12/15/2025
Budgeting Strategies for Leaders: The Basics of Title III Funding to Support Multilingual Learners
District administrators who seek ways to support their multilingual learners face two key questions: Which programs can best provide this assistance? What funding is available to pay for these programs?
Multilingual learners, who now make up more than 10% of the U.S. public school population, come to the classroom with varying degrees of English language proficiency. According to Lexia® Chief Learning Officer Dr. Liz Brooke’s white paper, “Understanding the Unique Instructional Needs of Emergent Bilinguals,” to become successful readers, these students require specific instructional strategies rooted in the science of reading. These strategies include:
Explicit and intensive instruction in phonological awareness and phonics to develop decoding skills
Speaking practice and vocabulary opportunities
Narrative and expository texts to practice comprehension strategies
Regular exposure to print and new vocabulary to increase reading fluency
Structured, independent reading with purposeful content
Opportunities for academic discussion to develop verbal English skills
Supporting Multilingual Learners Today and Beyond
District administrators can access federal funding sources to help multilingual learners build literacy and language skills. For example, Title III funds are currently available to districts through annual state distributions via the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). Funds mostly support local programs that assist students in acquiring English language proficiency and meeting academic achievement standards.
Guidelines for Title III funds require district leaders to use these grants for professional development or for establishing a Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP), along with providing and implementing other effective activities and strategies that enhance or supplement their LIEPs. These LIEPs must include parent, family, and community engagement activities and strategies that serve to coordinate and align related programs.
A Local Education Agency (LEA) may also use Title III funds to support community participation programs, family literacy services, parent outreach, and training aimed at supporting multilingual learners and their families.
How Do District Leaders Access Title III Funding?
The Department of Education is the authoritative source for program guidance and requirements for Title III funding to states, which must allocate most of their share to eligible school districts based on student enrollment data and specific needs related to multilingual learners’ education. Local Education Agencies (LEAs) should continue to work through their State Education Agency (SEA) for applications, allocations, and reporting. Payment processing for Title III funds has transitioned from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).
Once state leaders receive Title III funds, they distribute funds to LEAs according to a formula based on the number of multilingual learners served, their level of need, and the goals outlined in the state's plan. LEAs must apply for and manage expenditures to support programs that improve the English language proficiency and academic achievement of multilingual learners. Here are some rules SEAs and LEAs must follow:
According to DOE policy, states may only reserve up to 5% of the total state grant for state activities. States must distribute 95% of Title III funds to districts.
States must give districts enough time to spend Title III funds in a thoughtful and meaningful way during the school year for which the funds are intended to be used. In some cases, states may reallocate funds given to districts.
District leaders must also meet specific criteria and demonstrate how their plans align with Title III requirements in their applications, including how they plan to spend Title III funds to support students and families.
What Can Title III Funds Be Used For?
Generally speaking, Title III funds must support supplementary services as part of a language instruction program for multilingual learners that:
Increases the English language proficiency of multilingual learners by providing effective language instruction programs
Provides effective professional development to classroom teachers, principals, as well as other school leaders, administrators, and school or community-based organizational personnel
Supplies activities and strategies that enhance educational programs for English Learners, which include parent, family, and community engagement
Title III funds cannot be used to satisfy core educational requirements that all students are entitled to receive under local, state, or federal law. For example, if a home survey indicates a student is multilingual, Title III funds couldn’t be used for an initial assessment of English language proficiency.
What Should District Leaders Consider When Creating and Implementing Title III Strategies?
When considering how best to use Title III funds, it’s important to take a strategic approach to effectively meet multilingual learners' needs. Here are some key questions to answer when considering supplementary programs, tools, and professional development support:
Alignment With Title III Goals
Do the tools provide real-time insights into a student’s English language acquisition?
Do the programs or tools adapt to meet student proficiency levels and learning paces?
Do the programs or tools offer multilingual resources to support family engagement and community involvement?
Evidence-Based and Research-Backed Standards
Do the programs or tools meet WIDA standards?
Do the programs support phonics, fluency, comprehension, academic vocabulary development, and other evidence-based components rooted in the science of reading?
Do the programs or tools encourage native language use as a bridge to English proficiency?
Accessibility
Do the programs provide scaffolded language supports, including speech recognition?
Do the tools include text-to-speech, visual aids, or interactive features?
Do the programs work on various devices to support school and home use?
Teacher Support and Professional Development
Do the programs include self-paced teacher training, live webinars, and implementation coaching?
