Newsletter Highlights
- Annual SSID Maintenance is a Success!
- CALPADS is Underway!
- Funding Opportunity to Prepare for CALPADS: Don't Miss Your Chance to Register
- Anomaly Detection & Anomaly Resolution Coming in 2008!
- Online Public Update for Schools (OPUS) Update
- Measuring NCLB's Technology Literacy Requirement
- Direct Certification System - Now Available
- Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) Project News
Annual SSID Maintenance a Success!
By Martha Friedrich, Director of Client Services, CSIS
The Annual Statewide Student Identifier (SSID) Maintenance activity began on October 3, 2007, and ended on February 15, 2008. Covering 6,219,565 students, California School Information Services (CSIS) processed data for 1,061 local educational agencies (LEAs) designated as SSID-only, and 240 LEAs designated as CSIS State Reporting. The deadline by which LEAs were required to certify their data was December 15, 2007; 84 percent of the LEAs met this milestone. On February 15, 2008, the number of LEAs that certified their annual enrollment data grew to 99.7 percent.
Both CSIS and LEAs indicated that the 2007 submission went very well. There was a significant improvement in system performance. CSIS also responded to over 7,000 support requests from October through December, resulting in more LEAs becoming familiar with the process.
CSIS observed the following:
- LEAs that maintained enrollments periodically throughout the year have a smaller volume of Not Reported students to update.
- LEAs that reviewed their Expected Schools list and corrected errors in this list before the submission window avoided problems later in the submission cycle.
- Most LEAs utilized the Dropouts Re-enrolled counts from the Census Summary to further update their annual data.
- LEAs that participated in the CSIS and California Department of Education sponsored Question & Answer (Q&A) sessions saved time gaining clarifications.
- LEAs participating in the CSIS Best Practices (BP) Cohort Project reported improvements in their local data management practices that improved local readiness and internal coordination for the Fall submission, resulting in a smoother overall submission window.
CSIS has identified one area of special concern regarding LEA activity. Some LEAs dramatically increased the number of times they processed their data during the submission window. CSIS experience indicates that the average number of report generation should fall between 10 – 12 times, depending on the LEA’s enrollment size. Best practice is to analyze the submission results and apply lessons learned to local data before requesting new reports. CSIS plans to work closely with LEAs that drastically exceeded the norm. They will assist LEAs to improve their local practice in order for them to grow proficient with the data submission. The CDE will use the data from the fall submission as the official graduate and dropout counts. LEAs may amend their enrollment, graduate, and dropouts data through CSIS. CSIS will provide CDE updates in May 2008. The CDE correction policy can be found on the Data Modification Policy for CBEDS and LC Web page. For more information on the Annual SSID Maintenance process, please contact the CSIS Program at 916-325-9210 or by e-mail at support@csis.k12.ca.us.
CALPADS is Underway!
By Paula Mishima, Manager, CSIS-CALPADS Program Office, CDE
The CALPADS project is underway! IBM began in earnest on January 14, 2008. In January, the CDE, in conjunction with the California School Information Services (CSIS) and IBM, held regional CALPADS kickoff sessions with Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in Fresno, Orange County, and Sacramento. Separate kickoff sessions were also held with Student Information System (SIS) vendors and with LEAs who have custom SIS systems.
The CALPADS team will continue to solicit LEA input through additional regional sessions, and through a newly formed CALPADS Advisory Committee (CAC). The CAC includes 30 LEAs that represent California’s diversity in terms of size, region, type, and SIS used. The CAC members were selected from over 80 LEAs who volunteered to participate. As soon as confirmation is received from these LEAs, the CDE will post the CAC LEAs on its Web page. The CAC members will be responsible for reviewing and commenting on specified vendor deliverables, and attending additional Joint Application Development (JAD) sessions in Sacramento and throughout the state.
The CDE is still soliciting LEAs interested in piloting the system. It is anticipated that piloting will occur in late spring and summer of 2009. The CDE hopes to have a pilot group of approximately 120 LEAs representing California’s diversity. CALPADS will provide three options for LEAs to submit data: (1) batch submission of data in the form of standardized flat files; (2) online data entry via a dedicated, web-based portal; and (3) School Interoperability Framework (SIF) compliant data objects. The CDE particularly wants to ensure that the pilot group includes LEAs that will opt to use SIF objects as their method for reporting to CALPADS.
If your LEA is interested in being in the CALPADS pilot group, please submit a contact name, the name of your LEA, SIS product and version used by your LEA, and anticipated submission type, to the CALPADS e-mail address, CALPADS@cde.ca.gov. The CDE will be accepting requests through the end of this year, and will select the pilot group by January 2009.
