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Home > Support Center > CALPADS Reporting > Census Day Search and Store: Preserve a Point-in-Time SIRAS Snapshot
Census Day Search and Store: Preserve a Point-in-Time SIRAS Snapshot
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Point-in-Time Evidence — Capture It on the Date Use Search and Store when you need a trustworthy local record of what SIRAS Current data looked like on Census Day, June 30, or another locally selected date.
Data Monitoring Journey Learn · Plan
You are here: Monitor → preserve point-in-time evidence.

What Do You Need to Capture?

Best evidence = export on the actual date. A later historical query can estimate an earlier population, but it cannot perfectly recreate what SIRAS Current displayed on that date.
Protect student data. Save exports only in a district-approved secure location. Do not email student-data exports or store them in an unapproved personal location.
Need general Data Export help? This article shows the specific Student Data export used for point-in-time monitoring. For other presets, formats, and export options, see Data Export Help.

Before You Begin

  • Confirm whether the export is intended to represent the district or another approved organizational scope.
  • Switch to the correct organizational level in SIRAS.
  • Review new, returning, leaving, and non-participating records for the measurement date.
  • Confirm the person creating the export can see the full intended population.
  • Identify the secure storage location and the staff member responsible for retaining the file.
  • Record the search criteria used to create the Found Set.
The saved file is useful only when future reviewers know the exact date, organizational level, status criteria, export preset, and known exceptions used to create it.

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Fall 1 Census Day Procedure

1. Confirm the SIRAS scope

Sign in on the actual Census Day and confirm you are working at the organizational level the export is meant to represent.

2. Build the Current-data Found Set

For the Fall 1 Search and Store working population, search Active Status = Active / Pending, then display the result as a Student List.

SIRAS Active Status search menu showing Active, Active Eligible, and Active Pending options

Use the intended Active/Pending Current-data population for the point-in-time export.

Pending requires separate review. Including Pending records preserves the broader Current view for research, but Pending does not automatically mean the student belongs in the Fall 1 eligible-and-participating population.

3. Open Data Export

Go to Tools → Data Export.

SIRAS Tools menu with Data Export selected

Open Data Export from the Tools menu.

4. Select Student Data

Under Export Presets, select Student Data.

SIRAS Export Presets area with Student Data highlighted

Use the Student Data preset for the point-in-time Current-data extract.

5. Review the export options

  • Select the preferred coded-value format, such as Code and Label or Label and Code.
  • Use the same coded-value convention for recurring snapshots when possible.
  • Add a filename prefix that identifies the exact date and purpose.
  • Select Start Process – Generate Export.
SIRAS Data Export options showing Student Data, Code and Label, filename, and Start Process Generate Export

Identify the date/purpose in the file name before generating the export.

6. Confirm the export completed

SIRAS message confirming that the export completed and was saved to attachments

Wait for SIRAS to confirm that the export completed.

7. Download and securely store the file

Open My Finished Exports, select Download, and save the file immediately to the approved secure location.

SIRAS My Finished Exports area showing the completed file and Download button

Download the completed export promptly when it needs to be retained.

Finished exports can be removed from the SIRAS export area after a limited period. Do not rely on that area as the long-term archive.

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June 30 EOY Reference Procedure

  1. Complete the Current-status and population review in Preparing for EOY in SIRAS.
  2. Use the LEA's documented June 30 search criteria.
  3. Follow the same Tools → Data Export → Student Data workflow shown above.
  4. Use the same coded-value convention used for other saved extracts.
  5. Name the file with the exact date and EOY purpose, such as 20270630_EOY_.
  6. Download and store the file securely with the search criteria and owner documented.
The June 30 export is a Current-data reference. EOY reporting is cumulative and depends on the full July 1–June 30 transaction history; the export is not a substitute for that history.

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Optional Monthly or Quarterly Snapshots

Some LEAs also preserve selected Current-data exports for staffing, caseload, trend, or audit analysis. Use the same process and document the exact date and population definition.

For the annual planning context and suggested local snapshot dates, see SEDS Coordinator Annual Planning Guide.

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Name, Store, and Document the File

Recommended naming pattern:
YYYYMMDD_Purpose_Organization_ExportName

Example:
20261007_Fall1_DistrictName_StudentData.xlsx

Store with the file:

  • date and time created;
  • district/organizational level;
  • search criteria;
  • export preset and coded-value preference;
  • name or role of the person who created it; and
  • known exceptions or unresolved records at the time of export.

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How to Use the File Later

  • Compare the saved SIRAS Current population with the applicable CALPADS certification/monitoring population.
  • Research why a student appeared in SIRAS but not CALPADS, or vice versa.
  • Analyze local caseload, provider, school, or program information not present in the CALPADS report.
  • Document the condition of Current data on the measurement date.
  • Support local monitoring and audit research.
Ready to compare a SIRAS extract with CALPADS?
Use SIRAS vs. CALPADS Bulk Extract Reconciliation.
Use the certified CALPADS report for official certified counts. The local SIRAS export supports reconciliation and local analysis; it does not replace the approved CALPADS snapshot.

Return to LEA Data Monitoring Tasks

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