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Targeted/Additional Targeted Support & Improvement

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires state educational agencies to determine school eligibility for targeted support and improvement (TSI) and additional targeted support and improvement (ATSI).

Please note, California has not made school eligibility determinations for TSI. Once more information on TSI eligibility determinations is available, this web page will be updated accordingly.

Schools that meet the criteria for ATSI must collaborate with educational partners to develop and implement a school-level plan to improve student outcomes.

Public Release of the Data File for Schools that Meet Criteria for Support and Improvement in 2022–23
California Department of Education (CDE) correspondence sent to County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators regarding the eligibility of schools for support and improvement in 2022–23.

Public Release of the Data File for Schools that Meet the Criteria for Support and Improvement in 2019–20
CDE correspondence sent to County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators regarding the eligibility of schools for support and improvement in 2019–20.

Public Release of the Data File for Schools that Meet the Criteria for Support and Improvement in 2018–19
CDE correspondence sent to County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators regarding the eligibility of schools for support and improvement in 2018–19.

2022–23 ATSI Planning and Support Webinar (PDF; New 28-Mar-2023)

School Eligibility and Exit

The CDE will use the California School Dashboard (Dashboard) to determine school eligibility for and exit from TSI and ATSI. Title I and non-Title I schools are eligible for TSI and ATSI.

ATSI Eligibility and Exit Criteria

Schools that are not eligible for comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) and have one or more student group(s) that meet(s) any of the criteria used to determine CSI Low Performing, will be eligible for ATSI.

The student groups used for ATSI determinations are:

  • Race/ethnicity (i.e., Black/African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian American, Filipino, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, White, and Two or More Races)
  • Homeless Students
  • English Learner Students
  • Foster Youth Students
  • Student with Disabilities
  • Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students

Additionally, the same exit criteria for CSI Low Performing applies for ATSI, but at the student group level.

The CDE first determined school eligibility for ATSI in the 2018–19 school year using the 2017 and 2018 Dashboards. Additionally, school eligibility was determined in the 2019–20 school year using the 2018 and 2019 Dashboards to incorporate results of the English Learner Progress Indicator and to align with the Local Control and Accountability Plan cycle. School eligibility will again be determined in 2022–23 using only one year of Dashboard data from the 2022 Dashboard.

For specific ATSI eligibility and exit criteria, please reference the following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and Dashboard Technical Guides:

School Eligibility Data Files

ESSA Assistance Status Data Files

For information related to eligibility criteria of the lowest-performing 5 percent of Title I schools for CSI, visit the CSI web page.

Planning Requirements

School Plans

Assembly Bill 716 External link opens in new window or tab., signed by the Governor on September 18, 2018, and codified in the California Education Code sections 64001–65001, streamlines and aligns state and federal planning processes. Effective January 1, 2019, this law renames the Single Plan for Student Achievement to the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA). Additionally, the law contains the following key provisions:

  • Allows the SPSA to meet ESSA requirements for comprehensive or ATSI planning

  • Allows single school districts and charter schools to utilize the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) to serve as the SPSA, provided that the LCAP meets the ESSA school planning requirements and the stakeholder requirements established in subdivision (a) of Section 52062 External link opens in new window or tab..

Federal planning requirements are established in the California Education Code Section 64001 External link opens in new window or tab..

Additional Targeted Support and Improvement

California will notify each local educational agency (LEA) in the State of any school served by the LEA, in which any subgroup of students is consistently underperforming.

Upon notification by the State, the LEA is required to:

  • Provide notification to such school with respect to which student group or student groups in such school are consistently underperforming

  • Approve and monitor implementation of each school plan

  • Take additional action following unsuccessful implementation of such school plan after a number of years determined by the LEA

Upon notification by the LEA, the school is required to collaborate with educational partners to:

  • Develop and implement a school-level plan to improve student outcomes

    The school plan must:

    • be based on indicators in the statewide accountability system and informed by all indicators, including student performance against long-term goals;

    • include evidence-based interventions; and

    • identify resource inequities, which may include a review of LEA- and school-level budgeting, to be addressed through implementation of the school improvement plan.

Addressing ATSI Planning Requirements through the LCAP

To support single school districts and charter schools with ATSI planning efforts, the CDE developed an ATSI Planning Summary that explains how to use the LCAP to meet ATSI planning requirements.

Additional Information

LCAP and SPSA instructions for ATSI are located on the LCAP Web page.

ESSA funding is not available for LEAs that serve schools that meet the criteria for ATSI.

Technical Assistance

For questions regarding the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on ATSI, please visit the CDE Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) and ATSI Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) web page or contact the School Improvement and Support Office (SISO) by email at SISO@cde.ca.gov or by phone at 916-319-0833. The coronavirus FAQs will be updated as more information becomes available and decisions are finalized.