The CALPADS team recognizes that LEAs are anxious to know exactly what will be expected in terms of data submissions to CALPADS. It is anticipated that CALPADS file layouts will be completed by mid-June 2008. LEAs participating in the pilot will need to extract data from their SIS using these file layouts by May 2009. All other LEAs will be required to extract data using these files for the fall 2009 submission. Finally, to provide more frequent and accessible communications to LEAs on the CALPADS project, the CDE is establishing a CALPADS listserv, and a special CALPADS Updates page that will be linked to the CDE Web site.
Funding Opportunity to Prepare for CALPADS: Don't Miss Your Chance to Register
By Nancy Sullivan, Special Projects Administrator, CSIS
The California School Information Services (CSIS) Best Practices (BP) Cohort Project provides funding to help eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) prepare for the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). When CALPADS is implemented in 2009-10, all LEAs will be required to submit individual-level data to this system. The BP Cohort Project will likely be the only targeted funding opportunity to help LEAs prepare for this new system. Unfortunately, despite several rounds of communications, many eligible LEAs report that they are still not aware that this funding opportunity exists. The list of eligible LEAs (XLS; Outside Source) and the amount of funding each LEA may receive if they participate can be located at Best Practices (BP) Cohort Project (Outside Source).
CSIS is contracting with eligible LEAs on a first-come, first-serve basis. The minimum funding available is $15,000 per LEA or $8.51/student for larger LEAs. Although CSIS does currently have uncommitted funding for eligible LEAs, it is important to note that the total amount is not sufficient to serve all eligible LEAs. Additional funding has been requested for 2008-09; however, given the budget situation, it is uncertain whether this additional funding will be included in the final 2008 Budget. As a result, LEAs that wait too long to register for the project may be unable to take advantage of this funding opportunity. Participating LEAs are improving their local data management practices and will be better prepared for CALPADS. If your LEA is eligible, prepare for CALPADS by joining the BP Cohort Project now!
Visit Best Practices (BP) Cohort Project (Outside Source) and:
- Scroll down to the Letter of Intent section, complete the Letter of Intent, and submit it to CSIS as instructed on the form.
- Scroll down to the W-9 Information section, complete the W-9 form, and fax it to Tamie Triplett at 661-6364647.
LEAs wanting more information about the project should:
- Visit Best Practices (BP) Cohort Project (Outside Source) and download the Frequently Asked Questions (PDF; Outside Source) about the project and/or
- Register for one of the Question & Answer sessions about the project at Best Practices Cohort Training Schedule and Registration (Outside Source).
Anomaly Detection & Anomaly Resolution Coming in 2008!
By Nancy Sullivan, Special Projects Administrator, CSIS
In 2008, local educational agencies
(LEAs) will be provided additional
tools for detecting and resolving
potential errors in the assignment
of Statewide Student Identifiers (SSIDs) and conflicts between exit reasons
and subsequent enrollment records.
While all of this functionality will be fully integrated into CALPADS, it is critical that LEAs begin to resolve SSID anomalies so that the data converted into CALPADS is as clean as possible. The Anomaly Detection & Anomaly Resolution (ADAR) project will address three types of anomalies:
- Exit Reason Discrepancy (ERD) anomalies
- Multiple Identifier (MID) anomalies
- Concurrent Enrollment (CCE) anomalies
ERD anomalies are detected when there is a discrepancy between a student’s exit reason and a subsequent enrollment. Examples of ERD anomalies are: (1) a student who is coded as a dropout, but re-enrolls later; (2) a student who exited as a high school graduate and is subsequently enrolled as a K-12 student, and (3) a student who is coded as transferred to another California public school, but never subsequently enrolls in a California public school.
MID anomalies are anomalies that occur when it appears that the same student has been assigned more than one SSID.
CCE anomalies occur when it appears that the same student is enrolled more than once in the same LEA, or is enrolled in more than one LEA at the same time.
LEAs currently have visibility of CCEs and some ERD anomalies only during the fall CSIS data submission window. The ADAR project will provide LEAs visibility into all anomalies and the ability to resolve those anomalies on an ongoing basis.
CSIS will provide training and support for this new functionality beginning March 24, 2008. These training sessions will equip you with the information you need to understand and resolve anomalies. Details about ADAR trainings will be shared via the CSIS listserv soon, so, stay tuned!
Online Public Update for Schools (OPUS)
By Steve Smith, Consultant, CSIS-CALPADS Program Office, CDE
The Online Public Update for Schools (OPUS) project is a web-based platform for LEA reporting of changes to school and district information.