Do the professional development tools include printable lesson plans, writing prompts, and/or discussion guides for teachers?
Compliance, Scalability, and Cost-Effectiveness
Do the practices ensure compliance with federal and state English language proficiency requirements?
Do the programs support small-group or whole-class instruction, and can they be scaled for districtwide implementation?
Are the programs affordable beyond the grant funding period, and do they include options for site licenses or per-student pricing?
By answering these questions, district administrators can narrow down the solutions to consider for supporting Title III activities.
Title III Reporting Requirements
Administrators in districts that receive Title III funds must also report to their state each year how funds helped multilingual learners progress academically.
Title I already requires state leaders and LEAs to report on multilingual learner progress in achieving English language proficiency, attainment of English language proficiency, academic achievement, and high school graduation rates. Under Title III, state and district leaders must satisfy additional reporting requirements. For example, district administrators must report the following to their state leaders:
Title III programs and activities
Number and percentage of multilingual learners making progress toward English language proficiency
Number and percentage of multilingual learners who attain proficiency and exit LIEPs
Number and percentage of former multilingual learners who meet academic content standards (for four years)
Number and percentage of multilingual learners who have not exited LIEPs after five years as an English Learner
Any other information required by the state
Picking the right tool and remaining compliant with Title III may seem daunting, but there are solutions to meet students’ needs and provide districts with the data they need to show literacy progress.
How Lexia Supports Multilingual Learners Under Title III
Lexia’s suite of programs—Lexia English Language Development™, Lexia® Core5® Reading, and Lexia® PowerUp Literacy®—can help educators provide comprehensive support for multilingual learners while aligning with Title III requirements. Here’s how each solution supports English language acquisition and development:
Lexia English Language Development
Lexia English is an Adaptive Blended Learning program that supports bilingual learners’ English language acquisition through academic conversations. The program integrates speaking, listening, and grammar in the subjects of math, science, social studies, general knowledge, and biographies.
During the 2024–2025 school year, more than 163,000 students and 80,000 educators in 7,100 schools used Lexia English. With 59% of instructional time spent in active conversations in the program last year, Lexia English has helped thousands of students across the country improve their English language proficiency.
Here’s how Lexia English aligns with Title III:
Title III Requirement | Lexia English Alignment |
|---|---|
Monitors and reports the progress of English Learners | Lexia English provides adaptive learning to track progress in speaking, listening, and grammar skills, helping teachers understand which content students need to complete and prioritize instructional time. |
Improves instruction through educational technology | Lexia English's blended learning program integrates speaking, listening, and grammar. It uses adaptive technology to personalize learning, offering students feedback through speech recognition and interactive lessons. |
Includes scaffolded and personalized instruction | Lexia English adjusts to student needs with standard and scaffolded instruction. Learners progress through content after demonstrating proficiency or receive targeted support when they make errors. |
Offers real-time progress monitoring and assessment | Educators receive actionable data on student performance via Assessment Without Testing®, enabling personalized instruction without waiting for standardized test results. |
Provides access to educational technology | Since Lexia English is an Adaptive Blended Learning program, it eliminates the need for hardware or installation costs. The program offers scalability, automatic updates, and accessibility from any internet-enabled device. |
Supports elementary school students | Lexia English focuses on developing speaking and listening skills for K–6 students, providing immersive activities that naturally build language skills in academic contexts. |
Provides professional development for educators | Lexia English offers professional development through online sessions, live support, and self-paced eLearning opportunities. It also provides optional District and School Success Partnerships to enhance implementation and long-term English language goals. |
Engages parents and families | Lexia English includes resources for families, such as home-use letters in multiple languages and an informational video to help parents support their child’s learning. |
Coordinates and aligns with other federal and state programs | Lexia English can be integrated with funds from state and local sources, including Title I, Part A, Title IV, Part A, IDEA, Part B, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, and Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grants. |
Lexia Core5 Reading
Built on the science of reading, Core5 is a research-proven program that accelerates the development of literacy skills for students of all abilities, helping them make the critical shift from learning to read to reading to learn. While Core5 is designed to benefit general education students, specific features make it particularly effective for multilingual students who are learning to read in English. These features include:
Native Language Support: Core5 provides interactive and engaging scaffolding in students’ native languages, helping them bridge the gap between their first language and English.
Culturally Responsive Texts: Core5 incorporates diverse, culturally relevant reading materials that resonate with students from various backgrounds.
