ESSA School Support FAQs

Expand All | Collapse All

1. What does “No Status” mean in the ESSA Assistance Status Data Files?

   “No Status” indicates that a given school was not eligible for an ESSA school support category (i.e., CSI, TSI, and ATSI).

2. How often is school eligibility for CSI determined?

   CSI and ATSI determinations are made every three years. In 2023–24, ESSA school support determinations under CSI and ATSI were made for California following the publication of the 2023 Dashboard. These determinations marked the first year of California’s three-year identification cycle for both CSI and ATSI.
   
   CSI and ATSI entry determinations will be made again following the release of the 2026 Dashboard.

3. Which schools are eligible for CSI?

   When CSI eligibility determinations are made, the following schools can be eligible:

   • All high schools, both Title I and non-Title I-funded, including Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) schools that meet the CSI Low Graduation criteria are eligible for support.
     
     
   • Not less than the lowest-performing five percent of Title I-funded schools that meet the CSI Low Performing criteria are eligible for support.
     
     

4. How will the CDE determine school eligibility and exit for CSI?

   Schools eligible for CSI-Low Graduation Rate are evaluated annually to determine continued eligibility or exit for CSI-Low Graduation Rate. Those eligible for CSI-Low Graduation Rate in 2024–25 were reevaluated in 2025–26. Schools with a three-year combined four-and five-year graduation rate at 68 percent or above are no longer eligible for CSI based on the CSI–Low Graduation Rate criteria and will exit.
   
   Refer to the Dashboard Technical Guide web page or the CSI-Low Graduation Rate FAQs web page for more information.
   
   Previous Dashboard Technical Guides can also be found on the CDE CSI LEA Archives web page.

5. When will the CDE notify LEAs of their schools' ESSA support determinations?

   In December 2025, the CDE notified LEAs statewide via the Public Release of the Data File for Schools that Meet the Criteria for Support and Improvement in 2025–26 in addition to the posting of the data file. The data file is available on the ESSA Assistance Status Data Files web page.

6. Can schools be eligible for more than one ESSA school support category at a time?

   No. School support categories are hierarchical; therefore, schools can only be eligible for one support category at a time.

   • For example, a school that meets the criteria for CSI would not be eligible for TSI or ATSI at the same time.

7. Are schools with an N-size less than 30 eligible for CSI?

   Schools with an N-size less than 30 may be eligible for CSI. N-size refers to the total enrollment of students at the school.

8. What if an LEA or school does not agree with a federal school support determination?

   Senate Bill 101 (2025 Budget Act), consistent with the ESSA State Plan approved by the State Board of Education, requires that funding eligibility determinations be made on a formula basis, with no provision for discretion or exception. Therefore, there is no appeal process for eligibility determinations. LEAs who fail to submit and certify accurate data will be provided with technical assistance focused on the LEA’s data management process pursuant to California Education Code (EC) Section 60900(f).
   
   For additional questions, please contact the Accountability Development and Policy Analysis Unit by email at Dashboard@cde.ca.gov.

CSI Program Requirements

1. What requirements apply to LEAs with schools that continue to meet the criteria for CSI?

   Upon receiving notification from the CDE, the LEA shall, for each school eligible for CSI, and in partnership with its educational partners, locally develop and implement a plan for the school to improve student outcomes. For more information, please see the Planning Requirements tab on this web page.
   
   Beginning with the release of the 2022 California School Dashboard and associated 2022–23 ESSA Assistance Status Data File, Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) Community of Practice (CoP) schools eligible for CSI based on Low Graduation Rate with less than 100 students enrolled, have the option to forgo implementation of all CSI-related improvement activities as stated in ESSA Section 1111 (d)(1)(B), at its DASS CoP CSI Low Graduation Rate school/s/.
   
   Please note, LEAs that choose to forgo the development or implementation of a CSI plan at its DASS CoP school/s/ eligible under the CSI Low Graduation Rate criteria as described above, will also forgo the CSI funding associated with that specific school/s/. It is also strongly encouraged that LEAs make this decision in collaboration with the DASS CoP CSI Low Graduation Rate school/s/ and its educational partners. Please read the FAQs on the DASS CoP tab for more information.
   

2. How are federal and state planning requirements aligned?

   Assembly Bill 716, signed by the Governor on September 18, 2018, and codified in Education Code (EC) 64001–65001, streamlines and aligns state and federal planning processes. Effective January 1, 2019, this law renamed the Single Plan for Student Achievement to the School Plan. Additionally, the law contains the following key provisions:
   

   • It allows the School Plan to be used as the improvement plan for CSI, Targeted Support and Improvement, and ATSI under the ESSA.
     
