Go directly to Access for Reporting with CALPADS. It lists the SIRAS access needed for SEDS submission, the CALPADS roles used for SPED submission/reporting, and the official CALPADS instructions for creating or updating the CALPADS user account.
User Access Roles control the type and breadth of access assigned to a SIRAS user account. Roles are assigned on the User Account tab under Tools → Manage Users / My Account.
Most users do not need an Access Role. An account with no Access Role is a General User and normally sees only the student records assigned to that user.
Assign the narrowest access that supports the person's job. Normally, assign only one district- or school-level role. Add another role only when a separate module or specialized function requires it.
In This Guide
| Access for Reporting with CALPADSSIRAS and CALPADS account requirements for staff sending SPED transactions. | How Access WorksUnderstand roles, modules, scope, and student assignments. |
| General User & Add-On RolesGeneral User, CALPADS Access, 504/SST, and other add-on roles. | District-Level RolesDistrict SPED Clerk, Admin, Read Only, and District Wide. |
| School & Site RolesSchool clerk/admin, read-only, site-wide, and incoming access. | SELPA & Specialized RolesSELPA, Service Log, translator, and blocked-access roles. |
| Assigning and Reviewing RolesChoose scope, assign roles, and test the resulting permissions. | Role Assignment ExamplesSee General User and broad-role examples in SIRAS. |
How Access Works
- A user may be assigned more than one Access Role, but this is not usually necessary.
- Each role contains permissions defined by SIRAS. Those permissions may be revised as program requirements change.
- Roles are associated with one or more SIRAS designations or modules: Special Education, 504, or SST.
- A login uses one designation at a time. The effective permissions are the combination of the roles assigned for that designation.
- District- and school-level roles normally should not overlap. For example, a District SPED Clerk generally should not also be assigned District Admin 1.
- District, school, and SELPA assignments determine where a broad role applies. Student assignments determine which records a General User can access.
Example: A user may need 504/SST Coordinator access for 504 work and School Read Only access for Special Education. The permissions shown depend on the designation currently selected.
For the detailed permission matrix, see the Chart of User Access Roles (PDF).
General User and Add-On Roles
| Role | Access and intended use |
|---|---|
| No User Access Role (General User) | Access is limited to individually assigned student records. This is the normal configuration for most providers and teachers. |
| Gen. User - Read Only | Read-only access to individually assigned student records. |
| Gen. User - Edit Providers | Access to individually assigned records, plus the ability to add other users to records the account already can access. |
| Goals and Progress Service Log Only | A specialized add-on for a General User whose work is limited to goals, progress, and service logging. |
| 504/SST Clerk | Highest administrative access within the 504 and SST modules. May create records and users, subject to the account's assigned scope. |
| 504/SST Coordinator | Administrative access within the 504 and SST modules. May create records but not users. |
| CALPADS Access | A specialized add-on used for SEDS data submission and CALPADS-related functions. For the SIRAS reporting workflow, assign it with District SPED Clerk. See Access for Reporting with CALPADS. |
District-Level Roles
| Role | Key capabilities and limitations |
|---|---|
| District SPED Clerk | Highest district-level Special Education access. May manage users, transfers, passwords, student and school assignments, MIS Summary unlocking, meeting reactivation, onboarding, and offboarding. Use only for staff who need this level of control. Charter LEAs generally use this role instead of a school-level clerk role. |
| District Admin 1 | May create student records, edit provider assignments, approve transfers, and support onboarding. Cannot create new users. |
| District Admin 2 | May add or remove providers and update records created through SIS integration. Cannot create students or users and cannot approve transfers. |
| District Read Only | Read-only access across the assigned district. An individual student assignment can grant edit access to that specific record. |
| District Wide | General-user editing access across the assigned district without the administrative functions of a District Admin or SPED Clerk. |
School and Site Roles
| Role | Key capabilities and limitations |
|---|---|
| School SPED Clerk | Highest school-level Special Education access. May manage users, transfers, passwords, assignments, MIS Summary unlocking, meeting reactivation, onboarding, and offboarding for the assigned site. |
| School Admin 1 | May request and submit school transfers, edit school and provider assignments, and unlock the MIS Summary page. |
| School Admin 2 | May edit provider assignments for records within the assigned school scope. |
| School Read Only | Read-only access to records at assigned sites, with the ability to upload scanned documents for reference. |
| Site Wide | General-user editing access across the assigned school or schools without school-administrator functions. |
| Incoming School Read Only | Read-only school-level access used to review incoming students. |
SELPA and Specialized Roles
| Role | Access and intended use |
|---|---|
| SELPA User | Access to records in all assigned LEAs within the SELPA, including transfer-related functions. |
| SELPA User (no transfer) | Similar to SELPA User, but does not allow initiating or approving transfers between districts. |
| SELPA Read Only | Read-only access to records in all assigned LEAs within the SELPA. |
| Service Log Only | Service Log data entry for individually assigned records only. |
| Service Log Only (District wide) | Service Log data entry across the assigned district. |
| Service Log Only (School wide) | Service Log data entry across assigned schools. |
| Translator (Individual) | Access to specifically assigned records that have an incomplete meeting marked Translation Required. |
| Translator (School) | Access to records at assigned schools that have an incomplete meeting marked Translation Required. |
| Translator (District) | Access to records in the assigned district that have an incomplete meeting marked Translation Required. |
| Temporarily Block Access | Prevents the user account from logging in to SIRAS. |
Assigning and Reviewing Roles
- Go to Tools → Manage Users / My Account.
