Compliance Monitoring

School districts, direct-funded charter schools, and county offices that receive funding for certain programs may be chosen for a review by the state. The purpose of the review is to ensure that they are spending the funding as required by law. At the end of each review, the state will complete a report that details any findings of non-compliance and informs the school, district, or county office how to correct the findings.

The California Department of Education (CDE) works to provide a coordinated and transparent monitoring process. Within the CDE, the Federal Program Monitoring (FPM) office has been designated to supervise the FPM reviews, which take place either in person or online.

The information below was developed for educators and others who work with the monitoring process in California.

General Information

Federal and state laws require the California Department of Education (CDE) to monitor implementation of categorical programs operated by local educational agencies (LEAs). LEAs are responsible for creating and maintaining programs which meet minimum fiscal and programmatic requirements.

LEAs are assigned to one of four cohorts: A, B, C or D. Each school year, approximately 132 LEAs are selected for review—66 LEAs from one cohort for an onsite review, and 66 LEAs from a different cohort for an online review. The LEAs are selected using established selection criteria including program size, fiscal analysis, compliance history, and continuous improvement. The Cohort Rotation Schedule by School Year demonstrates the rotation of the cohorts over a four year cycle.

FPM Review Team Leaders coordinate teams of select CDE program monitors to conduct onsite or online monitoring of the LEA using the corresponding program instruments.

LEA Cohorts (XLSX; Updated 12-Feb-2020)
This document provides monitoring cohort information for all LEAs including direct funded charters.

Cohort Rotation Schedule by School Year
This page provides information about the schedule of cohort rotation for a four year period.

Monitoring Selection Criteria
A description of the risk factors that are evaluated annually for the selection of LEAs for FPM reviews.

FPM Frequently Asked Questions
This page provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding the FPM process.

Correspondence

2021–22 Notification of LEAs Selected for Cycle B Online Monitoring (Posted 09-Apr-2021)
March 29, 2021: Letter to Select County and District Superintendents regarding the Cycle B LEA selection for online review in 2021-22 school year of certain state and federal categorical programs operating within the LEA.

2021–22 Notification of LEAs Selected for Cycle D Onsite Monitoring (Posted 09-Apr-2021)
March 29, 2021: Letter to Select County and District Superintendents regarding the Cycle D LEA selection for onsite review in 2021-22 school year of certain state and federal categorical programs operating within the LEA.

2020–21 Notification of LEAs Selected for Cycle A Online Monitoring (Posted 08-May-2020)
March 6, 2020: Letter to Select County and District Superintendents regarding the Cycle A LEA selection for online review in 2020-21 school year of certain state and federal categorical programs operating within the LEA.

2020–21 Notification of LEAs Selected for Cycle C Onsite Monitoring (Posted 08-May-2020)
March 6, 2020: Letter to Select County and District Superintendents regarding the Cycle C LEA selection for onsite review in 2020-21 school year of certain state and federal categorical programs operating within the LEA.

Reviews

LEAs Selected for Reviews

This is the list of LEAs by county-district-school code selected for an onsite or online review.

2021–22 School Year

2021–22 LEAs Selected for Cycle D Onsite Reviews
2021–22 LEAs Selected for Cycle B Online Reviews

2020–21 School Year

2020–21 LEAs Selected for Cycle C Onsite Reviews
2020–21 LEAs Selected for Cycle A Online Reviews

Resolution of Findings

Within 45 calendar days after the date of the Notification of Findings (NOF), the LEA must resolve each finding by providing resolution documents in the CDE Monitoring Tool (CMT). The LEA may use the resolution process in CMT to request a Resolution Agreement to extend the resolution period beyond the due date on the NOF. CDE Program Reviewers approve or deny Resolution Agreement requests.

The Resolution Agreement period should allow for reasonable time to resolve findings but cannot exceed 225 calendar days from the last day of the review.

Unresolved FPM Findings

Unresolved FPM Findings (Updated 03-Dec-2021)
This document lists by region and local educational agency the unresolved, non-compliant program instrument items over 225 calendar days. The CMT will reflect the most current status of these non-compliant items.

For information related to the non-compliant items, please contact the assigned Review Team Leader or appropriate participating program.

Training

Information related to FPM training.

CDE Monitoring Tool (CMT)

CDE Monitoring Tool (CMT) Webinar Training for Agencies (Video; 45:48)
Recorded presentation of CDE Monitoring Tool (CMT) Agency Hands-On Webinar Training uploaded on December 30, 2019.

CDE Monitoring Tool (CMT) Agency User Manual (DOCX; Posted 10-Jan-2018)
A guide to provide agency CMT users with the knowledge needed to use the tool.

Local Educational Agency Training

The CDE offers training to assist LEAs in understanding the overall FPM process and the requirements of each program instrument on a semi-annual basis. In 2020–21, LEAs who were scheduled for a review during September 2020 through January 2021 were invited to a training in late July 2020, conducted remotely. LEAs scheduled for a review February through June 2021 will be invited to a similar training to take place in December 2020.

Please see below for additional links to program-specific FPM resources:

Federal Program Monitoring 2021-22: Presentation for Review Coordinators (Video; 12:33)
This session is for FPM Review Coordinators for School Districts. It has been designed specifically to address the needs of LEAs that will be undergoing a review in 2021–2021.

English Learner FPM Training Resources
Presentations and resources provided by the Technical Assistance and Monitoring Office (TAMO).

Compensatory Education (CE) for Charter Schools (PPTX; Posted 30-Sep-2021)
This presentation is intended for local educational agencies that operate Direct-Funded Charters, Principals/Directors of those Charters, and Charter Management Organizations that help to support charter schools that receive Title I, Part A funds and to provide support to those who have been identified for a CE Federal Program Monitoring review for the 2021–2022 school year.

Evidence-Based Title I Funded Program Evaluation Presentation (PPTX; Posted 30-Sep-2021)
This presentation highlights the requirements for the local educational agency and schoolsite council (SSC) to evaluate Title I funded programs.

Sample Evaluation Handout (DOCX; Posted 30-Sep-2021)
Accompanying document for Evidence-Based Title I Funded Program Evaluation Presentation.

Introduction to Compensatory Education (CE) Monitoring Presentation (PPTX; Posted 30-Sep-2021)
This presentation is intended for local educational agencies that have been identified for a CE Federal Program Monitoring review for the 2021–2022 school year.

School Support and Improvement (SSI) Instrument Presentation (Video; 14:54)
This presentation is intended for local educational agencies that have been identified for an SSI Federal Program Monitoring review for the 2021–2022 school year.

Program Instruments

Each program's instrument contains federal and state legal requirements organized into statutory core items and supporting items arranged under seven general CDE dimensions. FPM team members use program instruments to determine whether an LEA is meeting the requirements of each item.

Program instruments are developed and reviewed by the CDE on an annual basis and may change from year to year to respond to changes in federal or state law, regulations, or controlling judicial decisions.

Prior year program instruments are available by request to the FPM Office at fpmoffice@cde.ca.gov.

Current Year Program Instruments

2021–22 Program Instruments
This page provides links to the 2021–22 Program Instruments for the programs participating in FPM reviews.

2020–21 Program Instruments
This page provides links to the 2020–21 Program Instruments for the programs participating in FPM reviews.

CDE Monitoring Tool (CMT)

The CMT is a web-based tool developed by the CDE to facilitate the monitoring of LEAs.

For additional information regarding the California Department of Education’s use of CMT, please visit the CMT web page.

Additional Federal and State Monitoring

The Additional Federal and State Monitoring page provides information related to the monitoring of LEAs and non-LEAs for programs outside the scope of the FPM process.