     
   • It allows single school districts and charter schools to utilize the LCAP to serve as the School Plan, provided that the LCAP meets the federal school planning requirements and the stakeholder requirements established in EC subdivision (a) of Section 52062.

   
   In addition, LEAs with schools that meet the criteria for CSI will complete the CSI prompts located in the Plan Summary section of the LCAP. 
   
   For more information about how to use the LCAP to meet CSI planning requirements, please review the CSI Planning Summary web page.

   School Plan and LCAP federal planning instructions are located on the CDE LCAP web page.
   
   

3. If an LEA chooses to use ESSA, Section 1003 funding for CSI activities to meet its LCAP goals, is it required to report those funds in the LCAP?

   Yes. If ESSA, Section 1003 funds are used to implement actions and services to meet an articulated goal related to CSI activities in the LCAP, those funds must be included in the LCAP.
   
   LCAP instructions for CSI are located on the LCAP web page.

4. Can charter schools and single school districts use their LCAP instead of the School Plan to meet federal planning requirements?

   Yes. Effective January 1, 2019, Assembly Bill 716, codified in California Education Code 64001(j), states that “[s]ingle school districts and charter schools may utilize the LCAP to serve as the School Plan, provided that the LCAP meets federal school planning requirements and the stakeholder requirements…” Charter schools and single school districts may use their LCAP planning process and requirements to engage its educational partners or they may utilize the School Plan and establish a Schoolsite Council to meet the federal planning requirements. Note: This law does not change the requirement of a school with 21 or more students to have an English learner advisory committee.
   
   Additionally, beginning with the 2022 California School Dashboard, any LEA with a Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) Community of Practice (CoP) school/s/ identified under the CSI Low Graduation Rate criteria, regardless of the number of students enrolled, may also use the LCAP to meet its CSI planning requirements.
   
   For more information about how to use the LCAP to meet CSI planning requirements, please review the CSI Planning Summary web page.
   
   LCAP and School Plan instructions for CSI are located on the LCAP web page.

5. Do single school districts (including those with Dashboard Alternative School Status [DASS] Community of Practice [CoP] school/s/ eligible under the CSI Low Graduation Rate criteria) and direct-funded (DF) charter schools using the LCAP to meet CSI planning requirements need to complete the CSI prompts in the LCAP Plan Summary?

   Single school districts, including those with DASS CoP school/s/ eligible under the CSI Low Graduation Rate criteria, and DF charter schools do not need to complete the first CSI prompt (“Schools Identified”) in the LCAP Plan Summary as this prompt is not applicable.
   
   Single school districts (including those with DASS CoP school/s/ eligible under the CSI Low Graduation Rate criteria) and DF charter schools are still required to complete the second and third CSI prompts (“Support for Identified Schools” and “Monitoring and Evaluating Effectiveness”) in the LCAP Plan Summary, even though those prompts are not phrased for single-school districts and direct-funded charter schools.

   A single school district submits its LCAP to its COE for approval, as usual. A DF charter school is required to submit its LCAP Plan Summary with the completed CSI prompts to the COE in the county in which the charter school is located for approval of the CSI prompts.
   
   

   LCAP instructions for CSI are located on the LCAP web page within the LCAP template.

6. How do single school districts and charter schools that use the LCAP in place of the School Plan demonstrate the use of CSI funds in the LCAP Template and Action tables?

   Single school districts and charter schools using the LCAP in place of the School Plan shall include evidence-based interventions in the LCAP section titled “Goals and Actions”.
   
   And located in the “Data Entry Table” tab within the “LCAP Action Tables”, single school districts and charter schools utilizing the LCAP to meet federal school planning requirements shall include CSI funds as part of the total amount of federal funds in the “Federal Funds” column if used to implement a goal, action, or service as applicable.
   
   LCAP and School Plan instructions for CSI are located on the LCAP web page.

7. What is the COE role with charter schools that meet the criteria for CSI?

   Charter schools eligible for CSI will complete the CSI prompts in the Plan Summary section in the LCAP. The charter school will submit only the Plan Summary section of the LCAP to the County Superintendent of Schools of the county in which the charter school is located for review and approval of only the CSI prompts within the Plan Summary section of the charter school’s LCAP.