- Choose the user and open the User Account tab.
- Confirm the user's designation: Special Education, 504, or SST.
- Identify the required scope: individually assigned students, school/site, district, or SELPA.
- Assign the single role that most closely matches the person's duties.
- Add a specialized role only when a separate function or module requires it.
- Confirm the user's district and school assignments.
- Save the account and test the resulting scope and permissions.
When the user should work with only particular students, correct the student's provider or user assignment instead of granting district- or school-wide access.
Role Assignment Examples
No User Access Roles assigned: the account functions as a General User and accesses individually assigned records.
When a User Access Role is assigned, review both the role description and the account's district or school assignments to understand the resulting access.
Access for Reporting with CALPADS
Sending special education transactions from SIRAS to CALPADS requires the reporting user to be configured correctly in both systems. SIRAS permissions and CALPADS permissions are separate. Having the required access in one system does not grant the required access in the other.
| Account / reporting task | Access needed |
|---|---|
| SIRAS user account | District SPED Clerk + CALPADS Access For the SIRAS reporting workflow, assign both to the staff member responsible for sending SIRAS special education transactions to CALPADS. CALPADS Access is a specialized add-on; it does not replace District SPED Clerk. |
| Submit SWDS, MEET, PLAN, and SERV in CALPADS | CALPADS LEA-level account + SPED Edit CALPADS identifies SPED Edit as the role used to add/edit special education data and to upload SWDS, MEET, PLAN, and SERV. |
| View SPED student data / EOY SPED reports | SPED View CALPADS uses SPED View for viewing special education data. Its current role-to-function table also identifies SPED View as an additional requirement for EOY SPED reports. |
| Submit Postsecondary Status for SPED students | PSTS for SPED Students Edit Use the corresponding PSTS for SPED Students View role when view access is also needed. |
| Review Fall 1 reports | Fall 1 Reports |
| Review current EOY reports | EOY Reports For EOY special education reports, CALPADS also identifies SPED View as required. |
| LEA Approve / certify a submission | Data Collection Certifier This is needed only when the user is responsible for LEA approval/certification; it is not required merely to submit SPED transactions. |
CALPADS maintains the official account-creation, account-maintenance, and role definitions. Use these pages when setting up or changing the CALPADS side of the reporting user:
- CALPADS — Creating a User Account — how an LEA Administrator creates the user, assigns the LEA organization, and assigns roles.
- CALPADS — Managing User Accounts — how an LEA Administrator modifies an existing user's organization and roles.
- CALPADS — User Roles — current role descriptions and the Role-to-Function table showing which roles are required for submission, reports, and certification.
Use the CALPADS User Roles page above as the current source of truth when the role names shown in CALPADS differ from this article. CALPADS currently documents EOY Reports for current EOY report access and identifies the older EOY1 Reports role as applying prior to academic year 2025–26.
CALPADS LEA Accounts
Regular LEA staff CALPADS accounts are created and maintained by the district's CALPADS LEA Administrator. CALPADS documents this work under Admin → User Management. The LEA Administrator associates the user with the LEA and assigns the roles appropriate to that person's responsibilities.
If the person already has a CALPADS account, use CALPADS — Managing User Accounts rather than creating a second account solely to add SPED reporting access.
CALPADS SELPA Accounts
CALPADS also has SELPA-level accounts. SELPA CALPADS accounts should be established directly through CDE/CALPADS. CALPADS states that SELPA accounts are created by CDE under the SELPA organization type.
The CALPADS SELPA Quick Start Guide identifies the essential SELPA roles as:
- SELPA Approval
- SELPA Reports
- Student Search
- SPED View
SPED Edit may be assigned at the SELPA level when the SELPA has been authorized to submit special education data on behalf of its LEAs.
For SELPA account setup and responsibilities, see CALPADS Welcome SELPA Users / SELPA Quick Start Guide.
Confirm the reporting user has the required SIRAS roles, can log in to the appropriate CALPADS organization, has the CALPADS edit/report roles needed for the work they are responsible for, and—if they will LEA Approve—has Data Collection Certifier.
