CERA places a high priority on recognizing excellence from its members. From the authors of accepted sessions for the Annual Conference, CERA recognizes one of them with the Outstanding Paper Award. The recipient of the Outstanding Paper Award represents CERA at the national American Educational Research Association (AERA) meeting. Extraordinary contributions to the field of assessment, educational research, and program evaluation are also recognized by CERA through the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Leadership Awards.  In addition, CERA provides funding opportunities through its Research Grant awards.