Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS)

Background

California's accountability system significantly changed with the adoption of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). The accountability system, the California School Dashboard (Dashboard), contains state indicators and standards to help identify a school's strengths, weaknesses, and areas in need of improvement.

California Education Code (EC) Section 52052(d) requires: The Superintendent, with the approval of the State Board of Education, shall develop an alternative accountability system for schools under the jurisdiction of a county board of education or a county superintendent of schools, community day schools, . . . and alternative schools serving high-risk pupils, including continuation high schools and opportunity schools . . .

The California Department of Education (CDE) provides a status label on the Dashboard for all schools with Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS). Schools qualify for status based on their school type or through an application process with the CDE. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) declined California's waver request that would allow for the use of modified methods within the Accountability system for DASS schools. Therefore, beginning with the 2022 Dashboard, the CDE treats DASS schools the same as all other schools on the Dashboard.

DASS and the Dashboard

Although the DASS modified methods are not used for federal accountability purposes, state accountability permits the continued use of DASS. Therefore, DASS schools will:

• Be identified on the Dashboard with the DASS Status information under the School Details on the Dashboard.
  
  
• Receive the label as a "DASS Community of Practice" for those that meet the eligibility for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) low graduation rate or low performance to distinguish the uniqueness of these schools and the students served, and
  
  
• Receive the DASS One-Year Graduation Rate on the Dashboard for informational purposes each Spring in addition to the combined four-and five year graduation rate reported under the Graduation Rate Indicator.

Eligibility and Application

• DASS Eligibility Criteria
• DASS Application Instructions and Form
• DASS Withdrawal Instructions (For schools automatically included in DASS participation)
• Active DASS Schools (A list of schools that are currently participating in DASS.)

Resources

DASS 1-Year Graduation Rate (PDF)
A one-page document explaining the DASS graduation rate and the data used to calculate it. While only used for Accountability purposes in 2018 and 2019, CDE publishes this rate on the Dashboard as a courtesy for informational purposes only for DASS schools.

DASS FAQs
Commonly asked questions regarding DASS.