What’s New in 2026-27
Welcome to the 2026–27 California Educator Reporting System (CERS) User Guide. Below are the latest updates and enhancements made to CERS.
Changes to CSA
Beginning with 2024-25 results, the CSA is split into two separate subjects in CERS for grades three through eight and in high school. The subject for grades three through eight is labeled “CSA 3-8” and the subject for high school CSA is labeled “CSA HS.” This change is reflected throughout the CERS User Guide and in the CSA 3-8 Results and CSA HS Results sections in the Summative Assessments chapter.
Student Group Limit Increase
The limit for Student Groups increased to 400 students. For more information on student group creation, refer to the Student Groups (Administrator Tool) chapter.
Home Page Redesign and Help Menu
The CERS home page features an updated layout designed for intuitive navigation and accessibility. The main header includes a CERS logo as well as a Help drop-down menu, which provides quick access to support resources. The welcome message and system notes moved to the top of the home page, while the Assigned Groups and My Groups tabs offer a cleaner, more user-friendly experience. For more information on the home page, refer to the Home Page section in the Navigating CERS chapter.
Assessment Selection Redesign
The assessment selection area on the Group Results page has been redesigned. Educators can filter assessments by school and grade (or group), school year, subject, and assessment type (such as Summative, IA, ICA, or IAB/FIAB), and the available assessments to select from are organized by subject. CERS also restores a user’s selected assessments when viewing results and returning to the page. A new [Reset Selections] button allows users to reset choices with a single click. Finally, the [Filter Results] feature has been repositioned below the main filters, directly next to the [Display as Percent] button. For more information on assessment selection, refer to the View Student Assessment Results by School and Grade and View Student Group Assessment Results sections in the Navigating CERS chapter.
ZIP File Download Option for ISRs
Educators can choose to download Individual Student Reports (ISRs) either as a single, combined PDF file or as separate, individual PDF files packaged together in a ZIP file. When choosing the ZIP file option, each student's PDF is automatically named using a standardized format for easy identification. The system will generate a default name for the ZIP file folder based on the date and group details, which can also be customized before downloading. For more information on Individual Student Reports, refer to the Printable Reports section in the Navigating CERS chapter.
Item-Level Response Export
Educators can export all student responses for an interim assessment in a single export using the [Export Responses] button. This export is in the Results by Item view and captures every student in the selected group. The resulting Excel file includes the item number, item type, points possible, points earned, and the student responses, including the full text of short answers and Writing Extended Responses. Additionally, student responses at the item level can also be downloaded via the [Export] button in the expanded view of the Results by Item: Student Points and Responses view. For more information on item level responses, refer to the Interim Assessments chapter.
Organization Name on Target Reports
Target Reports now show the organization name in the Organization column. For more information on Target Reports, refer to the Assessment Target Reports Frequently Asked Questions section in the Summative Assessments chapter.
Editing Assigned Users
When editing Assigned Users in student groups, an information icon [ 🛈] has been added next to the Search by user email field. This icon opens a pop-up message that CERS does not validate email addresses or automatically grant system access. This reminder is shared again in a confirmation message. For more information on editing assigned users, refer to the Edit Student Group section in the Student Groups (Administrator Tool) chapter.
Default District Resources
LEA CAASPP Coordinator and LEA ELPAC Coordinator roles can choose to apply a single default district resource link across all assessments for their organization, rather than adding each one individually, while retaining the flexibility to replace the default resource with resources for individual assessments as needed. For more information on District Resources, refer to the District Resources (Administrator Tool) chapter.
Accessibility Updates
Updates were made across CERS to continue to support accessibility. These updates include enhanced screen reader support, fixes to color contrast, and navigation improvements.