CALPADS

The CDE created the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) to enable California to meet federal requirements delineated in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, increasing student achievement accountability.

CALPADS has been operational since 2009. Since its beginning, CALPADS has enabled the migration of numerous methods of aggregate data collection to CALPADS, creating a central, cohesive system that maintains quality student-level data and providing a vehicle that tracks individual student enrollment history and achievement data which thus provides reliable longitudinal information.

CALPADS, the foundation of California’s K–12 education data system,  is comprised of:

• Student demographics
• Program participation
• Grade level
• Enrollment
• Course enrollment and completion
• Discipline
• Statewide assessment data

The student-level, longitudinal data in CALPADS enables the facilitation of program evaluation, the assessment of student achievement over time, the calculation of more accurate dropout and graduation rates, the efficient creation of reports to meet state and federal reporting requirements, and the ability to create ad hoc reports and responses to relevant questions.

CALPADS provides local educational agencies (LEAs) with access to longitudinal data and reports on their students. It gives LEAs immediate access to information on new students, enabling the LEAs to place students appropriately and determine whether any assessments are necessary.

TCSOS provides technical assistance and guidance to LEA staff on CALPADS, including holding quarterly meetings for a CALPADS User Group.