Consolidated Application and Reporting System – CARS

1. Consolidated Application and Reporting System – CARS

2. CARS • What is the CARS? • What’s New and Different? • Data Policies • Fiscal Year Funding Stages • CARS Demonstration 2

3. CARS What is CARS? • An online application that will replace the current desktop CADS application. • A tool to collect: • Application and fiscal categorical program funding data • Support planning categorical program funding • Track categorical program expenditures • Track categorical program activities 3

4. CARS What CARS is not? • A tool to collect: • General summary level school and district level data, e.g., total computers at school and count of paraprofessionals (On-line Reporting Application) • Competitive grant proposal reporting system (e.g., SIG proposals) • Student level data (CALPADS, CASEMIS, MEP) 4

5. CARS Out of CARS Scope • Spanish language version of the printed Consolidated Application forms. • Recreating the current paper form based format. 5

6. CARS – What’s New and Different Data Collections • LEA specific information collected about a program. Examples are Title I Part A School Allocations or Protected Prayer Policy. • New – Can be submitted independently • Data collections to be submitted are dependent on application for funds and or receipt of an entitlement. If an LEA did not receive an entitlement for a specific fiscal year, it will not be required to submit a “Not Applicable” data collection. 6

7. CARS – What’s New and Different Data Collection Periods - Spring, Fall and Winter • Collection period names based on time period - no longer using Part I and Part II – • Spring – mid May through July • Fall - month of October • Winter – mid December through January • Data collections for each release is the same as the current ConApp, but are grouped by fiscal year • New – Fall collection incorporates Title III expenditure reporting previously collected outside of the ConApp • New – Each collection period includes CDE program staff review period 7

8. CARS – What’s New and Different Dynamically Driven Design • Data collections and data elements displayed are based on: • LEA structure or eligibility • Direct funded charter will not be prompted to submit EIA. • If your LEA is not eligible to receive Title III, you will not see Title III as an application for funding option. • Decisions made • If you did not apply for Title I Part A, you will not be prompted to submit the data collection. 8

9. CARS – What’s New and Different Collections are less “consolidated” Certification of assurances and collection of signatures: An annual process of certifying acceptance of the legal assurance and submitting the names, titles and approval dates of various governing and authorizing representatives. • Certification of assurances has been decoupled from the collection of authorized representative’s and local governing board approvals. • LEA is still required to print and keep a signed copy locally. 9

10. CARS – What’s New and Different Collections are less “consolidated” Data Certification and Submission: The process of certifying and submitting data collections containing program information. • LEA will be able to submit an error free data collection independent of other data collections. 10

11. CARS – What’s New and Different No Need for Backup/Restore for a New Release Draft data: Any data that has been entered into CARS by an LEA user and saved to the CARS database. • Note: draft data is not visible to CDE program staff or the public. • It is considered unofficial and uncommitted (i.e., not submitted) and can be saved even if it contains data errors. 11

12. CARS – What’s New and Different No Need for Backup/Restore for a New Release Official data: Any data collection that has been certified and submitted by an LEA Authorized Representative. Official data is synonymous with certified data. • A data collection can not be certified and submitted as official until the LEA resolves any and all data errors. • Official data are visible to CDE program staff and will be used for public, state and federal reporting. 12

13. CARS – What’s New and Different Multiple LEA Users Can Enter DataLEA Roles and Descriptions 13

14. CARS – What’s New and Different Data Policies • Support for older versions of CADS • The Education Data Office will retain five years of historical CADS FoxPro versions. • CARS retention policy • CDE will not purge historical LEA certified data from CARS. • The LEA still needs to keep a printed, signed version of the Consolidated Application at their site. • LEAs should maintain three years of supporting records related to funding activities after the final year those funds are expended. 14

15. CARS – What’s New and Different Data Policies • CDE staff access to data • CDE will only use data that is official (i.e., LEA has certified and submitted the data). • Draft data (saved uncertified data) will not be visible to CDE program staff or the public. • Exceptions: • CARS service desk staff will be provided access in order to allow them to troubleshoot issues. • The LEA authorizes read only access to a CDE program staff person. 15

16. CARS - Data Policies Data Policies • Modifying program data • Only LEAs can modify their data. • Revising historical data • Once an LEA has submitted certified data for a data collection, and the final deadline has passed, the LEA will no longer be allowed to revise the data within CARS. • A process will be defined for re-opening a data collection that will include an impact assessment and appropriate approval from CDE program directors and the Educational Data Management Division. 16

17. CARS Fiscal Year Funding Stages Summer Release Winter Release All Releases 17

18. CARS – Demonstration • Caveat – still under construction Or 18

19. CARS Demonstration Header Tabs • Header will not change as you navigate through the tabs. • The tabs displayed will vary based on the user’s role. 19

20. CARS Demonstration • If the user has been granted access to more than one LEA, switching between LEAs is quick and easy. • Only the LEAs that the user has been granted access to will display. 20

21. CARS Demonstration Data Collections • Only data collections relevant to the LEA will display. • All data collections will be displayed beneath their applicable fiscal year. • Also displayed is the status of each data collection. 21

22. CARS Demonstration • Data collections displayed are also based on decisions made… 22

23. CARS Demonstration 23

24. CARS Demonstration 24

25. CARS Demonstration Direct Funded Charter • Some data collections or selection options will not display based on the LEA structure or eligibility. 25

26. CARS Demonstration • Every data entry form will include Program Information, Data Entry Instructions, and CDE program contacts. • Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*). 26

27. CARS Demonstration • Only an Authorize Representative can certify official data. 27

28. CARS Demonstration • A data collection must be error free before it can be certified. 28

29. CARS Demonstration • A data collection must be error free before it can be certified. 29

30. CARS Demonstration • CARS supports errors and warnings. Errors must be resolved before a data collection can be certified. 30

31. CARS Demonstration • School level data can be downloaded to a spreadsheet style template, data can be entered in the template, then uploaded to the system. • It must pass all data validation and school list checks when uploaded. • All uploads are full replacement. 31

32. CARS Demonstration • CDE and LEA general staff will only have access to certified data collections. • Certified data will be available via Reports. 32

33. Questions • Sonya Edwards, sedwards@cde.ca.gov • Joy Paull, jpaull@cde.ca.gov 33