CSUN University News Clippings

California’s data-tracking system on students misfires

(October 14, 2009)

by Diana Lambert

After years of effort, California has launched a statewide system that can track all manner of data for individual public school students as they move from kindergarten through high school.

But it’s off to a shaky start.

Debbie Bennett at Black Oak Mine Unified School District in Georgetown kept getting the same message last week when she tried to log into the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System: “Please bear with us while we correct this.”

San Juan Unified School District technology staffers said the system was down most of last Wednesday, two days after the system’s launch.

“They haven’t been able to get the system working in an effective way,” said Oswaldo Galarza, director of technology services for the district.

Known as CalPADS, the new system will track a range of data for students, including what classes they take, their grades and test scores, whether they graduate or drop out, and demographic information such as race, parent education and home address.

State officials acknowledge the system is “slow,” saying the multiple servers required for the millions of records in the system � California has more than 6 million public school students this year � are failing to move information from one place to another when one of them gets overloaded.

“It’s going as well as can be expected,” said Keric Ashley, director of the data management division for the California Department of Education. He said everything should be straightened out this week.

Greg Lindner, director of technology services for the Elk Grove Unified School District, said the state probably underestimated the volume of people that would use the system.

School districts have until Dec. 11 to compile data on student enrollment and district funding and submit it using the system.

“If we see a lot of people struggling or having systems issues, we will adjust,” Ashley said.

He said the state is offering online training programs and twice-weekly teleconferences that include question-and-answer sessions.

The new database allows the state to funnel enrollment information more easily to the federal government for funding purposes.

The state also plans to use it for research, such as compiling accurate dropout data and zeroing in on which teaching methods are proving effective.

The system also will provide data to school districts. “If a district gets a new student, they go to the system and they can find out right away what he’s taken and passed and what testing is needed,” Ashley said.

Ashley said the system will be rolled out in four phases through the end of 2010. The first phase includes enrollment, graduation and dropout data.

In the Black Oak Mine district, Bennett will handle CalPADS data by herself, along with the district’s other data systems, textbook ordering and her secretarial duties.

“We’re restructuring our entire office,” said Tammy Gabel, superintendent of the 1,700-student district. “We have less money, less resources and more demands.”

Lindner of Elk Grove said the system is causing more work for the 62,000-student district, but he expects it eventually will save time.

“This time next year it all will be good,” he said.

In Natomas Unified, a district of 12,000 students, one person has been assigned full time to handle CalPADS and other state-mandated reporting.

“It’s a lot of work, but down the road it is worth it,” said Joe Jenkins, chief technology officer at the district.

Publication: Sacramento Bee