California Dashboard Technical Guide 2023

The California School Dashboard (Dashboard) Technical Guide, which is divided into several “mini-guides”, provides technical information on California’s accountability system, specifically the state and local indicators reported on the Dashboard. The guide is intended for Dashboard coordinators at local educational agencies (LEAs) to access the calculation methodology and business rules used to produce each of the state indicators. It also provides an overview of the local indicators, available resources that are related to the Dashboard, information on the systems of support under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and details the identification of schools for comprehensive and targeted support under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Because California’s accountability system is founded on meeting requirements under both state and federal law, the guide reflects the requirements that have been met for both. In particular, under federal law, the requirements have to be approved by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) within the state’s ESSA State Plan. The latest version is available through the California Department of Education (CDE) ESSA web page.

The guide is not intended to serve as a substitute for state and federal laws or regulations. The guide should be used in conjunction with information provided through the CDE California School Dashboard and System of Support web page, as well as from emails and correspondence disseminated by the CDE to Dashboard coordinators.