EDC §49079.5: The Legislature recognizes that a longitudinal pupil data system provides direct and tangible benefits to pupils, educators, policymakers, and the public.

The Legislature recognizes that a longitudinal pupil data system provides direct and tangible benefits to pupils, educators, policymakers, and the public. The Legislature intends to make statewide longitudinal education data accessible to, and used to inform and engage, authorized stakeholders in an effort to support the continuous improvement of instruction, operations, management, and resource allocation, and in a manner that complies with all federal and state privacy laws. The Legislature intends to make statewide longitudinal education data available and accessible to researchers so they may evaluate the effectiveness of instructional materials, strategies, and approaches for educating different types of pupils in a manner that complies with federal and state privacy laws, including, but not limited to, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1232g) (FERPA). It is the intent of the Legislature, in enacting this section, to accomplish all of the following: (a) Comply with the United States Constitution and all applicable federal laws, including FERPA and its implementing regulations (34 C.F.R. 99). (b) Comply with the California Constitution and all applicable state laws and their implementing regulations, including, but not limited to, Section 1798.24 of the Civil Code. (c) Further an environment in which the department and the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) serve as resources for local educational agencies. (d) Promote a culture of continuous improvement through collaboration and informed decisionmaking at the classroom, school, district, state, and policymaker level. (e) Minimize the anticipated workload increase on the department that may be generated by an increased number of data requests as CALPADS becomes operational, by establishing clear guidance on data access and an efficient process for responding to requests for access. (f) Pursuant to FERPA and as defined in Section 1798.24 of the Civil Code, make pupil data available to qualified researchers from nonprofit organizations while appropriately protecting the privacy of individual pupils.