Forgot CARS Password Process

Note: If you typically have the computer “remember” your password, be sure to clear your cache and previously saved passwords before you reset your password. Make sure that your username is correct. If the username is incorrect, the system will give an “Invalid logon” message in red lettering.

Complete the following steps to reset your password:

• Click the “Forgot Password” link (this takes you into the Centralized Authentication System [CAS]) in the CAS User Links section of the CARS login screen. The CAS is the California Department of Education's system for establishing a user account, and managing user information, and is a separate system from CARS.
• Enter the username you previously created in CAS.
• Enter your email address. You must enter your email address that is currently of record in CAS.
  • If your email has changed for any reason, including the domain, then you can only use the Forgot Password option if you still have access to your old email address.
  • If you do not have access to the email address that was changed, then you must create a new username and cannot use the Forgot Password option
• Answer one of the two questions that you chose when you created your username and password.
  • If you do not remember either of your security questions, then you should attempt to answer all of the questions until one of the questions is answered correctly, as the system will not lock you out for an incorrect answer.
  • If you cannot answer any of the security questions correctly, then you must create a new username and cannot use the Forgot Password option.
• Click Submit.
• Once you answer a question correctly, a message will display that states an email has been sent. If you don’t receive the email in your inbox, please check your junk mail. The email will contain a long Temporary ID, highlight it up to the period, hit Ctrl + c (to copy).
• Next, click on the link that is in the email. If the link in the email is not a live link, then the link will need to be copied and pasted into a browser before the Temporary ID is copied and pasted into CARS.
• On the Reset Logon web page, make sure the cursor is in the Temporary ID field, and hit Ctrl + v (to paste) the Temporary User ID into the field.
• Type a new password in the second field (New Password field).
  • Passwords must meet the following criteria: Be at least eight characters long, one uppercase, one lowercase, one number, and one special character, such as !@#$%^&*.
• Type the new password again in the third field (Confirm Password field).
• Click the Submit button or hit Enter.

If everything was done correctly, the system will indicate in black lettering that "Your new password has been updated". Users should wait approximately one to five minutes between resetting a password and attempting to logon to CARS, which allows time for the CAS data to be forwarded to the CARS database.

Important Note: CAS is a separate system from CARS. To return to the CARS web page, select the CARS Logon link on the confirmation page.