TL;DR
The PADC web application tutorial series is a short set of California Department of Education videos on using the Principal Apportionment Data Collection web app. Two core videos cover orientation and access. School districts, charter schools, county offices, and SELPAs use PADC to enter, validate, and certify data that drives state funding. Use the videos for concepts and the current User Manual for exact steps.
School funding in California depends on data. The PADC web application tutorial series is a set of videos from the California Department of Education (CDE). It teaches school staff how to use the Principal Apportionment Data Collection (PADC) web tool, which reports attendance, tax, and other data. CDE uses that data to calculate state funding. This guide explains what the videos cover, who needs access, and how data moves through the system.
About this guide: It’s an unofficial explainer based on CDE’s video descriptions and published manuals, not a minute-by-minute summary of the videos. Always follow CDE’s current User Manual for official steps.
What Is the PADC Web Application Tutorial Series?
The PADC web application tutorial series is a set of training videos on CDE’s Principal Apportionment Data Collection page. Two videos make up the core series. CDE also lists two longer webinars from the 2021-22 rollout.
| Video | Length | What it covers |
| Tutorial Series: Orientation | 9:11 | An introduction to PADC, its main features, and the anticipated schedule |
| Tutorial Series: Access | 19:07 | How to reach the web app, pick the right user role, and request access |
| 2021-22 Implementation Webinar for County Offices of Education | 51:57 | Held September 15, 2021, for county offices (COEs) |
| 2021-22 Overview Webinar | 1:29:07 | Held November 9, 2021, to introduce, explain, and demonstrate the app |
Start with the two short videos. Together, they take under 30 minutes. They give you the big picture before you open the system.
What Is PADC and Why Does It Matter?
PADC is the software that local education agencies use to report pupil attendance, tax, and other data. Data from the LCFF and AB 602 are then used by CDE to calculate funding for local control funding formulas (LCFFs) and special education programs. LCFF is California’s main school funding formula.
Since fiscal year 2021-22, schools report in the PADC web application. For 2020-21 and earlier years, they used desktop software instead.
Who needs to use it?
These groups report or review data in PADC:
- School districts and charter schools, which enter and certify their own data
- County offices of education (COEs), which oversee districts and certify the data they receive
- Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPAs), which are groups of local agencies that plan special education services together
- County auditors, who report specified data to CDE
An LEA (local educational agency) is a school district, county office, or charter school. You’ll see that short form often.
Who Needs Access, and How Do You Get It?
Each user needs three things: a state login, a user role, and an assigned agency. The Access video explains this process. Here’s how it works in plain steps.
What are the four user roles?
According to the user assignment form shared by LACOE, PADC has four roles:
- Administrator: certifies data, manages users, and enters or edits data
- Manager: manages users and enters or edits data
- Data Entry: enters or edits data
- View Only: views data but can’t change it
Each LEA or SELPA should have an Administrator who certifies data for it. An oversight entity assigns that person. CDE assigns an Administrator to each COE. Each COE assigns Administrators for its districts, county-overseen charter schools, and SELPAs. Each district assigns Administrators for charter schools under its oversight.
How do you set up access step by step?
- Create a CAS username. CAS is the Centralized Authentication System, CDE’s login system. If you already have one, you don’t need a new one. Update it if your details have changed.
- Complete a user assignment form. CDE offers templates for Administrators and other users. Your COE or district may use its own form.
- Wait for your administrator to assign you. In PADC, an Administrator or Manager selects Assign Users, searches your CAS username, and picks your role, user group, and agency.
- Check your email. The system sends a notice when your assignment is ready.
- Log in. Use your CAS username and password. A Los Angeles County guide recommends Google Chrome.
One more rule matters. The user form says to create a separate CAS username for each user group. So if you work in more than one group, plan for more than one login.
How Does Data Move Through PADC?
The system follows a simple path: enter, validate, certify. A guide from the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), written for special education claims, describes it this way. Other entry screens may differ in the details, so check the User Manual.
- Enter data. A Data Entry user, Manager, or Administrator fills in the entry screen.
- Validate data. The same roles run the system’s checks.
- Certify data. Only an Administrator can do this.
