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«Back to all edWebinarsBuilding Inclusive Assessments With the Wheel of Inclusion: UDL, Accessibility, and AI
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT
Presented by Peter Jacobson, Experienced Educator, Product Leader, Khan Academy; and Michelle Soriano, Former Educator, Current Professional Learning and Implementation Specialist, CAST
Sponsored by CAST
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, and earning your CE certificate.
In today’s educational landscape, meeting the baseline for accessibility is no longer enough—it’s about creating inclusive, high-quality learning experiences that support every student. As districts evaluate a growing number of AI-enabled instructional and assessment tools, leaders are asking important questions: How can we identify solutions that are equitable, accessible, and designed with learner variability in mind from the start?
Join this edLeader Panel for a behind-the-scenes look at the “Wheel of Inclusion,” a major collaboration involving CAST, the Gates Foundation, and organizations developing the next generation of digital assessment tools. Panelists will share why leading organizations are investing significant time, expertise, and resources into Universal Design for Learning (UDL), accessibility, and inclusive AI design—and how these efforts aim to improve experiences and outcomes for both students and educators.
Attendees will explore:
- How accessibility and UDL considerations are shaping the development of AI-enabled assessment tools
- What district leaders should look for when evaluating digital products for procurement and implementation
- How organizations are working to reduce bias and create more flexible, learner-centered assessment experiences
- What goes into achieving third-party UDL Product Certification and why it matters for schools and districts
- Why sustainable, cross-functional approaches to inclusive design are becoming essential in today’s educational technology landscape
Whether you lead curricula, assessment, technology, innovation, or student support initiatives, you will leave with practical insights and key questions to help guide conversations about equitable AI adoption and future-ready assessment design. This edLeader Panel will be of interest to elementary through high school district leaders, school leaders, and education technology leaders.
About the Presenters
Peter Jacobson is a product leader passionate about building research-backed tools that improve learning outcomes for all students. With over a decade of experience in education technology, he specializes in identifying opportunities to leverage emerging technologies to measure student growth and achievement with greater accuracy and efficiency. As a Product Manager at Khan Academy, Peter partners closely with researchers, educators, and engineers to ensure that new innovations are not only forward thinking but also scientifically sound, valid, reliable, and equitable for diverse learners. His background as a trained educator shapes his product philosophy: pairing bold innovation with practical classroom impact and an unwavering commitment to measurement integrity. Peter holds a master’s in teaching from the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, as well as a master’s in business administration from Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business.
As a Professional Learning and Implementation Specialist at CAST and technical assistance support for the Center on Inclusive Technology & Education Systems (CITES), Michelle Soriano promotes inclusive, equitable, and accessible instructional opportunities for all learners. In her role, she partners not only with educators and organizations but also with edtech developers—supporting teams in embedding Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accessibility into product design workflows, development cycles, and system-level decision making to ensure tools are usable and inclusive from the start.
Prior to joining CAST, Michelle served as a regional education specialist in the area of inclusive practices for two different Education Service Centers in Texas. During this time, she provided technical assistance and support through professional development, instructional coaching, professional learning communities, and partnerships in creating state and regional documents and training. She has also worked as a behavior specialist administrator, PK–12 instructional coach, general education teacher, and special education teacher. Michelle’s passion in education resides in supporting both educators and product developers in embracing learner variability through Universal Design for Learning. She is committed to empowering systems to design with intention so that all learners have meaningful options to engage, participate, and guide their own learning journey according to their personal preferences and needs.
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, and earning your CE certificate.
Join the Assessment for Learning community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edLeader Panels, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
A nonprofit, education research and development organization, CAST leads, inspires, and convenes a global community to design inclusive learning experiences through our Universal Design for Learning framework and UDL Guidelines, now used all over the world. CAST provides professional learning services to support UDL implementation, accessibility solutions, and the UDL Product Certification.
