DataQuest Update Issue #2

November 26, 2019

DataQuest is the California Department of Education’s (CDE) public data reporting website. DataQuest provides meaningful data and statistics about California’s K-12 public educational system that supports a wide variety of informational, research, and policy needs. The purpose of the DataQuest Update is to provide: (1) announcements regarding public data releases and availability; (2) general information and analysis on various data reporting topics; and (3) practical tips on how to effectively use DataQuest to obtain information. For questions regarding DataQuest, please submit an email to dataquest@cde.ca.gov.

Data Release #1: Classified Staff and Estimated Teacher Hires Reports and Downloadable Data Files

The CDE recently released the following new staff reports on DataQuest

• 2018-19 Classified Staff reports
  • Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) of Classified Staff with Detail Info
  • Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) of Classified Staff by County
• 2019-20 Estimated Teacher Hires
  • Estimated Number of Teacher Hires by Subject

These reports are based on data submitted to by local educational agencies (LEAs) to the CDE through the California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS).These reports are accessible from the DataQuest homepage through the Subject menu under the School Staffing>Staffing and the School Staffing>Estimated Teacher Hires subject areas, respectively. For more detailed instructions on how to access the staff reports please refer to the tip below.

The report templates for the Classified Staff and Estimated Teacher Hire reports have been updated with this release to include Report Description and Report Glossary sections on both sets of reports, and a Report Options and Filters section on the Classified Staff reports. These new features are available through expandable windows at the top of each report.

The supporting Classified Staff downloadable data file is publicly available on the CDE Classified Staff by Race/Ethnicity & Gender web page. Information about the data file is provided in the associated “File Structure” link located on this page.

The supporting Estimated Teacher Hires downloadable data file is publicly available on the CDE CBEDS Data about Schools & Districts web page. Information about the data file is provided in the associated “File Structure” link located on this page.

Data Release #2: Staff Demographic, Staff Assignment, and Course Downloadable Data Files

Earlier this fall, the CDE released the 2018–19 Certificated Staff, Pupil Services, and Administrator staff reports and the following 2018–19 Subject Area Course reports:

• Number of Classes by Subject Area
• Enrollment in Courses Taught by Subject
• Average Class Size by Subject

These staff, course, and class reports are based on data submitted to by local educational agencies (LEAs) to the CDE through the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). These reports are accessible from the DataQuest homepage through the Subject menu under the School Staffing>Staffing and the Other>Subject Area Courses subject areas, respectively.

The following Staff Demographic downloadable data files are now publicly available:

• Staff Demographics
• Staff School FTE
• Note: Staff Credential data are currently unavailable

Additionally, the following Staff Assignment and Course downloadable data files are now publicly available:

• Staff Assignment
• Courses Taught
• Course Enrollment
• Class Enrollment

Information about each data file is provided in the associated “File Structure” link on each page. Additionally, information about how the files are related and can be used together is provided in the Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)(PDF).

Upcoming DataQuest Release

The upcoming December release of the 2018–19 educational data reports on DataQuest will include: Chronic Absenteeism Rates, Graduation Rates and Suspension Rates. In addition to the existing Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) reports available on DataQuest, the CDE will be releasing a five-year cohort graduation rate for the first time. More information about the new five-year cohort graduation rate report will be provided in a future DataQuest Update. As with previous data releases, the CDE will also make downloadable data files publicly available in support of the corresponding DataQuest reports.

These data will be publicly released during the week of December 9th in conjunction with the release of the 2019 California School Dashboard (Dashboard) .

Crosswalk Between California School Dashboard and DataQuest

Similar data are presented on the Dashboard and DataQuest; however, these data are used for different purposes and often produced using different business rules. These differences sometimes result in confusion and misunderstanding in the field. To help alleviate any problems caused by these differences, the CDE has produced a data crosswalk document in support of the 2018–19 Dashboard and supporting DataQuest report releases. The 2018–19 Data Crosswalk for the California School Dashboard and DataQuest document is now publicly available under the Data Files and Guide tab on the California School Dashboard and System of Support web site. This document provides a short overview of the data available in both Dashboard and DataQuest and a summary of the differences in the way the data are produced for both data reporting tools.

DataQuest Tips

How to View Staff Data Reports

1. Open the DataQuest Homepage
   • Next to Level select: State
   • Next to Subject select: Staffing
2. Select 2018-19 year and select “Submit”
3. Select the desired report to view.

Note: The two bottom reports, Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) of Classified Staff with Detail and Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) of Classified Staff by County are both newly added.