CALPADS Update Flash #280

To:           Local Educational Agency (LEA) Representatives

From:      California Department of Education (CDE) –
                California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) Team

Date:       June 17, 2024

Subject:  CALPADS Update FLASH #280

This Flash Provides:

• Information on SENR0654E3 – Student enrolled during the reporting period has invalid Student Initial US School Enrollment Date K-12

• A reminder to use the new Grade Level Code, TK - Transitional Kindergarten for TK students

SENR0654E3 – Student enrolled during the reporting period has invalid Student Initial US School Enrollment Date K-12 has been modified and will trigger less

Flash 272 emphasized the importance of accurately populating field 2.36 – Student Initial US School Enrollment Date K-12 on the Student Information (SINF) file, which is required only for English Learners (ELs). The Flash also described the validations in place to help ensure this field is populated for ELs, and that the populated date is reasonable.

One of the Data Discrepancies/Certification Data Discrepancies (DD/CDD) validations described in Flash 272, SENR0654E3 – Student enrolled during the reporting period has invalid Student Initial US School Enrollment Date K-12, was triggering on all students and not just English Learners. The validation was also triggering on a student’s Student Enrollment (SENR) 2023−24 record, when any overlapping Student Information (SINF) records had an initial US school enrollment date in CALPADS that was greater than the student’s earliest TK-12 enrollment in CALPADS. This validation has been modified so that it only triggers on the most recent SINF record for EL students enrolled in 2023−24. This should reduce the number of records that trigger the validation.

SENR0654E3 should now only trigger on SENR records for EL students when the most recent SINF record overlapping that enrollment record has a US school enrollment date that is greater than the student’s earliest enrollment in CALPADS. LEAs are reminded that SENR0654E3 stems from an SENR enrollment record, but to address the problem, LEAs must fix data on the SINF record. LEAs should also remember that sometimes the SINF overlapping the enrollment at your LEA was submitted by another LEA. To resolve records that continue to trigger this validation, LEAs should submit an SINF record with:

• Field 2.36 – Student Initial US School Enrollment Date K-12 populated with a date that is no later than the student's earliest enrollment start date (regardless of LEA) in CALPADS; and
  
  
• Field 2.04 – Effective Start Date populated as follows:
  • If the most recent SINF record overlapping the enrollment is at your LEA, populate the Effective Start Date field with a date equal to the Enrollment Start Date at your LEA where the student was enrolled, or
  • If the most recent SINF record overlapping an enrollment is from a different LEA (i.e. your LEA inherited a prior SINF record from another LEA), submit a NEW SINF record and populate the Effective Start Date field with a date equal to the Enrollment Start Date at your LEA.

Important Reminder: Enroll Transitional Kindergarten Students in Grade TK

LEAs are reminded that students in transitional kindergarten (TK) should be enrolled in grade level TK – Transitional Kindergarten and not grade level KN – Kindergarten.

Comparing prior years TK data collected through a program record, to the grade level counts LEAs certified as part of 2023−24 Fall 1, the CDE found that while most LEAs transitioned to using the TK grade level in CALPADS, some LEAs did not. The CDE recognizes that in some cases, local TK implementation decisions resulted in a significant drop in TK students at some schools; however, it appears that in other cases, TK students were mapped to grade level KN (kindergarten) instead of TK.

Impact Of Placing TK Students In Grade Level KN On Assessments

Enrolling TK students in grade level TK and not grade level KN has become more critical due to a recent change in law regarding when students are assessed to be an English Learner. Assembly Bill 2268 (Chapter 15, Statutes of 2024) amends California Education Code Section 60810(b) to exempt TK students from taking the Initial English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC)/Alternative ELPAC and the summative ELPAC/Alternate ELPAC. Therefore, if TK students are inappropriately in grade level KN, they will appear in the Testing Operations Management System (TOMS) as being required to be tested with the Initial ELPAC/Alternate ELPAC.

Therefore, to ensure that grade level counts are accurately reflected, and to prevent TK students from potentially being inappropriately tested, LEAs should review EOY 3 certification report 1.21 – Cumulative Enrollment – Count. If TK students were submitted in grade level KN, those records should be changed to grade level TK. LEAs should also take steps to ensure that TK students are placed in grade level TK in the future.