Web Standards
Web standards for the California Department of Education (CDE) are based upon industry best practices, mandates (such as California Government Code Section 7405 and federal sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973), and styles and practices specific to the CDE. These standards have been adopted by the CDE and there is an expectation that CDE staff, its contractors, and anyone else doing work on behalf of the CDE will comply with them.
Web Standards
The following standards will be enforced for new and updated content as of January 18, 2018.
- Accessibility
- Draft MS Word
- Draft MS Excel
- Draft MS PowerPoint
- Draft PDF
- Draft Web Page and Website
- Style Manual (Content)
- Maintenance, Upkeep, & Quality Assurance Standards
- Web Content Approval, Department of Education Administrative Manual (DEAM), Section 3900
(PDF; 68KB; 11pp.) - Intranet Content Approval Standards (CDE Intranet)
- Security Standards for Web Applications
- Application Development Standards
- External Web Page and Application Design Standards
- Video & Other Multimedia Standards
- Plain Language Introductions
CDE's other web standards are currently under review. Draft standards for web pages, web applications, multimedia, and social media will be posted as they are available. If a new standard is not yet available for a given type of content, use the legacy standards until the new standard is available.
Legacy Web Standards
The following standards apply to content posted prior to January 18, 2018 that has not been subsequently edited or updated.
Internet and Intranet Standards
Enforcement of Web Standards
Compliance with the CDE Web Standards is enforced in different ways, depending on the type and location of the posting.
Web Pages Posted to the CDE Internet or Intranet Web Sites
All web pages posted by CDE staff to the CDE Internet or Intranet websites will be reviewed by the CDE Web Services Unit for compliance with the Web Standards. Pages that do not meet the standards are returned to the creator for revision.
Web Applications, Non-CDE Web Sites, and Pages Posted to Non-CDE Web Sites
The Web Application Review Team (WebART) performs reviews of the following web products:
- Web Applications (developed by the CDE or contractor, posted anywhere)
- Non-CDE websites (usually developed by a contractor as a product of a written agreement)
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Web pages posted to non-CDE websites
- For existing web applications and sites: 90 days from the date of the WebART review
- For new web applications and sites: prior to launch
Please refer to the WebART web page for more details on the WebART team and review process.
Changes to These Web Standards
Our understanding of accessibility and usability will grow and technology will continue to evolve, so the CDE Web Standards will also change from time to time. Please visit the Web Standards Change Log for a complete list of changes that have been made since these standards were first posted to the CDE website.
