Suspension Indicator FAQs
The most frequently asked questions about the Suspension Indicator used for the California School Dashboard.Do after-hour detentions count as suspensions?
No. According to the system requirements for CALPADS, LEAs do not need to report detentions that occur outside of school hours.
Does the suspension rate for the Dashboard only use “out-of-school” suspensions?
No. Both "in-school" and "out-of-school" suspensions are counted as suspensions in the rate.
My suspension numbers match between CALPADS and DataQuest. Why are the rates different on the Dashboard?
DataQuest and the Dashboard fulfill different purposes and sometimes report slightly different metrics. For the case of suspension – DataQuest reports any suspensions regardless of length time.
The Dashboard suspension rate looks at students who have a combined total suspension of at least one full day. Additionally, at the district level, the Dashboard moves students to their “District of Special Education” Accountability.
Are students with only partial-day suspensions included in the Dashboard suspension rate numerator?
No. Only students with a combined total of at least one full day of suspension are counted in the suspension rate numerator.
- If a student is suspended for:
- 0.5 partial day,
- 0.3 partial day, and
- 0.1 partial day
The student is not included in the suspension rate numerator because their combined suspension total is 0.9 days (that is, less than one full day).
One of my students was suspended for five full days. Are each of these suspensions counted in the suspension rate?
No. The suspension rate counts of the number of students who have a combined total of at least one full day of suspension at any time during the school year, not the total number of suspensions. A student who is suspended multiple times is only counted as suspended once in the Dashboard rate.
If a student transfers from one school to another, do the student’s suspensions follow the student from school to school? For example, would a student’s suspension at the first school be included in the student’s second school?
No. The student’s suspension would count in the first school but not at the second. As with all state indicators, the data used for the Dashboard are based on the data from each district or school. An LEA or school does not inherit another LEA/school’s data.
I have a student who enrolled on October 10 and exited on the same day (October 10). Is this considered an enrollment of one day and therefore the student would be included in the denominator?
Yes. A student who enrolls and exits a school on the same day is considered enrolled for one day and therefore included in the denominator count.
Are teacher suspensions from a classroom included in the numerator of the Suspension Rate Indicator?
If the suspension has been recorded as the result of an incident within CALPADS, the suspension will be included in the numerator of the suspension rate.
Is TK included in the Suspension rate?
Yes. TK students are in their first year of a two-year kindergarten program, and therefore are included in the enrollment counts for the TK-12 suspension rate.
If a student belongs to multiple program student groups, will the suspension be counted in each student group?
Yes. A student who belongs to multiple program student groups will be counted in each of those groups. However, the student will be counted only once in the ‘All students’ total on at the school, LEA, and State levels. For example, a student in both the Foster and EL program student groups would be counted as suspended (if the suspension eligibility criteria are met) for both the Foster and EL student groups, but only once at the school, LEA, and state levels.
Which five-by-five table do LTELs get at an elementary school?
LTELs who are enrolled at an elementary school will be evaluated using the Middle School five-by-five table for the Suspension Indicator. This change will apply to the 2026 Dashboard and beyond.