SEDS Coordinator Annual Planning Guide
Use this page to see the shape of the SEDS Coordinator year at a glance. Each month identifies the dominant focus, a few high-value actions, and the detailed guide to open when you are ready to work.
This is a planning map—not a deadline calendar or a complete task list. Use Due Dates for current deadline sources and Data Monitoring Tasks for recurring operational work.
The annual cycle repeats, but exact dates and unusual student situations change. Use this guide to anticipate the next body of work, then move into the linked workflow or procedure.
This guide shows the recurring annual cycle and the preparation work associated with it. For confirmed dates for rollover, SIS import pauses, Training Server refreshes, DRDP archiving, ESY resets, maintenance, and other scheduled SIRAS events, use the System Event Calendar.
SIRAS Current data changes as students enroll, leave, change services, or receive new plans. A report run months later cannot reliably recreate the exact Current population or support profile from an earlier date. Many districts therefore run selected reports and data extracts on locally chosen quarterly dates.
The Year at a Glance
| Reset and Rebuild July–September Close the prior year, complete rollover, rebuild access and caseloads, and prepare for Fall 1. | Capture and Certify October–December Preserve Census Day evidence, reconcile Fall 1, resolve errors, and complete approval. | Transition and Monitor January–March Prepare testing and DRDP work, review transitions, and begin EOY planning. | Close and Report April–June Clean cumulative data, certify EOY, preserve June 30 evidence, and prepare rollover. |
Jump to a Season
Optional Quarterly Snapshots & Data Extracts
This practice is optional unless required by local policy. It gives the district a preserved data set that can answer later questions such as:
- How many Active special education students were enrolled on a particular date?
- How many students had a particular degree of support at the end of a quarter?
- Which providers, Case Managers, services, disabilities, placements, or schools were associated with those students at that time?
SIRAS Current data reflects what is known now. Six months later, the Current record cannot reliably reproduce the exact population, services, providers, or support profile that existed on the earlier date.
Common local snapshot dates
| Common date | Planning purpose |
|---|---|
| First Wednesday in October | Fall Census Day population and credentialing evidence. |
| December 1 | Early-winter staffing, provider-assignment, service, and population review. |
| April 1 | End-of-March / spring staffing, service, support, and planning snapshot. |
| June 30 | End-of-year reference set before rollover and later Current-data changes. |
Districts may choose different dates, add monthly snapshots, or use another frequency established by local policy. The important point is to run each report and extract on the intended measurement date.
Recommended snapshot package
- Run the applicable saved searches, lists, and reports.
- Export the found student population through Data Export Help.
- Create the student-data extract.
- Create the service-data extract.
- Create the provider and assignment extract through Provider Association Extract.
- Save the PDFs and spreadsheets in a secure, district-approved location using meaningful dates and file names.
The broad quarterly extract commonly includes all Active and Pending records so later analysis can distinguish participating students, referrals, and students still being evaluated. Individual reports may require a narrower population—such as Active only—so follow the instructions in the linked report article.
Common reports to preserve
| Report or extract | Use |
|---|---|
| Provider Association Extract | Preserves provider-role, Case Manager, and student-assignment information for later staffing or caseload analysis. |
| DSEA Review | Preserves District of Special Education Accountability information for review and reconciliation. |
| Excess Cost / FTE Report | Supports staffing and full-time-equivalent analysis. |
| Out-of-Home Care Report | Preserves the applicable out-of-home-care population and assignments. |
| Credential Audit: Census Day Student Lists and Exports | Creates the credential-audit lists above and below the 50% general-education threshold. |
| Low Incidence Report | Preserves low-incidence disability and related reporting information. |
| Personnel Report / Manage Users | Supports a personnel snapshot when the district maintains the applicable personnel information in SIRAS. |
| Census Day Search and Store | Preserves the actual Census Day found set and related evidence. |
These files supplement operational and reporting history; they do not replace finalized meeting records, SIRAS archived transactions, CALPADS certification evidence, or district records-retention requirements.
July–September: Reset and Rebuild
Finish the prior reporting year, apply rollover, reestablish accurate access and caseloads, then pivot into Fall 1 preparation.
|
July Close and roll SIRAS cycle
SIS imports commonly pause between academic years while SIRAS exports remain active. SELPA rollovers generally occur from mid-July through mid-August.
Open: EOY Guide · Before Rollover · After Rollover |
August Rebuild and onboard SIRAS cycle
The prior DRDP period is typically archived in early August before Fall DRDP entry begins in September. Production data is also commonly copied to the Training Server around mid-August.
Open: New or Returning Students · Next Year’s Data · ESY Eligibility and Enrollment · Rollover Clean Up |
September Prepare Fall 1 SIRAS cycle
On September 1, SIRAS clears ESY Enrolled for all records. ESY Eligible is not cleared. Fall DRDP entry normally begins during September.
Open: Fall 1 Guide · Next Year’s Data · ESY Eligibility and Enrollment · DRDP Help |
October–December: Capture and Certify
Preserve Census Day evidence, expose and correct reporting problems early, and complete Fall 1 review and approval.
|
October Capture the snapshot
|
November Reconcile and correct
|
December Approve and stabilize
Open: Fall 1 Guide · Due Dates |
January–March: Transition and Monitor
Shift from Fall 1 closure into next-year planning, statewide testing, DRDP, PSTS, and early EOY preparation.
|
January Prepare transitions and testing SIRAS cycle
A production-to-Training Server refresh is commonly scheduled near the beginning of January. Training-only records and changes may be overwritten.
|
February Monitor and prepare
|
March Launch EOY planning SIRAS cycle
The prior DRDP period is typically archived in March to make way for Spring DRDP entry.
Open: EOY Guide · DRDP Help · System Event Calendar |
April–June: Close and Report
Move from broad cleanup into cumulative EOY certification, June 30 evidence, approval, amendment work, and rollover readiness.
|
April Clean the year
Open: Data Monitoring Tasks · EOY Guide |
May Certify and prepare rollover
Open: EOY Guide · Before Rollover |
June Close, store, and approve
Open: EOY Guide · Search and Store · Rollover Schedule |
The Work That Never Stops
| Keep the population current Onboard new and returning students; inactivate students who leave or stop participating. |
Keep meetings moving Review open, upcoming, overdue, Pending As Of, and Meeting In Progress events. |
| Keep reporting current Send data regularly, resolve posted errors, and verify accepted transactions. |
Keep access accurate Review users, schools, providers, Case Managers, and caseload assignments. |
| Keep systems reconciled Compare SIS, SIRAS, and CALPADS when populations, dates, or histories disagree. |
Keep leadership informed Bring unresolved risks and unusual trends to the local data team and Special Education Director. |
|
Preserve periodic evidence Run locally selected quarterly reports and extracts on the intended measurement date so earlier Current populations can be analyzed later. |
Store snapshots securely Use meaningful dates and file names and retain the PDF/Excel package in a district-approved secure location. |
Use Data Monitoring Tasks for the full recurring checklist and Data Monitoring Help for the investigation method.
Build the Local Calendar
the official deadline, the district's earlier working target, and the escalation date for unresolved items.
Also record locally selected snapshot dates:
commonly the first Wednesday in October, December 1, April 1, and June 30—or the dates and frequency established by local policy.
Use Due Dates for state, program, SELPA, and local deadline sources. Use System Event Calendar for confirmed SIRAS-run events and SELPA Rollover Schedule for SELPA-specific rollover dates.
The month shown here is the usual planning window. Always follow the current CDE, SELPA, district, DRDP, testing, and SIRAS calendars.