For general questions regarding ATSI, please see the FAQs located below or contact the SISO by email at SISO@cde.ca.gov or by phone at 916-319-0833.

For questions regarding the eligibility criteria and determinations for ATSI, please contact the Accountability Development and Policy Analysis Unit by email at Dashboard@cde.ca.gov.

For information regarding the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and school planning processes, please contact the Local Agency Systems Support Office by email at LCFF@cde.ca.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

ATSI Program Questions

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  1. Which schools are eligible for ATSI?

    All schools (traditional, charter, Dashboard Alternative School Status [DASS], Title I, and non-Title I) with two years of California School Dashboard outcomes that meet the ATSI criteria are eligible for support from the local educational agency. It is important to note that schools must be active in the year that eligibility is determined for ATSI. However, per California’s approved COVID-19 Addendum, ATSI eligibility determinations in 2022–23 will be based on only one year of Dashboard results (i.e., the 2022 Dashboard).

  2. Are Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) schools with less than 100 students enrolled exempted from implementation of ATSI activities?

    DASS schools with less than 100 students enrolled are not exempted from implementation of ATSI activities. However, those schools have flexibility within the school planning process to focus on the California School Dashboard state indicators that are more appropriate to the nature of their program.

  3. How will the CDE determine school eligibility and exit for ATSI?

    The CDE will use the California School Dashboard (Dashboard) state indicators to determine school eligibility and exit for ATSI. Schools with one or more student groups that meet the same criteria used to determine CSI Low Performing will be eligible for ATSI.

    For more specific ATSI eligibility and exit criteria, please reference the following FAQs and Dashboard Technical Guides:

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

    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 ATSI would not be eligible for CSI Low Graduation Rate or CSI Low Performing at the same time.

  5. How often is school eligibility determined for ATSI?

    The CDE first determined school eligibility for ATSI in the 2018–19 school year using the 2017 and 2018 California School Dashboards (Dashboard). Additionally, school eligibility was determined in the 2019–20 school year using the 2018 and 2019 Dashboards. School eligibility will again be determined in 2022–23 using only one year of Dashboard data from the 2022 Dashboard.

    As the timeline to determine school eligibility for ATSI evolves, additional information will be provided.

  6. Which student groups and indicators will the CDE use to determine school eligibility for ATSI?

    The following student groups will be used to determine school eligibility for ATSI based on student group performance:

    • Black/African American

    • American Indian/Alaska Native

    • Asian American

    • English Learner Students

    • Filipino

    • Foster Youth Students

    • Hispanic

    • Homeless Students

    • Two or More Races

    • Pacific Islander

    • Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students

    • Students with Disabilities

    • White


    State indicators from the California School Dashboard (Dashboard) are used to make school assistance eligibility and exit determinations. Refer to the following Dashboard Technical Guides and COVID-19 Accountability FAQs to identify the indicators used in a given year.


  7. How will a school be notified that it is eligible for ATSI?

    California will notify each local educational agency (LEA) in the State of any school served by the LEA, in which any subgroup of students, on its own, would lead to identification for CSI Low Performing status.

    Upon notification by the State, the LEA is required to:

    • Provide notification to such school, in which any subgroup of students, on its own, would lead to identification for CSI.

  8. What requirements apply to local educational agencies (LEAs) with schools eligible for ATSI?

    Upon receiving notification from the CDE, the LEA shall, for each school eligible for ATSI, provide notification to such school with respect to which student group/s/ in such school are consistently underperforming.

    Each school receiving a notification of eligibility for ATSI shall develop and implement a plan to improve student outcomes for each subgroup of students that was the subject of notification. For more information, please see the Planning Requirements tab on this web page.

  9. Are ESSA, Section 1003 funds available to support schools eligible for ATSI?

    ESSA, Section 1003 funds are not available to support ATSI activities.

  10. What planning options are available to ATSI-eligible Special Education programs/schools that do not use a SPSA or LCAP?

    Special Education programs/schools have the flexibility to meet the ATSI federal planning requirements using one of three options. Options for addressing the ATSI planning requirements include:

    • Option 1: Use the CDE’s School Plan for Student Achievement template and instructions to address ATSI planning requirements. If completed consistent with the provided instructions and is implemented with fidelity, this would meet all ATSI planning requirements, as applicable.
    • Option 2: Review the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) to see if the plan addresses any of the ATSI planning requirements. If there are areas the SELPA does not address, additional information regarding the ATSI planning requirements can be provided.
    • Option 3: Develop an ATSI plan using a format of choice to address the ATSI planning requirements. If a school elects to use its own template to document its school improvement efforts, then it must ensure that its template/process addresses all federal school improvement planning requirements for ATSI, as applicable.

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Questions:   School Improvement and Support Office | SISO@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0833
Last Reviewed: Tuesday, March 28, 2023
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