MONTEBELLO – Montebello Unified School District has been recognized for its exemplary data management practices, underscoring the District’s commitment to tailoring programs and instruction to student needs.

The State Department of Education (CDE) recently awarded the District with the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) Recognition Certificate for keeping accurate student records and meeting CDE submission deadlines.

“By collecting accurate student data, we establish a framework and work ethic that ensures we continue to increase student support and retention, which in turn helps to maintain our high graduation rates,” Montebello Unified Board President Edgar Cisneros said. “I commend our staff and administrators who have worked diligently to preserve the integrity of our students’ records. Their work will continue to translate into more effective instruction and higher student performance over the long-term.”

CALPADS, the foundation of California’s K-12 education data system, is a statewide system that stores individual-level data on students as well as district and school certificated staff. In 2013-14, Montebello successfully met all six deadlines for submitting data to the CALPADS system, with less than a 2 percent deviation in data quality.

School districts use CALPADS data to collect, maintain and report information on pupil enrollment, teacher assignments, courses and program participation, as well as data related to graduation and dropout rates for state and federal reporting.

Montebello Unified effectively uses CALPADS data to drive student instruction, shaping and informing programs to prepare each student to graduate from high school, while preparing them for college and career.

For example, Bell Gardens and Montebello high schools reported 2013-14 high school graduation rates at 89.02 and 89.1 percent, respectively – figures that significantly exceed county and state averages.

“This recognition from the California Department of Education reinforces the fact that our staff is always striving to give their best and provide quality work in order to ensure that each student reach their goals” Superintendent of Schools Cleve Pell said. “We are very proud and thank them for their dedication to this effort.”