Assessment Spotlight: Accessibility Training, CERS Enhancements, and New Assessment Resources
Registration is open for September accessibility training and the 2026 California Assessment Conference, while new science tasks, CERS features, and Assessment and Accountability Information Meeting answers are now available.
At a glance
- New-coordinator accessibility training will be held September 17.
- The California Assessment Conference returns to Riverside October 27–29.
- ATLAS offers more than 1,300 free NGSS-aligned science lessons for grades K–12.
- CERS now includes new exports, ISR downloads, district-resource links, and larger student groups.
- Questions and answers from Day 1 of the 2026 AAIM are available to revisit.
New Coordinator Training Webinar: Accessibility
The next New Coordinator Training Webinar will focus on why accessibility matters, the “1–2–3–4s” of accessibility, and key resources that support accessible assessment administration. Participants will also have opportunities to ask experienced coordinators questions.
Who should attend?
LEA CAASPP and ELPAC coordinators who have served in their role for less than 12 months, along with coordinators seeking a refresher on their responsibilities.
2026 California Assessment Conference
The annual California Assessment Conference will take place October 27–29, 2026, at the Riverside Convention Center. This year’s theme is Elevating Best Practices, Inspiring Teachers and Students.
Participants can customize their learning by selecting from more than 80 sessions presented by California educators. The detailed schedule also includes optional preconference Assessment 101 sessions and a new Interim Assessment Hand Scoring workshop.
Conference details
- October 27–29, 2026
- Riverside Convention Center
- More than 80 educator-led sessions
Keynote speaker
Statistician, mathematics professor, and NOVA Wonders cohost Talithia Williams will discuss transforming systems so all students have access to a high-quality education.
Authentic Tasks for Learning and Assessment in Science
The new Authentic Tasks for Learning and Assessment in Science (ATLAS) website is a free, user-friendly resource developed through a collaboration between the Los Angeles County Office of Education and the California Department of Education.
More than 1,300 science lessons
Educators can explore K–12 tasks aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. Each lesson is designed to support authentic science inquiry and performance assessment.
California Educator Reporting System Enhancements
The California Educator Reporting System (CERS) gives educators secure access to student assessment results to help inform instruction. Several enhancements based on educator feedback are now available.
Export student responses
New buttons allow educators to download student responses for an entire interim assessment or for a specific item.
Download individual reports
Educators can download a ZIP file containing separate Individual Student Report PDFs for each student.
Link a district resource
District-level users can publish one default district-resource link for all assessments instead of adding it separately to each assessment.
Create larger student groups
The maximum number of students in a CERS student group has increased from 200 to 400.
Additional changes improve navigation and organization, strengthen screen-reader support, and improve color contrast.
2026 AAIM Questions and Answers
For the first time, questions and answers from Day 1 of the 2026 Assessment and Accountability Information Meeting (AAIM) are available online. Educators can revisit questions from the August 13 assessment-updates webinar and explore answers they may have missed.
Information current as of August 13, 2026
The published answers are subject to change, and the Padlet is closed to additional questions.
Stay connected
For questions about test administration, coordination, and training, visit the CAASPP and ELPAC website .
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