Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:

Aligned Release of 2026 California School Dashboard and Statewide Assessment Data

On October 15, 2026, the California Department of Education (CDE) will release both the California School Dashboard (Dashboard) and state-level assessment data.

Since 2024, statewide assessment data have been released by October 15. Starting this year, pursuant to state law, the Dashboard will be released earlier than in previous years, making assessment and accountability information available at the same time.
Aligning the release of the assessment and accountability data will allow local educational agencies (LEAs) to:

• begin data-informed planning earlier,
• prepare for a single, unified release of performance information,
• streamline communication with boards, staff, and local communities, and
• leverage local data to support students and program changes sooner.

A single release date for the Dashboard and statewide assessment data will provide LEAs with a more coherent and complete picture of student performance and areas of need.

Access to Local Data
Assessment results will continue to be available to LEAs through the Test Operations Management System (TOMS) and the California Educator Reporting System (CERS) as soon as results are validated by the CDE, usually by the end of May. In addition, aggregate assessment results, including countywide data, will be available for LEA preview by the beginning of September.

LEAs are encouraged to review their End-of-Year (EOY) California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) reports prior to the certification deadline in July for accuracy and completeness. Following the certification deadline, the CALPADS EOY certified reports also provide views into the local data which are used for many of the measures on the Dashboard including Chronic Absenteeism, Suspension, Graduation, and the College and Career Indicator.

The CDE remains committed to ensuring the high quality, validity, and reliability of all released assessment and accountability data. Additional information will be shared as the release approaches.

For accountability questions regarding this aligned data release, please contact the Analysis, Measurement, and Accountability Reporting Division by email at dashboard@cde.ca.gov. For assessment questions, contact Assessment Development and Administration Division by email at ELPAC@cde.ca.gov or CAASPP@cde.ca.gov. For CALPADS questions, contact the CALPADS Office by email at CALPADS@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

/s/

Dr. Ingrid Roberson
Chief Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction
California Department of Education

cc: LEA Assessment Coordinators
LEA Dashboard Coordinators
CALPADS LEA Coordinators