Phase I: This phase includes automating: (1) the maintenance of County-District-School (CDS) data; and (2) the Annual update Sheet (AUS) process for the Public School Directory. Initially scheduled for February 2008, the OPUS Phase I rollout has moved out. The new schedule is currently being determined.
Phase II: This phase includes providing LEAs an online way to report selected aggregate data currently submitted on the CBEDS County District Information Form (CDIF) and Student Information Form (SIF). Phase II is scheduled for rollout by October 1, 2008.
The chart below illustrates the specific changes to the CBEDS and CDIF and SIF collections. In the fall of 2008, LEAs that use the CBEDS Data Entry Assistant (DEA) software will report this data through OPUS. LEAs that report their CBEDS data through the CSIS State Reporting Program will have the option to report these elements through CSIS; however, the official counts will be collected through OPUS. The project is on schedule.
CDIF Sections
| Collection Method SSID-Only LEAs (October 2008) |
Collection Method CSIS SR LEAs (October 2008) |
|---|---|
| OPUS | OPUS |
| OPUS | CSIS SR |
| OPUS | OPUS |
| OPUS | OPUS |
| OPUS | CSIS SR |
SIF Sections
| Collection Method SSID-Only LEAs (October 2008) |
Collection Method CSIS SR LEAs (October 2008) |
|---|---|
| OPUS | OPUS |
| SSID AM | CSIS SR |
| OPUS | CSIS SR |
| OPUS | CSIS SR |
| SSID AM | CSIS SR |
| OPUS | CSIS SR |
| OPUS | OPUS |
| OPUS | OPUS |
| SSID AM | CSIS SR |
Note: Official Counts will come from OPUS. CSIS State Reporting LEAs may continue to submit this data into SSRTS and generate unofficial reports.
Measuring NCLB's Technology Literacy Requirement
By Nancy Silva, Consultant, Education Technology Office, CDE
Has Technology Literacy among 8th grade students notably increased as a result of the NCLB Enhancing Education Through Technology program? Technology, like all educational tools and major school expenditures, must be accountable for its promise of enhancing teaching, learning, and achievement.
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) decided that one of the key long-term indicators of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Title II Part D, Enhancing Education
Through Technology Education Through Technology (Outside Source) effectiveness
would focus on measuring the Technology Literacy of eighth grade students; however, unlike English language
arts and math, Technology Literacy
does not factor into NCLB’s school accountability provisions. Most states, including California, have elected not to administer separate tech-literacy assessments
statewide. According to Technology Counts 2007 (Outside Source), an annual Education Week report on school technology, only four states—Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina,
and Utah— require statewide testing
of students’ Technology Literacy.
California chose an alternate measure for collecting and reporting 8th grade Technology Literacy data to the DOE; a survey sampling of eighth grade students served by LEAs that received EETT funding. The state collects this data with EdTechProfile (Outside Source), a CDE State Educational Technology Service (SETS) project that provides administrator, teacher, and student technology proficiency and literacy data in aggregated, easy-to-read reports. The CDE’s baseline data analysis of 8th grade student Technology Literacy indicates that 58 percent of the 82,000 EdTechProfile grade 8 student survey respondents self-assessed as technologically literate last year. New grade 8 student Technology Literacy data will be collected this year, compared with this baseline data, and reported to the ED in August 2008.
The ED gave states flexibility in defining Technology Literacy. Each state was required to provide the DOE with its working definition of Technology Literacy, and, beginning in 2007, annually report state data on the percentage of technology literate students at the end of grade 8. *(Although submission of 2006-07 data through EDFacts/EDEN became mandatory in 2007, states have until 2009 to comply.) The CDE has defined Technology Literacy as the ability to use appropriate technology responsibly to communicate, solve problems, and access, create, integrate, evaluate, and manage information to support proficiency with the state content standards and to develop lifelong knowledge and skills in the 21st century. The state allows LEAs flexibility in operationalizing the state definition of Technology Literacy into local technology standards and flexibility with assessing 8th grade technology literacy to meet the federal NCLB requirement.
NCLB is up for reauthorization by Congress this year portending changes to the existing EETT program. The Achievement Through Technology and Innovation Act (ATTAIN), which has been folded into the new version of the bill, would replace the existing NCLB Title II, Part D, EETT program. ATTAIN would uniformly define 21st century technology literacy knowledge and skills and would require the development of an annual national report on the subject. The latest version of the legislation is on track to help schools live up to the promise that education technology, taught and integrated into a robust curriculum, can enhance teaching and lead to gains in student achievement.
