Certifying Data Submissions

This chapter will cover the attestation of Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) when they complete their monthly California Preschool Data Collection systems (CAPSDAC) data.

LEAs shall submit data to CAPSDAC on a monthly basis. LEAs are required to review certification reports reflecting specific data submitted to CAPSDAC. LEAs must conduct additional checks on the data, which cannot be performed upon input, or apply certification validation rules to a reporting database. The resulting data should be displayed in certification reports for agencies to review. These data snapshots are taken during " data submission periods," within which categories of data are certified together. Within these submission periods, agencies certify data for each month and year.

LEA Certification

During the submission window, agencies must review and certify the data by the specified deadline. Agencies can update the data at any point during the amendment window and recertify accordingly. The CAPSDAC takes new snapshots of the data and generates new revisions of certified submitted data each time the data is altered. Once agencies have certified, the data snapshot is "frozen”, although new revisions can continue to be created until the certification deadline. Hence, agencies can review revised data submission during the submission window and, if necessary, decertify and recertify.

Amendment Window

There is an "amendment window" after the submission window. The “amendment window is between the day after “certification deadline” and the last day of the month. The amendment window allows LEAs to decertify, amend, and recertify their data if needed. If an agency fails to certify or recertify by the end of this window after decertification, they will have no certified data.

Decertification/Recertification

Users can click “Un-certify of this LEA’s Data” button from the LEA Actions Menu to decertify their agency’s data. Upon decertification of a previously certified submission, the CAPSDAC notifies the agency via email. The LEA is then required to review and approve new data submissions or revisions, provide reasons for disapproval, make necessary data amendments, and subsequently review and approve the reports within the submission.

Certification of Monitoring Reports

Before certifying, the LEA must review and agree with the Monitoring Report and the Validation Report. The LEA must confirm the following information before submission: LEA Name, Vendor Number, County-District-School (CDS) Code, Data Submission Period, LEA responsible personnel’s First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone Number, and Phone Extension. Once all information is verified, the LEA can click "Certify and Submit Data." Please wait until “Submission Successful” message appears on the screen.

Consequences for Failing to Submit and/or Certified Data On-Time

If an LEA does not meet the deadline for submitting and/or certifying the CAPSDAC Monthly Data Submission, the agency may be placed on the apportionment withhold list. Continued failure to submit the required data may lead to referral for placement of the agency on a conditional contract.

Data Revision

LEAs are reminded to review the 2023–24 CAPSDAC data submission schedule accessible on the California Department of Education (CDE) web page via this link: CAPSDAC Data Submission Schedule. This schedule outlines the deadlines for each month’s data submission. Agencies are required to approve and certify their submissions by the deadline. In cases requiring data revision, agencies are required to complete the data revision and recertify the data by the final day of the data submission month. Typically, the amendment window spans 15-days following the due date.

During the amendment window, LEAs are encouraged to review submitted data. This review process will ensure the accuracy of the data submitted regarding Child, Staff, and Classroom information. In the event that errors are discovered, LEAs can decertify the data submission, make necessary revisions, resubmit the corrected data, and then recertify the submission.

After the amendment window is closed, no further revision, submission, or certification to the data are permitted. Any further request for data changes should be forwarded to the CAPSDAC Support Team for review at CAPSDAC@cde.ca.gov. The CAPSDAC Support Team will review each request on a case-by-case basis and follow up with the request.

More Information about the CAPSDAC in the Appendices

Appendix A: Data Definitions

Appendix A provides the definitions for all data fields in the Classroom, Staff, and Child data collections in the CAPSDAC. It is available in the CAPSDAC User Manual Appendix A: Data Definitions (DOCX).

Appendix B: Creating Electronic Files

Detailed instructions for creating, formatting, and reading electronic files are available in the CAPSDAC User Manual Appendix B: Creating Electronic Files (DOCX).

Appendix C: Electronic File Format Specifications

Detailed information on format specifications for each data file for the Classroom, Staff, and Child record data submissions is available in the CAPSDAC User Manual Appendix C: Electronic File Format Specifications (DOCX)

Appendix D: Consultant and Analyst Directories

• For the most recent contact information, visit the CDE Consultant Regional Assignments web page.
• For the most recent contact information, visit the CDE Fiscal Apportionment Analyst Directory web page.

Appendix E: State Median Income (SMI) Ceilings and Income Ranking Table

Detailed information on the most recent Schedule of Income Ceilings and Income Ranking Table can be found on the Early Education Division Management Bulletins web page.

Appendix F: Error Messages

A list of the Classroom, Staff, and Child information fields from the CAPSDAC data submission that encounter technical issues accompanied by an error message and their respective descriptions. Additionally, troubleshooting tips and references to online instructional materials are provided in the CAPSDAC Appendix F: Error Messages (DOCX).

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