CALPADS Fall 1 certification requires schools to upload four separate reports relating to student data: Enrollment (SENR), Student Information (SINF), Student Programs (SPRG), and Student English Language Acquisition Status (SELA).  These reports house the information that identify funding needs for the school and are used in the LCFF calculations.

Student Programs

Once school enrollment and basic student demographics are updated, it is the time to focus on the various types of programs in which the students participate or are eligible to participate.  This is of critical importance as they tell us which students qualify the school for certain types of funding.

In order to ensure all the required fields for CALPADS Fall 1 have been populated in Aeries, click the “Highlight State Reporting Fields” checkbox and the required fields will display with green. (This can be found using the dropdown next to your user name in the upper right corner).

The student programs that we will cover in this article relating to Fall 1 requirements include:

• Program Participation and Eligibility collection for CALPADS
  • Special Education Program Eligible (144)
  • Title I Part C Migrant Education Eligible (135)
  • Gifted and Talented Education Eligible (GATE) (127)
  • 504 Accommodation Plan Participation (101)*
  • Homeless Program Eligible (191)
• Lunch Program Eligibility
  • Free Meal Program Eligible (181)
  • Reduced-Price Meal Program Eligible (182)
• Language Instruction Program Participation (300 – 307)
  • Required for all English Learners and/or students enrolled in language programs such as bilingual or dual-language immersion programs.

* 504 Accommodation Plan participation is not required to be reported until End of Year (EOY2 Programs), but is required for Smarter Balanced Reporting which happens in the Spring.  If a student does not have a 504 program open with current enrollment dates in CALPADS, the student will not be allowed accommodations on state testing.

To navigate to Programs, from the Home Page > Type the last name or Local ID in the “Search Students” search box.

Once the student is selected > select Student Data > Scroll down and select Programs > then select Special Programs to add a new Program.

Then you will have an option to use the dropdown menu to view all of the different types of student programs. You should have a huge list to choose from but remember that only the ones listed above count for CALPADS Fall 1 Reporting.

Entering Program Data

If you follow the steps below, you will enter your Fall 1 programs such that Aeries will report them correctly.

Step 1: Enter the program number (already completed above)

Step 2: 504 Accommodation Plan ONLY: Start Date and End Dates

This is only for students who have a 504 Accommodation. Enter the eligible start and end dates within the current school year.

Step 3: Click “Add” to save

Once you have added your programs, they should appear under Current Programs.

Program Eligibility

For Fall 1 reporting, all programs listed above are reported to CALPADS as Eligible with the exception of the 504 Accommodation Plan (101). Students may be eligible for a 504, but only students who are actually receiving services will be reported to CALPADS.

Program: 504 Accommodation Plan (101)

• Start Date = Use the first day of enrollment for the current school year if previously identified, or for newly identified students, use the effective date on the 504.
• End Date = Leave blank unless there is a change to the program or the student leaves the school.  Should be closed at the end of each school year (or when student exits) to meet CALPADS compliance.

From the CALPADS Data Guide:

• Students identified as eligible for receiving services provided per Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This is not the same as an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
• Only students who are actually receiving services through a 504 plan should be reported.
• Best Practice is that 504 Accommodation Plans be evaluated annually and LEAs can determine via the evaluation process, which 504 Accommodation records are no longer eligible and should be closed in CALPADS.
• Participation in this program should be verified on an annual basis and should be updated throughout the year. This is important because these data are needed to appropriately register students for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP).

Please remember, this is only one of four areas to be maintained throughout the year for data accuracy. The four student data reports that should be kept up-to-date in CALPADS are: student enrollments (SENR), student demographic and address information (SINF), student programs (SPRG) and student English language acquisition statuses (SELA).

A Final Note:

Don’t forget to complete a thorough review of all student information in both CALPADS and your Student Information System as of Census Day.  Also closely review the Fall 1 Certification Fatal Errors and Warnings in CALPADS.