Direct Certification System - Now Available
By Kari Sachs, Staff Information Systems Analyst, Nutrition Services Division
What is direct certification?
Direct certification is the process through which school age recipients of the Food Stamp and Cal-WORKS programs are automatically certified as eligible to receive free meals without further application.
All districts are required to implement direct certification by July 1, 2008.
In 2005, Congress enacted a law that requires all LEAs participating in the National School Lunch program to implement a method of direct certification by July 1, 2008. LEAs with enrollments of more than 25,000 were required to implement a direct certification system by July 1, 2006, while LEAs with enrollments of more than 10,000 were required to implement the system by July 1, 2007.
Assembly Bill 1385 (Laird) enacted in 2005, and required the CDE, the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), the California Department of Health Care Services (CDHCS), and CSIS to work together to develop a direct certification approach through a state-level automated matching system.
What are the options to directly certify students for free meals?
LEAs may choose to comply with the direct certification requirement through any combination of:
- Using the new state-level direct certification match described below by sending student data to CSIS.
- Working with your county welfare or social services department. Many LEAs currently receive a list of student recipients of Food Stamp and/or CalWORKs Program benefits from their county welfare or social services departments and use this to directly certify those children for free meals.
- Using both a state and local match system. While the CDE encourages LEAs to use the state level data match, its use is not essential in order to comply with the direct certification requirement.
How does the CDE’s direct certification process work?
LEAs interested in using the CDE’s automated system must extract student data from their local Student Information System (SIS) based on the CSIS requirements. Once the data are processed successfully at CSIS, the data is extracted by CSIS and sent to CDSS for matching against the Food Stamp and CalWORKS data via a secure and confidential process. The matched results are returned to CSIS, and the LEA is notified when the results are available for download. The LEA then downloads the list of students who are automatically identified as eligible to receive free meals without additional paperwork.
The CDE has been working closely with its three partner agencies for more than a year to develop this process. In August 2007, about 30 LEAs used the system successfully and reported that they were able to qualify more students for free meals through direct certification than if they had only tried to match their student eligibility list against their county welfare department’s list. Participation in the CDE’s direct certification process is free, as is the CSIS training. LEAs must attend the training to understand the submission requirements.
How can my district participate in the state level match?
The next state level matches are planned for March 2008 and then in the summer of 2008. If your LEA is interested in participating in the next state level direct certification match process, please register for CSIS Direct Certification training at:
Statewide Student Identifier Training Schedule and Registration (Outside Source) , call 916-325-9260, or e-mail
support@csis.k12.ca.us.
Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) Project News
By Kari Sachs, Staff Information Systems Analyst, Nutrition Services Division
What is CNIPS?
The CNIPS is a web-based system that automates the administration of the California Department of Education Nutrition programs, including: the National School Lunch and Breakfast, Food Distribution, Special Milk, Child and Adult Care Food, Simplified Summer Food Service, and Seamless Summer Feeding programs.
How will CNIPS benefit Local Education Agencies (LEAs)?
The CNIPS will significantly streamline, simplify, and modernize the ways in which LEAs administer the child nutrition programs (e.g. submit applications, annual updates, site changes, claims for reimbursement, and other administrative actions). The CNIPS will provide LEAs the ability to:
- Submit applications, renewals/ annual updates, claims for reimbursement, and site change requests online
- Increase the timeliness and accuracy of claims submission, processing, and payments
- Reduce the amount of time and resources spent on administrative requirements
- Access site and agency information across programs
What are the System Requirements for CNIPS?
- A valid e-mail address.
- Adobe Reader 7.0 (Outside Source) or later version. This software is free.
- Access to the Internet by early spring 2008 using one of the following Web browsers:
- Netscape 6.0 or later version,
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or later version, or
- Firefox 0.8 or later version.
Where can I find additional information about the CNIPS?
Information about LEAs Meal Administration Point of Sale (POS) File Layout requirements, Frequently Asked Questions, and prior CNIPS presentations, can be found on our CNIPS Project Web page.
What is the timeline for the School Nutrition and Seamless Summer Programs?
- Develop system requirements and design.
- May - December 2007
- Perform system development and testing.
- January - Spring 2008
- Obtain CNIPS user IDs and training information.
- Spring 2008
- Confirm contact, sponsor, and site data in preparation to submit claims in the CNIPS.
- June/July 2008
- Receive CNIPS Training.
- July/August 2008
- Begin submitting claims.
- August 1, 2008 (for July 2008 claim month)*
Who can I contact for more information about the CNIPS?
Contact Kari Sachs, CNIPS Project Coordinator, by phone at 916-323-1582, or by e-mail at ksachs@cde.ca.gov.
