CBEDS Fall 2013 Data Collection - Changes and Info

Dear California Basic Educational Data System Coordinators:

CALIFORNIA BASIC EDUCATIONAL DATA SYSTEM
FALL 2013 DATA COLLECTION INFORMATION AND CONTACT SURVEY

The California Department of Education (CDE) is preparing for the fall 2013 California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS) data collection. This e-mail is to notify local educational agencies (LEAs) of the significant dates, changes to the data collection, and the CBEDS coordinator’s responsibilities. Also included in this email are your LEA’s 2013 CBEDS user name, password, and instructions on verifying and updating the CBEDS coordinator contact information.

Dates and Resources

On this day, each LEA is responsible for collecting aggregate classified staff, school, and district demographic data. These data are to be submitted through the CBEDS online reporting application (ORA) by October 31, 2013. The application contains formatted School Information Form (SIF) and County/District Information Form (CDIF) data entry screens, the ability to import and export data, built-in edit checks, and the capability to print school and district forms and reports.

The CBEDS-ORA will be available for use in early October. The application, Web-based training, and other resources will be available on the CDE’s CBEDS Web page.

Changes to the 2013 CBEDS Data Collection

Following are details on the changes to the School Information Form (SIF), the County/District Information Form (CDIF), and the List of Expected Schools. NOTE: The first item noted below is relevant to both forms; the other changes are noted accordingly.

Changes to the CDIF and the SIF

• Classified Staff
  On the CDIF and SIF, classified staff data are currently reported by the number of staff. To meet federal reporting requirements, beginning with the 2013 CBEDS, classified staff data will be reported by full-time equivalent (FTE). To assist in verifying these data this year, LEAs will be requested to report both the number of classified staff and the FTE of classified staff. The CDE will explore removing the number of classified staff from next year’s data collection.

Changes to the CDIF

• High School Graduation Requirements
  Last year, the number of units required in Algebra I was collected in the “Specific Graduation Requirements for Mathematics” section. The Algebra I reporting requirement has been removed from the section.

Changes to the SIF

• Educational Options/Independent Study/Online Education
  Last year, Smaller Learning Communities and Thematic Schools and Programs were collected separately in the “Educational Options” section. This year, enrollment for these programs should be reported under “Alternative Schools and Programs of Choice.”
  
  When reporting the “number of students completing one or more high school classes through independent study,” please note that a date range of August 16, 2012 through August 15, 2013 has been added to the instructions for determining the count.

• Educational Calendar
  In addition to the type of calendar, LEAs will be required to report the school’s start date (first day of school) and the school’s end date (last day of school) for the 2013–14 school year.

• Truancy
  This year, if your district has no truancies to report, enter “0” and provide a brief explanation for your “0” response. An explanation here is necessary, as it is highly unlikely that zero students in a district have had three or more unexcused absences. 

Changes to the List of Expected Schools – Regarding Reporting the Prior Year’s Data for Closed Schools

The List of Expected Schools includes the schools in your district that are open in 2013–14 and are expected to report data on Information Day. This year, the list will also include schools in your district that are closed or temporarily closed for 2013–14, but were open in 2012–13. These schools will be expected to submit data for the sections requesting prior year’s data, if applicable: Independent Study graduates (section B), Parental Exception Waivers (section E), Truancy (section M), and the School Improvement Grant (for SIG schools only – sections I, J, K, and L).

CBEDS Coordinator Responsibilities

Each LEA must designate a CBEDS Coordinator. The coordinator’s responsibilities include distributing materials to schools, holding training sessions, verifying data, and ensuring that data for every school in the LEA (including charter schools reporting through their authorizing agency) are electronically submitted to the CDE by October 31, 2013. The coordinator will be the CDE’s point of contact for any questions about the data submitted by the LEA.

Charter schools that elect to report their data independently will be responsible for submitting all data for their charter school directly to the CDE. For more information, please visit the CDE CALPADS Charter Schools Web page.

CBEDS Coordinator Contact Information, User Name, and Password

It is important to keep your CBEDS Coordinator information current, as it will be used to disseminate notifications and updates related to the CBEDS data collection. Following is the information that the CDE currently has in its CBEDS Coordinator file. Please review the information, and make any appropriate updates online on or before July 31, 2013.

LEA/Code
Contact
Address
City/Zip
Phone
Fax
E-mail

Please note: An e-mail address is required in order to receive notifications regarding updates and certification of CBEDS data. If you oversee more than one district or independently reporting charter school, only one email will be sent. If you need the user name and password for other entities, please contact our office for assistance.

To update your contact information:

1. Go to the CDE CBEDS - Online Reporting Application Web page.
2. Enter the following user name and password. (Note: User names and passwords are
   case sensitive.)
   • CBEDS User Name
   • CBEDS Password
3. Select the “Update User Information” option from the Main Menu.
4. Make the appropriate updates and submit the information.

Please remember to keep your user name and password for future use. It is important that this information is only shared with the CBEDS Coordinator and the Superintendent.

Should you have any questions regarding the above information, please contact the CBEDS Team in the CALPADS/CBEDS/CDS Operations Office by phone at 916-324-6738 or by e-mail at cbeds@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Keric Ashley, Acting Division Director
Educational Data Management Division

KA:jb

cc:
County Superintendents
District Superintendents
Select Charter School Administrators