Reporting to the Ministry|
Questions and Answers |
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| 1 | Question: |
What are the components of the English as a Second Language/English Literacy Development (ESL/ELD) grant? |
| Answer: |
Funding is available to English-language boards on the following two components: The first component is intended to address the ESL/ESD needs of "recent immigrants" and provides boards with per pupil funding based on the number of eligible pupils that entered Canada for the first time during the current or the last four school years. The second component is intended to address the ESL/ELD needs of "Pupils in Canada" and is calculated by the ministry based on Statistics Canada data on the number of children aged 5 to 19 years whose language spoken most often at home is neither English nor French. For more information go to the Language Grant section of the Student-Focussed Funding technical paper. |
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| 2 | Question: |
Which pupils qualify for the "recent immigrants" component of the ESL/ELD grant? |
| Answer: |
To qualify the pupil: a) must be a "pupil of the board" who is under 21 years of age, as of December 31st of the current school year, and b) must be enrolled in a school of the board on October 31st of the current school year, and c) must have been born in a country other than Canada; Great Britain; Ireland; the United States; Australia and New Zealand, and d) must have entered Canada for the first time during the current or the last four school years. |
| 3 | Question: |
What records for ministry audit purposes are schools required to maintain to support the pupils claimed as "recent immigrants" for the purposes of ESL/ELD? |
| Answer: |
Board and school staff is required, for funding purposes, to complete the �Confirmation of Pupil Eligibility for English as a Second Language Funding� form or a comparable form and retain it for audit purposes. The appropriate Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) form examined to confirm pupil eligibility is returned to the pupil�s family. Due to protection of privacy concerns under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act; CIC documentation should no longer be collected by school boards and filed in pupil Ontario Student Records. It is recommended that boards add a Notice of Collection statement to the form as required under Section 29(2) of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. |
| 4 | Question: |
How do schools/school boards report and claim grant for pupils who qualify for the "recent immigrants" component of ESL/ELD? |
| Answer: |
Schools report data for eligible pupils (country of birth, birth date and date of first entry into Canada) to the ministry through the October School OnSIS submission. School boards are given an opportunity to confirm the number of such pupils reported by their schools after the school year has ended. This is done in conjunction with the ministry enrolment confirmation process. Boards report these confirmed ESL numbers in their audited financial statements. The ministry ensures that grants paid to boards are based on the confirmed ESL numbers. |
| 5 | Question: |
What date is used to determine a pupil's qualifying period for ESL/ELD funding purposes? |
| Answer: | The date of the pupil's first entry into Canada is used. |
| 6 | Question: |
What are the most common reporting errors revealed during the ministry compliance audits with respect to pupils claimed for ESL/ELD funding purposes? |
| Answer: |
The following errors were revealed during the ministry compliance audits: a. Lack of documentation to confirm pupil's date of entry into Canada. b. Pupils were not enrolled in board schools as of October 31st. c. Pupils entered Canada for the first time outside of the qualifying period. d. Pupils were reported in the incorrect qualifying year. e. Pupils born in Canada were reported. f. Fee-paying pupils were claimed. |
| 7 | Question: |
Do foreign pupils participating in a reciprocal educational exchange program qualify for the "recent immigrants" component of ESL/ESD? |
| Answer: | Yes. These pupils are "pupils of the board" when included in the ministry enrolment register and they qualify for funding if all other criteria are satisfied. |
| 8 | Question: |
Do refugee claimants qualify for the "recent immigrants" component of ESL/ESD? |
| Answer: | Yes. These pupils are "pupils of the board" and they qualify for funding if all other criteria are satisfied. |
| 9 | Question: |
Do pupils who are unlawfully in Canada qualify for the "recent immigrants" component of ESL/ESD? |
| Answer: | Yes. These pupils are "pupils of the board" and they qualify for funding if all other criteria are satisfied. |
| 10 | Question: |
Do "tuition fee-paying" pupils qualify for the "recent immigrants" component of ESL/ESD? |
| Answer: | No. These are not "pupils of the board" for funding purposes. The tuition fee charged is expected to cover the cost of educating these pupils, including the cost of ESL/ESD. |
| 11 | Question: |
What happens when a pupil needs ESL/ESD programming but is not born in a qualifying country? Does this mean the pupil is not eligible for ESL/ESD programming? |
| Answer: | No, the funding formula is not intended to reflect precisely which pupils should be receiving ESL/ESD programming. That decision should be made by the board based on the needs of its pupils. The funding formula is a grant distribution system. It does not determine which pupils require ESL/ESD programming. It is entirely possible that some pupils born in qualifying countries would not need ESL/ESD programming while other pupils born in non-qualifying countries would need ESL/ESD programming. |
