TO HELP ALLEVIATE THE UNMET NEEDS OF THE STATES THAT THE ASSOCIATION WAS FORMED DESPITE LACK OF DE SANCTION. THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE DIRECTORS OF MIGRANT EDUCATION (NASDME) MEMBERSHIP IS COMPRISED OF THE MIGRANT EDUCATION

STATE DIRECTORS OF PARTICIPATING STATES AND THE TRUST TERRITORY

OF PUERTO Rico, ITS PURPOSE IS (1) TO ASSIST OE AND MSRTS

TO BETTER SERVE THE NEEDS OF MIGRANT CHILDREN THROUGH MEETING

THE COMMUNICATION NEEDS AND WANTS OF SCHOOL DISTRICT ADMINI

STRATORS, HEALTH OFFICERS AND CLASSROOM TEACHERS OF MIGRANT
CHILDREN; AND (2) TO CREATE A FORUM THROUGH WHICH DIRECTORS

ASSEMBLE, EXCHANGE IDEAS AND INITIATE CREATIVE AVENUES TO

BREAK DOWN INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS TO THE CONTINUITY OF THE

EDUCATION OF MIGRANT CHILDREN AS THEY MOVE FROM STATE TO

STATE.

MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, I AM PLEASED AND PROUD TO ENUMERATE THE MAJOR EFFORTS OF NASDME, BEGUN BY THE FIRST TWO PRESIDENTS, CHARLES CONYERS OF VIRGINIA AND JESSE SORIANO OF MICHIGAN, AND THEIR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES, AND NOW ENTRUSTED TO ME AND THE PRESENT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

1.

IN 1975, THE DIRECTORS DECLARED THAT SKILLS INFORMATION

IN READING AND MATHEMATICS WOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE

MSRTS. TO DO THIS, COMMITTEES WERE CREATED TO UNDERTAKE

THE TASK OF DEVELOPING A LIST OF SKILLS IN BOTH READING

(SPANISH AND ENGLISH SKILLS) AND MATH AND TO DESIGN A

PROGRAMMING FORMAT WHICH WOULD ASSURE A SIMPLE COMMUNICA

TION TRANSACTION BETWEEN TEACHER AND COMPUTER,

I AM

PLEASED TO TELL YOU THAT SUCH A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM IS

SCHEDULED TO BEGIN IN MAY, 1978,

2.

WE ARE AWAITING A FINAL REPORT FROM THE MANAGEMENT
INFORMATION SYSTEM COMMITTEE, FORMED IN 1976. THE
RESULTS OF THIS COMMITTEE'S EFFORTS ARE EXPECTED TO
BENEFIT CONGRESS, USOE, AND INDIVIDUAL STATES BY PROVIDING
HARD DATA EXTRACTED FROM THE MSRTS, RELEVANT TO THE
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF THE NATIONAL PROGRAM. IT
WILL ALSO PROVIDE INDIVIDUAL STATES A BASIS FROM WHICH

THEY CAN IMPROVE THEIR INSTRUCTIONAL PROGAMS FOR

MIGRANT CHILDREN AND PREPARE NE REPORTS THAT ARE BASED

ON SOUND DATA.

3.

A PRE-SCHOOL COMMITTEE HAS RECENTLY BEEN FORMED TO
IDENTIFY AND/OR DEVELOP A SET OF PRE-SCHOOL SKILLS
WHICH WILL BE PROGRAMMED ON THE MSRTS COMPUTER IN THE
SAME MANNER AS THE READING AND MATH SKILLS. THIS WILL

PROVIDE A BASIS FOR CONTINUITY AMONG MIGRANT EDUCATION

PRE-SCHOOL PROGRAMS.

AN ORAL LANGUAGE COMMITTEE HAS RECENTLY BEEN FORMED TO
DEVELOP A SET OF BILINGUAL ORAL LANGUAGE SKILLS. THESE
SKILLS WILL ALSO BE PROGRAMMED IN THE MSRTS COMPUTER.

ORAL LANGUAGE IS FUNDAMENTAL TO THE ACQUISITION OF

READING SKILLS.

5.

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION GAVE APPROVAL FOR AND ASSISTED

0

IN THE PURCHASE OF A NEW AND LARGE COMPUTER FOR THE

MSRTS. THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF THE ASSOCIAI TON, MR. JOE
MILLER, DIRECTOR OF THE MSRTS, AND MR. VIDAL RIVERA,
CHIEF OF. MIGRANT EDUCATION, WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE AN
IBM 158 THROUGH GSA AT A SAVINGS OF OVER $2 MILLION TO

THE MIGRANT PROGRAM.

6.

THE MSRTS COMMITTEE HAS RECOMMENDED TO THE EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE OF THE ASSOCIATION THAT THE COMMUNICATIONS
NETWORK SYSTEM OF THE MSRTS BE UPGRADED TO FACILITATE

MORE RAPID TURN-AROUND TIME BETWEEN TEACHER AND COMPUTER.

PRESENT TURN-AROUND TIME IS 48-72 HOURS.

WITH SKILLS

INFORMATION, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THIS TURN-AROUND
TIME BE ACHIEVED WITHIN 24 HOURS. THIS WILL PRECLUDE

THE TEACHER FROM HAVING TO TEST THE MIGRANT CHILD

UNNECESARILY AND ALLOW FOR QUICK PLACEMENT AT THE

APPROPRIATE SKILL LEVEL IN MATH, READING, ORAL LANGUAGE

OR PRE-SCHOOL,

7.

THE DIRECTORS ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A 5-YEAR
PLAN. THIS PLAN SHOULD PROVIDE OE, MSRTS, AND STATE
DIRECTORS A ROAD MAP FOR BETTER PLANNING. MR. RIVERA,
MR. MILLER AND THE DIRECTORS REFUSE TO OPERATE UNDER A

CRISIS-TO-CRISIS LEVEL,