8. What can a review of resource inequities include?

   A review of resource inequities examines whether schools have equitable access to key resources. Reviews can include but are not limited to:

   • Teachers and staff (i.e., experience, certification, and staffing levels, etc.)
   • Funding (distribution amounts to meet student needs)
   • Instructional materials (curriculum, textbooks, and enrichment opportunities)
   • Student supports (counselors, nurses, and other services)
   
   

CSI Funding

1. What resources and assistance are available to support LEAs with schools that are eligible for CSI?

   The ESSA requires that the State annually reserve seven percent of its Title I, Part A allocation for school improvement. Of the seven percent that the State is required to reserve, not less than 95 percent of those funds will be distributed on the basis of a formula to LEAs with schools that are eligible for CSI.
   
   The LEA must use ESSA, Section 1003 funds to locally develop and implement a plan in each school eligible for CSI to improve student outcomes. The School Plan for Student Achievement or SPSA, and the LEA LCAP will be used to meet CSI planning requirements. Improvement interventions and strategies must align to the goals, actions, and services identified in the LEA LCAP.
   
   School Plan and LCAP federal planning instructions are located on the CDE LCAP web page.
   
   LEA allocations are based on California’s Title I, Part A yearly allocation and are contingent upon California budget authority.
   

2. Are charter schools eligible for ESSA, Section 1003 school improvement funding?

   All LEAs with schools eligible for CSI are eligible to receive ESSA, Section 1003 funding. California’s ESSA State plan defines an LEA as a COE, school district, and direct-funded charter school.

3. Which LEAs are eligible to receive ESSA, Section 1003 funding?

   LEAs with schools that continue to meet the criteria for CSI are eligible to apply for and receive ESSA, Section 1003 funding for school improvement.

4. Is an application required to receive ESSA, Section 1003 school improvement funding for CSI?

   Section 1003(e) of the ESSA requires that an LEA shall submit to the State an application for ESSA, Section 1003 funding in order to receive an allocation. The first 2018‒19 ESSA CSI LEA Application for Funding was made available in February 2019, and annually thereafter. Applications for ESSA, Section 1003 funding will follow school support eligibility timelines that are determined by California’s ESSA State Plan.
   
   Please visit the CDE CSI LEA Applications for Funding web page for more information.

5. How does the CDE allocate ESSA, Section 1003 school improvement funds to eligible LEAs?

   ESSA, Section 1003 funds are not competitive and are allocated to eligible LEAs based on a formula. LEAs with schools that are eligible for CSI will receive an allocation based on the total number of schools eligible for CSI, statewide.

6. If an LEA chooses not to apply for/declines ESSA, Section 1003 school improvement funding, must it still meet the statutory planning requirements for CSI?

   Yes. If an LEA chooses not to apply for ESSA, Section 1003 funding, the LEA and its schools are still required to meet the statutory planning requirements for CSI, unless the LEA with a DASS CoP school eligible under the CSI-Low Graduation Rate criteria with less than 100 enrolled students chooses to forgo the implementation of school improvement activities pursuant to ESSA, Section 1111(d)(1)(C)(ii). Per subsection (1) of Section 1111(d) of the ESSA, LEAs with its educational partners are required to develop and implement a plan to improve student outcomes in its CSI-eligible schools.
   
   It is advantageous for the LEA to apply for ESSA, Section 1003 funding in order to receive additional resources and assistance to meet the ESSA plan development and implementation requirements.

7. If an LEA plans to close a school that is eligible for CSI after it has received its ESSA, Section 1003 allocation, does the LEA have to return all or part of its allocation?

   If an LEA plans to close a school after it has received its ESSA, Section 1003 allocation, it must log into the GMART and submit a “School Closure” request. The CDE will use the California School Directory to confirm the date of the school’s closure.

   LEAs with two or more CSI-eligible schools will be required to redistribute any amounts allocated to the closed school to the LEA or its remaining CSI-eligible school/s/.

   If the LEA does not have any other open CSI-eligible schools to reallocate to, then the LEA must closeout the subgrant and may not expend any additional ESSA, Section 1003 school improvement funds as of the date of the school’s closure. The CDE will then determine whether the LEA must return all, part, or none of its allocation, based on the school closure date and expenditures claimed.
   
   Funds for CSI shall only be used for allowable expenditures, including expenditures related to School Plan development and implementation activities designed to improve student outcomes and may not be used to support school closure activities.

8. Will an LEA with schools eligible for TSI or ATSI receive ESSA, Section 1003 funding?

   No. Only LEAs with schools that meet the criteria for CSI are eligible to apply for and receive ESSA, Section 1003 funding.

