College/Career Indicator FAQs
Frequently asked questions relating to the California School Dashboard (Dashboard) College/Career Indicator (CCI).What measures are currently included in the CCI?
The following measures have been approved by the State Board of Education for inclusion into the CCI:
- Advanced Placement
- Cambridge International
- Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathway Completion
- Completion College Credit Course
- International Baccalaureate
- Leadership/Military Science
- Met University of California/California State University (UC/CSU) Requirements
- Registered Pre-Apprenticeships
- Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments in English Language Arts/Literacy and mathematics (Grade 11)
- State and Federal Job Programs
- State Seal of Biliteracy
- Transition Classroom and Work-Based Learning Experiences
- Work-Based Learning
How can a school/LEA show that they have prepared a student for college/career?
Many CCI measures have been approved as a combination of components to indicate an LEA or school has prepared students for college/career. The following flyer identifies the Prepared criteria approved by the State Board of Education:
What if my student has completed several different components, but none that are an approved combination to complete a measures requirement?
Only students who complete an approved CCI measure will be considered prepared by their LEA or school. Completing individual components does not show the LEA or school has prepared the student for college/career.
If a student is prepared in more than one measure, how many times are they included in the numerator?
Only once. A student can be prepared by their LEA or school through multiple measures, but they are only counted once in the CCI.
What is the best measure for students to be prepared through?
All measures on the CCI are weighted equally. Preparing a student in one measure has the same impact on the CCI as preparing students in any other measure.
What is the definition of a LTEL student for a graduating student in the CCI?
A pupil who has not attained English language proficiency within 7 years of initial classification as an EL is a LTEL. More information is available at the LTEL web page.
For the CCI, students who have been an EL for 7+ years during the last four or five years in high school will be considered an LTEL.
If a LTEL reclassifies during their junior year, will they still be considered an LTEL in the CCI?
Yes. A student that meets the LTEL criteria any time during the cohort period is counted as LTEL in the cohort.
I understand that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) denied the use of the DASS one-year graduation rate for DASS schools. Which students are included in the denominator of the CCI for DASS schools?
Due to the ED’s denial of California’s waiver to continue using modified methods for accountability, the combined four-and five-year graduation rate that is calculated for the Graduation Rate Indicator is used as the denominator for the CCI for all schools.
For the College Credit measure, do students need to receive college credit to be counted?
Yes. Students must receive college credit, pass the course with a grade of C minus or better (or Pass), and complete a minimum number of semesters, quarters, or trimesters of college coursework to be counted in the CCI.
We had 15 students who completed college courses with a C- or better and the students receive college credit for the courses. However, our CCI and the College/Career Measures Additional Report do not show us receiving any credit for these students. Why is this?
Local educational agencies are encouraged to review their California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) data to ensure that the data are submitted or are submitted accurately. For example, at times, we find that college courses are either not submitted in the End-of-Year data collections, or they have been submitted as non-college credit course codes. Additionally, we have found final course grades submitted as numerical values (rather than a letter grade). Any of these errors will result in CDE being unable to provide any credit to schools/LEAs.
Will a student be considered Prepared if they take a college credit course as part of their CTE pathway?
No. The intent is that students must complete two separate activities in order to be Prepared. For example, completing a CTE pathway in agriculture and a college course in astronomy would be considered Prepared. However, a CTE pathway in agriculture with the CTE capstone course in agriculture that is also college credit would not be considered Prepared.
Will a student be considered Prepared if they complete a high-quality work-based learning as part of their CTE pathway?
Yes! Students who complete a high-quality work-based learning experience: internship, student-led enterprise, or simulated work-based learning, as part of their CTE pathway are considered prepared by their LEA or school. More information on the work-based learning measures of the CCI can be found on the Work-Based Learning Measures for the CCI web page.
We have a Career Technical Education (CTE) Pathway course that is articulated with a college course. Does the articulation count the student as prepared on the CCI?
No. The intent is that students must complete two separate activities in order to be Prepared. For example, completing a CTE pathway in agriculture and a college course in astronomy would be considered Prepared. However, a CTE pathway in agriculture with the CTE capstone course in agriculture that is also college credit would not be considered Prepared.
Is articulation data used for the college credit measure?
No. While LEAs can submit in CALPADS whether a course is articulated through the CTE Postsecondary Articulated Course Indicator, for purposes of the CCI, this data field is not used. This is because articulation agreements between high schools and colleges across the state differ. For example, some agreements allow students to receive college credit while in high school while other agreements do not give any credit to the student until they enroll at the college where the agreement is tied to.
Therefore, for the College Credit measure in the CCI, articulated college courses will count as long as students earn college credit by the time they graduate high school and if the course was completed with a C– or better. The same is also true for non-articulated college courses.
LEAs should ensure that the application of Codes 23 and 24 in Field 9.19 –Course Instructional Level Code are appropriately completed in CALPADS so that the CDE can use it as applicable for this measure. In addition, keep in mind that a CTE Pathway course that is also a college credit course will not count towards the “CTE Pathway plus” prepared criteria (e.g., completion of a CTE Pathway plus completion of a college credit course(s). The college credit course must be outside of the CTE Pathway.
If a student takes a college course independently without oversight by the school or LEA, can the school/LEA receive credit for this course?
No. College courses should be those where the LEA or school has courses open for students to enroll in. Therefore, courses and endeavors that students carry out on their own cannot be counted in the CCI and this data should not be collected in CALPADS (such as CALPADS field “Course Section Instructional Level Code 23-College Credit only”)
If a student takes a college course with course code 9227: College Credit Course – Other, will that course be used to count towards prepared based on the CCI?
The 2026 Dashboard still includes 9227: College Credit Course – Other as part of the prepared criteria on the CCI.
Starting with 2027 Dashboard, the 9227: College Credit Course – Other state course code will no longer be included in the list of college credit courses used in the CCI regardless of when the course was taken. This decision was made at the July 2025 State Board of Education meeting.
What data sources are used for the CCI?
The CCI Technical Guide is the key to accessing extensive information about the CCI, including calculation formulas, data sources and business rules. The 2026 Dashboard Technical Guide will be published with the Dashboard on October 15, 2026, and is available on the Dashboard Technical Guide web page.
Is there any way I can confirm the data I submit in CALPADS prior to it being used to calculate the CCI?
Yes. The Connecting the Dashboard to CALPADS Reports (PDF) identifies specific CALPADS reports you can review to confirm if your data is accurate prior to the close of the CALPADS certification window.
Can I make corrections to my CCI data after it is released on the Dashboard?
No. The CDE extracts certified data from the CALPADS EOY submission. Any data revisions that are made in CALPADS after the submission deadline cannot be incorporated into the Dashboard (or DataQuest).