Plan Adoption – Incoming Students & CALPADS Reporting

Complete the correct onboarding workflow first

For an IEP-age / Part B student, begin with New or Returning Students. That workflow determines the student's existing U.S.-based eligibility, current CALPADS SWDS status, enrollment, expected participation, and the most recent plan information available.

For an infant or toddler in the Part C / IFSP system, begin with New, Transferring & Incoming IFSP Students. Some district-to-district IFSP transfers use Plan Adoption, while an incoming Regional Center IFSP without an existing district-reported CALPADS baseline uses a different archive workflow.

Fully update the SIRAS MIS Summary

Before creating the Plan Adoption transaction, the student's SIRAS Current data on the MIS Summary should reflect the best and most current information available from:

• the IEP or IFSP and other records provided by the family;
• records obtained from the prior district or agency;
• the existing SIRAS record, when one already exists; and
• the student's CALPADS SWDS, MEET, PLAN, and SERV reporting history when paperwork is incomplete, delayed, or unavailable.

The SIRAS MIS Summary and the CALPADS reporting history are not the same thing. Staff should use the CALPADS history as a source for reconstructing the student's most recently reported eligibility and plan information in SIRAS.

Hold provider assignment until the record is ready

Assign providers after the incoming history review and MIS update are complete. Assigning providers too early can allow staff to archive an outdated version of the incoming plan or create a meeting event from incomplete Current data.

Confirm the arrival details

• The student actually enrolled in the district.
• The District Enrollment Date in SIRAS matches the student's district enrollment in CALPADS.
• The receiving district reasonably expects the student to participate immediately or after reviewing the incoming plan.
• The incoming eligibility, plan, services, and most recent meeting information have been reviewed.
• No follow-up meeting event has been created yet.

Review the MIS Summary before archiving

1. Confirm the District Enrollment Date is correct.
2. Confirm school type, school attending, grade, demographics, contacts, and other enrollment information are current.
3. Confirm the MIS Summary reflects the most recently known eligibility, plan, service, and meeting information.
4. Confirm provider assignments were made only after the record was fully reviewed and updated.
5. Verify the incoming PLAN and SERV information that the receiving district will adopt.

Archive the Plan Adoption

1. On the MIS Summary, click Archive for Reporting.
2. Select the Plan Adoption / arrival transaction.
3. Confirm the Report Event Date is the District Enrollment Date.
4. Review the archive options and select any special option that applies.
5. Create the archive.

Create the follow-up meeting after Plan Adoption

After the Plan Adoption transaction has been created and the incoming plan baseline is established, staff may create the Plan Review, 30-day review, amendment, or other meeting event needed to document what happens next.

The onboarding review should already have determined whether Plan Adoption is appropriate. This section explains the reporting variation when the incoming CALPADS status is not already SWDS 1.

Incoming CALPADS SWDS 1

When CALPADS already shows SWDS 1 and the student's participation status has not changed, the standard Plan Adoption generally reports the receiving district's new PLAN and SERV records. Do not submit another SWDS 1 merely to confirm the same status at a new district.

Incoming CALPADS SWDS 2 or SWDS 3

If the student enrolls and participation is now expected immediately or after a meeting to review the incoming plan, the Plan Adoption workflow must also report the appropriate new SWDS 1 status.

Use the archive/reporting option that adds the needed SWDS 1 record in addition to PLAN and SERV.

Participation was expected but later does not occur

If the student actually enrolled and the district reasonably expected participation, a valid Plan Adoption does not need to be removed simply because the later outcome changed. Report the appropriate subsequent exit or non-participation status using When Students Leave or Stop Participating – Inactive.

Continued non-participation was already clear at arrival

If the onboarding review determined that the student would continue not participating, Plan Adoption ordinarily should not have been selected. Return to New or Returning Students or New, Transferring & Incoming IFSP Students for the correct arrival workflow.

Out-of-State IEP Fields – First Check CALPADS

A student returning from another state or country is not automatically a first-time out-of-state IEP entry. Before entering CA Entry Date or using the expanded out-of-state reporting options, review the student's existing CALPADS SWDS, MEET, PLAN, and SERV reporting history.

See Out-of-State IEP Fields – SELPA From & CA Entry Date for the complete field decision and out-of-state MEET guidance.

Plan Type Will Change Immediately – IEP ↔ ISP

Complete Plan Adoption using the incoming plan type, then select Plan Type is Changing in the Plan Adoption archive dialog. The subsequent meeting event documents the new plan type.

Out-of-State Developmental Delay

Developmental Delay may require special disability-category handling when an out-of-state IEP is reported in California. Follow the current CDE and local SELPA guidance when preparing the incoming baseline rather than relying on an old copied code table.

Incoming Plan Was Not Created in SIRAS

Use the incoming plan records and the student's CALPADS SWDS, MEET, PLAN, and SERV reporting history to reconstruct the SIRAS MIS Summary before Plan Adoption. The MIS Summary should represent the actual incoming plan, not simply the information that is easiest to enter.

See Student Record Transfer / Previous School Records for related records-transfer responsibilities.

IFSP Transfers

Some district-to-district IFSP transfers use Plan Adoption, but not every incoming IFSP does. A Regional Center IFSP without an existing district-reported CALPADS baseline requires a different archive transaction. Use New, Transferring & Incoming IFSP Students to identify the correct IFSP arrival workflow.

Find known records already in SIRAS

1. Click Search.
2. Select the Predefined Queries tab.
3. Under Data Monitoring, select Plan Adoption Required.
4. Review each result and confirm that the student's onboarding review is complete before archiving.

Do not rely only on the predefined query

The district is responsible for identifying newly enrolled students with existing eligibility even when the family does not immediately disclose the IEP or the student does not yet have a complete SIRAS record.

Use New or Returning Students to review SWDS 1, SWDS 2, and SWDS 3 arrivals and to determine whether Plan Adoption is needed.

Large incoming groups

For a large group of incoming students who all require Plan Adoption, contact SIRAS Support to determine whether batch archive assistance is appropriate.

Before requesting batch assistance, confirm that:

• the students actually enrolled;
• District Enrollment Dates are entered and verified;
• school type and school attending are current;
• the incoming eligibility, plan, service, and meeting information has been reviewed;
• the MIS Summary is fully updated;
• provider assignments were made only after the records were ready; and
• the correct Plan Adoption reporting option has been identified for each student.

What a standard Plan Adoption reports

A standard Plan Adoption archive reports:

• PLAN record
• SERV record(s)
• Plan Effective Date equal to the District Enrollment Date

Additional SWDS and MEET reporting is included only when the student's arrival scenario requires it, such as an incoming SWDS 2/3 student becoming participating or an IEP eligibility established in another U.S. state that has no existing California CALPADS special education history.

GERR0005 – Check enrollment dates first

A Plan Adoption can fail when the District Enrollment Date in SIRAS does not align with the student's enrollment in CALPADS.

• Confirm the student's enrollment already exists in CALPADS.
• Confirm the SIRAS District Enrollment Date matches the actual district enrollment start date in CALPADS.
• If CALPADS does not yet contain the enrollment, wait for the enrollment to post before resending the special education data.
• If the date is wrong in SIRAS Current data, correct the MIS Summary and the Plan Adoption archive before resending.