DOC Participation & Data Reporting Information

Becoming a District of Choice

District of Choice Registration

As specified in EC Section 48301, districts electing to participate in the District of Choice (DOC) program are required to register with the California Department of Education (CDE) and their respective County Office of Education (COE) no later than October 15. Information on registering as a DOC with the CDE is available under the Registration and Withdrawal Process section of the District of Choice web page during the registration period. During the non-registration period you may contact CDE DOC staff by phone at 916-327-1824, or by email at DistrictofChoice@cde.ca.gov.

Documentation and Reporting Requirements

Data Reporting Requirements

EC Section 48313 requires local educational agencies (LEAs) participating in the District of Choice program to adhere to specific data reporting requirements. The CDE uses data reported by LEAs through the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) to obtain much of the required student data. Other data not available through CALPADS is collected through the California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS) data collection. The specific elements that will be collected through the CALPADS and CBEDS data systems are detailed below.

Data Collected through CALPADS

1. CALPADS data is used to meet state reporting requirements as specified in EC Section 48313(a)(1)(B)(C)(D)(E), which includes:
   The race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, eligibility for free or reduced-price meals, English learner status, students with disabilities, and the school district of residence of each of the students transferred into the district of choice.
   
   
2. The race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, eligibility for free or reduced-price meals, English learner status, students with disabilities, for students transferring out of the district of choice, regardless of the reason for the transfer.

CALPADS Reporting Guidance

When DOCs submit enrollment records to CALPADS and the student’s most recent prior enrollment in CALPADS is a different district, the DOC will be required to populate the following fields in CALPADS:

• Student School Transfer Code (Field 1.30)
  • If student is transferring into the district under the District of Choice Option, populate this field with Code 4 – District of Choice Transfer
  • If student is transferring into the district for any reason other than under the District of Choice option, populate this field with the appropriate transfer codes
    
    
• District of Geographic Residence Code (Field 1.31)
  • This represents the district the student geographically lives in

Data is collected through the Fall 1 data submission period beginning on census day.

For more information on CALPADS, please refer to the CDE CALPADS web page.

Data Collected through CBEDS

CBEDS is used to meet state reporting requirements as specified in EC Section 48313(a)(1)(A) and EC Section 48313(a)(2), which includes:

1. The number of transfer requests granted, withdrawn, denied, and the reasons for denied requests.
   
   
2. The number of district of choice transfer students receiving transportation services by race, ethnicity, and gender for each district of residence.
   
   
3. The number of district of choice transfer students receiving transportation services by socioeconomic status, free and reduced-price meal eligibility, English learner status, and students with disabilities for each district of residence.

CBEDS Reporting Guidance

1. DOCS Section A
   • Report the number of DOC transfer requests that were granted, withdrawn, or denied for the school year
   • For transfer requests that were denied, specify the reasons for denial
   • Do not include other types of transfers, such as school choice or open enrollment
   • Must be completed by all districts participating in the District of Choice Program
2. DOCS Section B
   • Only complete if your district provides transportation services to DOC transfer students
   • Report data for each district your district received DOC transfer students from
   • Report students by racial/ethnic designation and by gender
3. DOCS Section C
   • Only complete if your district provides transportation services to DOC transfer students
   • Report data for each district your district received DOC transfer students from
   • Report students in each program they participate:
     • Free or Reduced Priced Meals
     • English Learners
     • Students with Disabilities
     • Socioeconomically Disadvantaged

• Counts may be duplicated across programs

Districts may submit their DOC CBEDS data beginning on Information Day, the first Wednesday in October, through October 15.

For more information about CBEDS, please refer to the CDE CBEDS web page.

Please note that while the CALPADS and CBEDS data systems will be utilized to meet LEA state reporting requirements, LEAs are also required to report District of Choice data to their county office of education and each adjacent school district per EC Section 48313(b).