9. The Legislature determined that ESSA, Section 1003 funds cannot be used to hire additional permanent staff. What was the purpose or intent  of this stipulation?

   The legislative intent was not to ‘add a full-time equivalent (FTE)’ with ESSA, Section 1003 funding. Because this funding ends with each subgrant period, the LEA and its schools should not add a position that would not be sustainable in the absence of ESSA, Section 1003 funds.

10. Are Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangements an allowable use of ESSA, Section 1003 school improvement funds for CSI?

    Yes. In May 2020, the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) issued Statement No. 96, Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangements. GASB 96 is effective for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023 and beyond. To support with reporting ESSA school improvement expenditures, the following object code was added to grant management reports:

    Object Code 6700-Subscription Assets

    Please refer to the CDE Financial Accountability & Information Services office at sacsinfo@cde.ca.gov for additional guidance.

11. Where can I find more resources and information regarding allowable uses of ESSA, Section 1003 school improvement funds, including Capital Expenditures?

    For additional information about allowable uses of ESSA, Section 1003 school improvement funds for CSI, please refer to the CDE ESSA CSI LEA Authorized Use of Funds web page.

1. Can LEAs with DASS CoP schools eligible under the CSI-Low Graduation Rate criteria with less than 100 enrolled students forgo all CSI planning and implementation activities for these schools?

   Yes. LEAs with DASS CoP schools eligible under the CSI-Low Graduation Rate criteria with less than 100 enrolled students, have the option to forgo all required CSI planning and implementation activities. LEAs who exercise this flexibility will forfeit the ESSA, Section 1003 funds for CSI that would have otherwise been allocated to the LEA for its DASS CoP CSI-Low Graduation Rate school/s/.

2. If an LEA with DASS CoP school/s/ eligible under the CSI-Low Graduation Rate criteria with less than 100 enrolled students opts to forgo all CSI planning and implementation activities for these schools, how do they reflect this decision in the CSI section of the LCAP Plan Summary?

   Any LEA (single school district, charter school, or traditional school district) with DASS CoP school/s/ eligible under the CSI-Low Graduation Rate criteria with less than 100 enrolled students that opts to forgo all CSI planning and implementation activities for these school/s/ must reflect this decision in the LCAP by adding the following statement to Prompt 1 of the CSI section of the LCAP Plan Summary:
   
   [NAME OF SCHOOL/S/], a Dashboard Alternative School Status Community of Practice school eligible for Comprehensive Support and Improvement Low Graduation Rate with less than 100 enrolled students, in collaboration with its local educational agency and educational partners, will forgo all improvement activities and applicable funding pursuant to the flexibility allowed by the Every Student Succeeds Act and approved by the California State Board of Education.

3. Can LEAs with DASS CoP schools eligible under the CSI-Low Performing criteria regardless of enrollment size, forgo CSI planning and implementation activities for these schools?

   No. LEAs with DASS CoP schools eligible under the CSI-Low Performing criteria regardless of enrollment size, must continue to plan and implement CSI activities pursuant to ESSA Section 1111 (d)(1)(B) and do not have the option to forgo school improvement activities. The flexibility to forgo all CSI planning and implementation activities is only applicable to LEAs with DASS CoP schools eligible under the CSI-Low Graduation Rate criteria with less than 100 enrolled students.

4. Can LEAs with DASS CoP schools eligible under the CSI-Low Performing criteria use the LCAP to meet its CSI planning requirements?

   No. Only LEAs with DASS CoP schools eligible under the CSI-Low Graduation Rate criteria have the option to use the LCAP to meet its CSI planning requirements.

   DASS CoP schools eligible under the CSI-Low Performing criteria must continue to use the School Plan for Student Achievement (or an alternative that meets federal planning requirements) to meet CSI planning requirements. However, if the DASS CoP school eligible under the CSI-Low Performing criteria is also a single school district or charter school, then it continues to have the option to use its LCAP.

5. How do I access a current list of DASS schools?

   A current list of schools participating in the DASS program can be found on the CDE Active DASS Schools web page.

6. How do I confirm the enrollment of a DASS CoP school?

   LEAs can confirm the enrollment of a DASS CoP school using the ESSA Assistance Status Data File.

7. My LEA has decided to exercise the flexibility to forgo all school improvement activities for its DASS CoP school eligible under the CSI-Low Graduation Rate criteria with less than 100 enrolled students. What resources are available to support this school with its continuous improvement efforts?

   The CDE’s Continuous Improvement Resources web page contains various resources, tools, guides, and worksheets dedicated to continuous school improvement.

Return to Top