- Route onward. After a district certifies, the data goes to the county office for review and certification.
What is the difference between warnings and errors?
Validation shows two kinds of messages. Warnings don’t block certification, but you should read them because they flag possible issues. Errors must be fixed before you can certify. Also, you must re-validate each time you change and save the data.
Who can certify, and can you undo it?
Only an Administrator can certify. Electronic certification replaces signing paper forms. It records the date and the certifier’s CAS username.
Once data is certified, it becomes view-only. You can’t simply edit it. The oversight entity must remove the certification first, and strict timing rules apply. So review your numbers carefully before you certify.
What Resources Go With the Tutorial Series?
CDE’s PADC page links to several helpful tools:
- User Manual. It covers user assignments, data entry, validation, and certification. The 2025-26 version 1.0 was posted on November 14, 2025.
- Data Entry Screen Details. CDE keeps a version for each fiscal year, from 2021-22 up to 2024-25.
- Known Issues and Tips. This document was last revised November 30, 2022.
- PADC Certification References. It lists the main laws and rules behind the data you report.
- Due dates by entry screen. CDE lists them for 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- Assignment templates. These help with Administrator and user setup.
For questions, CDE lists the Principal Apportionment Section at PADC@cde.ca.gov and 916-324-4541. Many county offices also run their own help desks.
Are the Tutorial Videos Still Up to Date?
Use them for concepts, not for exact clicks. The two core videos and the webinars come from the 2021-22 rollout. Meanwhile, CDE updates the User Manual each year, and the newest version is for 2025-26.
Screens, menus, and dates can change over time. Watch the videos to understand the big picture, roles, schedule, and workflow. To follow the actual steps, you will need to refer to the current User Manual and the current due dates.
What Mistakes Should New Users Avoid?
These tips come from CDE’s page and the LACOE guide:
- Don’t skip the CAS step. Every user needs a CAS username before an administrator can assign access.
- Don’t mix up user groups. Use a separate CAS username for each user group.
- Validate after every save. Changes require a new validation.
- Read warnings, not just errors. They can reveal real issues.
- Review before you certify. Certified data locks, and undoing it takes your oversight entity.
- Watch the due dates. Late or missing data can affect funding, and CDE posts due dates by entry screen.
- Keep your own records. Local guides advise keeping internal records that support what you reported.
How Should You Get Started?
Follow this simple path:
- Watch the Orientation video (9:11).
- Watch the Access video (19:07).
- Download the current User Manual from CDE.
- Create or update your CAS username.
- Ask your Administrator for the right user role.
- Log in and explore the home screen before you enter real data.
- Check the due dates for your entry screens.
- Contact your county office or CDE with questions.
Conclusion
The PADC web application tutorial series gives California school staff a fast start with a system that affects state funding. The two short videos explain the main features, roles, and access steps. After that, the User Manual and due dates provide the details. Validation should be taken slowly, and certification should be reviewed carefully.
Start today with the nine-minute Orientation video, then open the current User Manual. For more plain-English guides on web tools and apps, explore Techprixo, and share this article with a colleague who’s new to PADC.
FAQ
Not directly. Once data is certified, it becomes view-only. The oversight entity, such as a county office of education, must remove the certification first, and strict timing rules apply. After changes, you must validate again, and an Administrator must certify again.
PADC has four user roles. Administrators can certify data, manage users, and enter or edit data. Managers can manage users and enter or edit data. Data Entry users can enter or edit data. View Only users can see data but not change it. Only Administrators can certify.
First, create a CAS username in CDE’s Centralized Authentication System. Then ask your PADC Administrator or Manager to assign you a user role, user group, and LEA. You’ll get an email when access is ready. Log in with your CAS credentials using Google Chrome.
As of fiscal year 2021–22, local educational agencies and Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPAs) report pupil attendance and tax information using it. County offices of education also review and certify data from the districts they oversee. Earlier years used desktop software.
It’s a set of videos from the California Department of Education on using the Principal Apportionment Data Collection web application. The two core videos are Orientation, which runs 9:11, and Access, which runs 19:07. They explain the system’s main features, schedule, user roles, and how to request access.