These features ensure multilingual learners can more effectively engage with content, building their literacy skills while honoring their linguistic and cultural heritage. Here's how Core5 aligns with Title III:
Title III Requirement | Core5 Alignment |
|---|---|
Provides effective language instruction educational programs for multilingual learners | Core5's research-based, Adaptive Blended Learning program personalizes reading instruction in phonological awareness, phonics, structural analysis, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. |
Demonstrates success in increasing English proficiency and academic achievement | Core5 accelerates students' reading skill development, predicts students' year-end performance, and provides data-driven action plans for differentiation. |
Research- and evidence-based | Core5 is backed by peer-reviewed research studies that meet the highest ESSA evidence standards (eight strong, two moderate, and eight promising studies). Core5 has been recognized by CASE, NCII, WIDA, LEAP Innovations, and FCRR. |
Monitors and reports on multilingual learners’ progress in achieving proficiency and academic success | Core5 includes Auto Placement, Performance Predictors, and Prescription of Instructional Intensity features to track progress and ensure targeted interventions. |
Offers regular assessment and progress monitoring | Core5's built-in Assessment Without Testing feature gathers data without interrupting instruction, ensuring continuous monitoring of student performance. |
Supports data management and reporting | The myLexia® educator website provides detailed, interactive reports at the student, class, school, and district levels, helping educators make data-driven decisions. |
Multilingual learners who use both Lexia English and Core5 have experienced statistically significant results. One study showed that students using both Core5 and Lexia English showed the highest effect size (0.34) on the overall California English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPAC) compared to students who did not use any Lexia® products.
Both programs contribute to building a robust English vocabulary, with Core5 focusing on reading vocabulary and Lexia English emphasizing spoken academic vocabulary. While Core5 addresses grammar in the context of reading, Lexia English gives multilingual learners explicit instruction and practice in English grammar structures. Core5 provides students with reading comprehension practice, while Lexia English supports their oral language comprehension, which transfers to reading comprehension.
Lexia PowerUp Literacy
PowerUp accelerates literacy gains for students in grades 6–12 who are at risk of not meeting college- and career-ready standards. PowerUp is rooted in the science of reading and is proven to be up to five times as effective as the average middle school reading intervention. It enables students—including multilingual learners—to make substantial progress in a single academic year.
Multilingual learners in a diverse Michigan district achieved literacy success using PowerUp. Kentwood Public Schools serves about 9,200 students, 23% of whom are multilingual learners. Another 6% are former multilingual learners. In 2021, Kentwood educators piloted PowerUp to keep multilingual learners engaged in their literacy development.
According to the district’s midyear reading inventory, 46% of students had already met their end-of-year Lexile® growth goal for the 2022–2023 school year after using PowerUp, illustrating the tool’s positive effect on this population.
Here's how PowerUp aligns with Title III:
Title III Requirements | PowerUp Alignment |
|---|---|
Monitors and reports on multilingual learners’ progress in English proficiency and academic achievement |
|
Improves instruction by acquiring or developing educational technology |
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Provides effective professional development for multilingual learner instruction and assessment |
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Assists parents and families to become active participants in their child’s education |
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Using Title III Funds for Lexia Solutions
Lexia solutions can play a key role in Title III-funded activities to support multilingual learners. The following are some suggestions for incorporating Lexia’s suite of programs into these efforts, listed according to the Title III requirements they align with:
Required Use of Funds: Strengthen parent-family engagement by hosting Lexia Family Literacy Nights, sharing the MyLexia dashboard for progress monitoring as well as skills reports and Lexia home letters.
Supplementary, So Will Not Supplant: Target support for newcomers with newcomer-specific intervention groups, accelerated oral language modules for students new to the United States, and personalized learning pathways based on data from Lexia’s Assessment Without Testing technology.
Strengthen Professional Learning and EL Instruction: Support co-teaching models for multilingual learners by using Lexia tools in co-planning and sharing common assessments.
Requirement Under Title III: Use Lexia data in Title III annual reporting that tracks the long-term growth of multilingual learners completing Lexia programs, creating consistent districtwide measures of academic and language proficiency.
Supplementary, So Will Not Supplant: Incorporate Lexia solutions in summer and extended learning programs—such as after-school tutoring, extended learning time interventions, and home support—to avoid summer language loss.
Looking Ahead
As a district administrator, you have many program choices to consider as you continue current programs and develop new strategies to meet the needs of multilingual learners. Discover how Lexia can help support your plan with evidence-based solutions that improve literacy for all.
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