This lesson provides answers to common questions related to California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) and Illuminate.
What is CALPADS?
California Longitudinal Pupil Admin Data System. California schools report key data to the state around student enrollment, student schedules, staff info, and more.
Can I start my CALPADS validation early?
Yes! The earlier the better! We highly encourage districts to begin checking CALPADS exports as soon as possible. You can do this one the file is generated by referencing the steps outlined in the following help document: CALPADS: Data Validation Logs
How many submissions are there?
There are 3 submissions: Fall 1, Fall 2, and EOY. For additional information on submissions and dates, visit CALPADS Calendar.
How do I export my CALPADS files?
- Select Reports.
- Under Admin, click State Reporting.
The CALPADS Data Exports page is used to generate all of the files that you will need for your California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) submissions.
For step by step documentation on CALPADS exports, please the the help document: CALPADS Export Data
Do you have CALPADS file layout documentation?
This documentation can be found directly through the CALPADS System Documentation page.
How does Illuminate check for continuous enrollment?
Continuous Enrollment is determined in Illuminate if a student's Enrollment History and the School Calendar match. In other words, so long as the student is enrolled during all In Session dates for a given year of period of time, they should be considered "continuously enrolled."
I received an error in CALPADS, what do I do?
Check the CALPADS System Documentation page.
1. What is the error? Is this error mentioned on the CALPADS Error List?
- If the error is not mentioned on the CALPADS Error List from the System Documentation page, or you are unsure of how to correct it, feel free to contact support with a screenshot of your student or staff example returning an error.
2. Are the code tables set correctly?
- Check the CALPADS Code Sets and/or CALPADS Valid Code Combinations first to determine if you are using the correct code(s). If you are unsure of which code(s) you should be using, contact CALPADS support.
Note: Illuminate can assist with where you would need to enter/edit codes for state reporting extracts, but cannot advise/recommend on which code(s) should be used.
CALPADS and Lunch Programs
1. We do not overlap lunch programs start/end dates from one year into the next and prefer keeping them consistent within that same year. So for example, a free program that starts on 8/15/2013 should not have an end date on, for example, 9/15/2014 (Assuming that your 14-15 year starts prior to 9/15/2014).
2. Because lunch needs to be re-certified every school year, the district/school should end all active lunch programs as of the last day of school either manually or via the Mass Update Tool for that year. For example, a Free lunch program that starts on 8/15/2013 should have an End Date of 6/15/2014 (or whatever date is set up as last day of school).
- To edit manually, go to Students > (General) Programs. See our Student Programs help document for reference.
- To edit programs in mass, you can use our Mass Update Tool.
3. You might say, "Well, don't these kids get a 30 day grace period next year while we reassess/re-certify on who's getting F/R lunch? If we end their lunch on the last day of school this year, that would mean they are not receiving F/R lunch on the first day of school next year?" To keep these students appearing active for lunch for next year, staff can either recreate programs manually, following the same steps above, or use the file created from the Mass Update Tool process to have a list of students, update the start date to the first day of school, and import that file following our programs.txt import process.
4. Next year, after your lunch personnel has gone through that recertification process, they will come back and "end date" those students who are no longer F/R for that year (This should be within that 30 day grace period). Otherwise, all other students who are continuing, already have the program set for that year.
5. Same thing repeats (Back to #1) as you get near end of that year.
How are Homeless Students Tracked?
Here is the current process for tracking Homeless Students for CALPADS reporting in Illuminate:
1. Create a Student Program (Homeless code 191) (Students > Programs> Add Program )
2. On Demographic Details enter Homeless Dwelling Type (Demographic Details > Homeless Dwelling Type). The options in this drop down menu are controlled by the Dwelling Type code table in Code Management. Regarding what code(s) should be used, please refer to the Code Sets and Code Combinations information on CALPADS system documentation and/or contact CALPADS support.
3. IF applicable enter Homeless Details for Unaccompanied Youth or Runaway Youth Indicator (Student > Homeless Details)
For Historical Homeless (Residential Status):
CALPADS previously required that districts tracking homeless students with Residential Status codes. This field still exists in Illuminate however will not be part of the CALPADS extract.
Please perform the 3 steps above to ensure that CALPADS receives information accurately.
Next Steps
If you wish to view any info on requirements for all CALPADS extracts, see the CALPADS Know-It-All.