CALPADS compliance guide
Event, Status, Plan, and Service Records Are Different
Many special education errors begin when four different kinds of information are treated as if they were interchangeable. They are related, but each answers a different operational question.
Four questions, four record families
| Record concept | The question it answers | Typical evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Status — SWDS | What is the student’s special education participation or eligibility state, and when did it begin? | Status determination and effective date |
| Event — MEET | What happened on a particular date? | Referral, consent, evaluation, meeting, review, amendment, delay or outcome |
| Plan — PLAN | What educational plan became operative? | IEP, IFSP, ISP or other current plan configuration |
| Service — SERV | What service belongs to that plan? | Service code, provider, location, frequency and duration |
A practical example
September 3 — ReferralMEET event begins an evaluation process
September 5 — StatusSWDS reflects the applicable referral/status history
October 22 — Eligibility meetingMEET records the completed evaluation/meeting event
October 22 — IEP effectivePLAN describes the operative educational plan
October 22 — Services effectiveSERV rows attach supported services to the plan
The dates may coincide, but the records remain separate because an event, a status, a plan, and a service are not the same fact.
Common reconciliation mistakes
| Mistake | Why it fails | Better approach |
|---|---|---|
| Creating PLAN without supporting status/history | The plan appears without the lifecycle that explains it | Reconcile SWDS and MEET before PLAN |
| Using the meeting date as every effective date | Different facts may become effective on different dates | Use the authoritative date for each record |
| Deleting old records to show only the latest state | CALPADS needs effective-dated history | Correct the mistaken segment and preserve valid history |
| Adding SERV to clear an error | A service must come from the operative plan | Verify the plan and service documentation first |