Report 2011-117 Recommendations and Responses in 2013-041

Report 2011-117: High School Graduation and Dropout Data: California's New Database May Enable the State to Better Serve Its High School Students Who Are at Risk of Dropping Out

Department Number of Years Reported As Not Fully Implemented Total Recommendations to Department Not Implemented After One Year Not Implemented as of 2012-041 Response Not Implemented as of Most Recent Response
Department of Education 1 3 1 n/a 1

Recommendation To: Education, Department of

To improve the utility of CALPADS and fulfill the legislative intent of the system, the department should work with the Legislature, the State Board of Education, and the governor to identify priorities for building upon the system when funding is available. These priorities could include tracking student participation in dropout prevention programs or strategies to measure the effectiveness of those programs or strategies over time.

Response

The Governor and the Legislature have made clear their priorities for building upon CALPADS.

The Governor has placed a moratorium on expanding CALPADS through the following budget language, "As a further condition of receiving these funds, the SDE shall not add additional data elements to CALPADS, require local educational agencies to use the data collected through the CALPADS for any purpose, or otherwise expand or enhance the system beyond the data elements and functionalities that are identified in the most current approved Feasibility Study and Special Project Reports and the CALPADS Data Guide v1.2."

The Legislature made clear their priorities for CALPADS by addressing attendance, chronic absenteeism, and an early warning system for students at risk of dropping out. These priorities are reflected in Education Code Section 60901.

As stipulated in Education Code, Section 60901, upon the receipt of federal funds intended for this specific purpose, Education will enhance CALPADS to include data over attendance and chronic absenteeism.


Current Status of Recommendations

All Recommendations in 2013-041