What’s New in 2025–26

New Focused Interim Assessment Blocks

New FIABs have been added for the 2025–26 test administration: 14 FIABs for ELA and 8 FIABs for mathematics.

Please reference the CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessment Lookup Tool for more information on all available CAASPP and ELPAC interim assessments.

THSS Enhancements

• The THSS interface has been redesigned to be more user-friendly. Educators can now easily filter, search, and move between tests, students, and items.
• Visual indicators have been added to show which tests have been waiting to be scored the longest.
• Rubrics, scoring resources, and item details are now shown in one full-screen view, so educators do not need to switch between screens.

CERS Sandbox and Interpretive Guide Updates

The CERS Sandbox training tool was updated to better reflect the live version of CERS. New features include

• fictitious data for CAST and ELPAC interim assessments,
• composite claims for Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for ELA and mathematics, and
• indicators for Summative ELPAC domains when a student is not tested or has been exempted.

The CERS Interpretive Guide, now in a searchable web format, helps educators understand CAASPP and ELPAC results, including CAST and ELPAC interim assessments. Unlike the CERS User Guide, which covers CERS features and reporting, the Interpretive Guide focuses on understanding and explaining assessment results. Both guides and the CERS Sandbox are available on the CERS Resources web page.