PowerSchool Data Entry Guide

---

Overview

For California reporting (CALPADS), districts must report the Highest Education Level of the Parent/Guardian for each student. This information is submitted as part of the Student Information (SINF) extract and is used for state and federal reporting purposes, including identifying student groups and supporting educational program analysis.

In PowerSchool, this data is entered through the CALPADS Guardian Information (Guardian Details) page and is tied directly to contacts defined in Contacts Management.

---

Important to Know

The Highest Education Level is NOT entered directly for a contact.

Instead, it is assigned by:

1. Identifying a contact as a CALPADS Guardian Type (Mother, Father, Guardian 1, Guardian 2), and
   
2. Selecting that same role on the Guardian Details page, where the education level is recorded.
   
   

---

How the Data Works (Key Relationships)

• Contacts Management Page
  • Defines who the parent/guardian is
  • Uses the field: CALPADS Guardian Type

• Guardian Details Page
  • Defines which guardians are reported
  • Captures Highest Education Level

• The system automatically pulls the name from Contacts Management into the Guardian Details page based on the selected guardian type.
  

---

How to Resolve Highest Education-Level Related Errors (LevelData)

There are many LevelData errors which could be pointing to an issue with these pages. These errors include:

1. Missing/Invalid Guardian 1 First and Last Name
   1. This means that "Guardian 1" is selected on the "Guardian Details" page, but no "Guardian" has been identified on Contacts Management.
2. Missing/Invalid Guardian 2 First and Last Name
   1. This means that "Guardian 2" is selected on the "Guardian Details" page, but no "Guardian" has been identified on Contacts Management.
3. Missing/Invalid Father's Name
   1. This means that "Father" is selected on the "Guardian Details" page, but no "Father" has been identified on Contacts Management.
4. Missing/Invalid Mother's Name
   1. This means that "Mother" is selected on the "Guardian Details" page, but no "Mother" has been identified on Contacts Management.
5. Missing/Invalid Parent/Guardian 1
   1. This means that Parent/Guardian 1 hasn't been set to a value, such as "Mother", "Father", "Guardian 1", or "Guardian 2".

---

How to Solve These Errors Step-By-Step

Step 1: Assign CALPADS Guardian Type (Contacts Management)

1. Go to the student’s Contacts Management page
2. Locate the appropriate contact (for example, a parent)
3. In the CALPADS Guardian Type column, select one of the following:
   • Mother
   • Father
   • Guardian

📌 This step identifies the contact for CALPADS reporting.

Step 2: Select Guardian and Enter Education Level (Guardian Details Page)

1. Navigate to: Compliance → Guardian Details (CALPADS Guardian Information)
   
2. Under Parent/Guardian 1:
   • Select one of the following:
     • Mother
     • Father
     • Guardian 1
     • Guardian 2
       
3. Choose the corresponding Highest Education Level (If not already present)
   
4. (Optional) Repeat for Parent/Guardian 2, if you want.
   NOTE: If you have a "Highest Education Level" selected for Parent/Guardian 2, you MUST also designate a corresponding contact.
   
5. Click Submit
   

---

Note: Name Fields Are Read-Only

On the Guardian Details page, the following fields are read-only:

• Mother’s Name
• Father’s Name
• Guardian 1 Name
• Guardian 2 Name
  

These names are automatically populated based on the contact assigned in Contacts Management.

⚠️ Do NOT attempt to manually enter names on this page

• Entering a name manually would create a new contact record, which can cause duplicates and reporting errors
  

---

An Example of How to Properly Report a Mom's Highest Education Level:

To report a student’s mother:

1. Go to Contacts Management
   Find the contact representing the mother
   • Set CALPADS Guardian Type = Mother
     
2. Go to Guardian Details
   • Set Parent/Guardian 1 = Mother
   • Select the Highest Education Level for the mother
     

✅ PowerSchool will automatically populate the mother’s name from Contacts Management.

---

Best Practices

• If the student doesn't have a mother/father in Contacts Management, use "Guardian".
  
• We aren't required to report the Highest Ed Level for Parent/Guardian 2, so if there isn't one, don't make more work for yourself!
  
• Many times, the Highest Ed level is visible on a specific Contact's "Contact Information" page.
  

---

Summary

To correctly report Parent/Guardian Highest Education Level for CALPADS:

✔ Define the guardian in Contacts Management

✔ Assign a CALPADS Guardian Type

✔ Select that guardian in Guardian Details

✔ Enter the Highest Education Level

Both steps are required for accurate CALPADS reporting.