Dear California School Dashboard and Accountability Coordinators:

2021 California School Dashboard Updates and Rollout

To support you in your role as a California School Dashboard (Dashboard) and/or Accountability Coordinator, we are writing to provide an overview of key changes and dates for the 2021 Dashboard. We encourage you to share this letter widely with your colleagues who have a role with the Dashboard, the Local Control and Accountability Plan, and all other local educational agency (LEA) -wide plans.

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Assembly Bill (AB) 130 (Chapter 44, Statutes of 2021) was passed and signed into law and suspends the use of the 2021 Dashboard for accountability purposes, including differentiated assistance (DA). LEAs identified for DA on the 2019 Dashboard are expected to participate in all DA activities as per California Education Code Sections 52071 and 52071.5 and Section 122 of AB 130.

These actions align with a federal waiver of accountability, school identification, and related reporting requirements approved in April 2021 by the U.S. Department of Education. As a result of the 2021 federal waiver, California will not identify schools for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), or Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) with the 2021 Dashboard. LEAs with schools identified for CSI on the 2019 Dashboard will continue to receive all of the fiscal years (FY) 2019 and 2020 CSI funds through September 30, 2022, and must continue to implement all of the interventions and supports consistent with the school’s CSI and ATSI plan(s) in the 2021–22 school year.

California is committed to reporting outcomes on all available data determined to be valid and reliable from the 2020–21 school year, including local indicator data. The following provides a summary of the impact to the Dashboard metrics.

Local Indicators

In order to allow for the timely reporting of local indicator data the deadline to submit responses in the Dashboard for local indicators is October 15, 2021, at 5 p.m. LEAs can submit responses in the Dashboard starting on August 23, 2021. When submitting responses to the self-reflection tools in the Dashboard, an LEA must indicate the date on which the results were reported to its local governing board or governing body.
Additional information regarding local indicators is available on California Department of Education's (CDE’s) Tuesdays @ 2 Webinar Series web page at The California School Dashboard Local Indicator Process (PPTX).

State Indicators

While State Indicators are waived from being reported on the Dashboard, California is required by AB 130 to report on valid and reliable data collected in the 2020–21 school year on our website through the Dashboard Additional Reports, DataQuest, or other supporting portals. The reported data may include:

• Chronic Absenteeism Rate

• College/Career Indicator Related Data: Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Career Technical Education pathway completion, a-g completion, college credit, and State Seal of Biliteracy

• English Learner Reclassification Rate

• Enrollment Data

• Expulsion Rate

• Graduation Rates: Four-Year, Five-Year, the Combined, and One-Year Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS)

• Suspension Rate

These data are currently being collected through the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) End-of-Year collections. We encourage you to work with your CALPADS Coordinator to verify these data. As a reminder, once the amendment window for the End-of-Year collection closes on August 27, 2021, the data can no longer be changed and the data reflected in those reports is what will be used for all official reporting published for the academic year 2020–21. Once these data have been processed, Dashboard and Accountability Coordinators will be notified about the abbreviated rolling private preview prior to the public release of these data.

2021 High School Exit from Comprehensive Support and Improvement

LEAs with high schools identified for CSI-Graduation Rate will have the opportunity to exit CSI status with the 2021 Dashboard. In this scenario, the LEA will continue to receive its FYs 2019 and 2020 CSI funds through September 30, 2022, for high schools that exit CSI-Graduation Rate status, and should continue to implement all of the interventions and supports consistent with the high school’s CSI plan(s) in the 2021–22 school year. Should the LEA decline to continue to receive its FYs 2019 and 2020 CSI funds for a high school(s) that exit CSI-Graduation Rate status on the 2021 Dashboard, it should contact the School Improvement and Support Office by email at SISO@cde.ca.gov as soon as possible.

For additional information about the Dashboard, please visit the California School Dashboard and System of Support web page at California School Dashboard and System of Support.
If you have any questions regarding local indicators, please contact the Local Agency Systems Support Office at LCFF@cde.ca.gov. If you have any questions regarding the reported 2020–21 school year data, please contact the Analysis, Measurement, & Accountability Reporting Division by email at dro@cde.ca.gov. If you have questions regarding differentiated assistance, please contact the System of Support Office at CASystemofSupport@cde.ca.gov. If you have questions regarding CSI, TSI, or ATSI, please contact the School Improvement and Support Office at SISO@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Cindy Kazanis, Director
Analysis, Measurement, and Accountability Reporting Division

William McGee, Director
Student Achievement and Support Division