2023-2024 NSCAS Not Tested Codes (NTC)
* If you transfer a student in the testing systems - do not add a Not Tested Code
GRW/ALT/ACT
CODE
ELPA 21
CODE
Code Name Descriptor Tests Reporting District use NDE use Additional Information for Districts
ALT
Alternate Assessment
Student took the NSCAS Alternate assessment and is not included in results from this
testing vendor.
ADVISER SPED data must support coding.
Growth;
ACT
Not included in General or ACT testing
ALT overides a partial score or NEI in
NSCAS Growth
Y Y
Best practice is to avoid rostering your NSCAS Alternate students into CAP (MAP Growth platform) or PA Next (ACT).
ADVISER Validation SPED data must support coding.I4:I17
EMW (02)
Emergency Medical Waiver Student was not tested because of a medical emergency. NDE approved waiver required.
Growth;
Alternate;
ACT;
ELPA21
Not included in reporting
EMW overides a partial score or NEI
Y Y
The district's formal request goes through an NDE review panel (4-6 person panel) for approval/denial. Districts
should provide as much detail as possible (keeping FERPA and HIPAA in mind) about the student's circumstance,
including diagnosis and specific dates. Emergency constitutes recent events. If the student has been under the
circumstance since the beginning of the year, the district should have an educational plan in place that includes
assessment testing (including homebound students).
EXP
Exempt
Student exempt from testing due to certain circumstances, such as a student requiring an
unprovided accommodation, student attending an out-of-state facility; or an error in the
student’s high school cohort.
NDE approval required.
Growth;
Alternate;
ACT
Not included in reporting
EXP overides a partial score or NEI
Y Y
Foreign Exchange Students in the testing high school cohort are expected to participate in the ACT and are NOT
exempt from testing.
NSCAS Alternate students that require Braille are exempt, DRC does not provide this accommodation.
NEW! Use this code for high school cohort errors, if the cohort has been changed to anything other than 2025.
NDE approval to use this code is required.
FTE
Full-Time Equivalency
Full-Time Equivalency is less than 51% so the student is excluded from testing.
ADVISER FTE data must support coding.
Growth;
Alternate;
ACT
Not included in reporting
FTE overides a partial score or NEI
Y Y
Full-Time Equivlency (FTE) is based on the percentage of educational services the student is receiving from the
district, not the number of hours a student attends. If a student is recieveing educational services from another
source, such as exempt-school or a private school, than the district will need to adjust the FTE accordingly in ADVSIER
Validation.
INV
Invalid
Student's assessment was invalidated, such as testing irregularity or security breach.
NDE approval required.
Growth;
Alternate;
ACT
Counted as a Participant
Scale Score = lowest score
INV overides a partial score or NEI
Y
N for ACT
Y
Please reach out to Dr. Trudy Clark or Maggie Sis before adding this code in the test system. Provide the student's
circumstance as to why the district believes INVALID is the appropriate code.
NDE approval to use this code is required.
LBW (09)
Left Before Window
Student withdrew from district/school
BEFORE the test window(s) began.
ADVISER enrollment data must support coding.
Growth;
Alternate;
ACT
ELPA21
Not included in reporting
If LBW is used there would not be a
partial score or NEI
Y Y
WHEN TO USE (ADVISER Validation enrollment data must support coding.)
NSCAS Growth & Alternate:
Student's withdraw date is prior to 4/1/24
ACT:
Student's withdraw date is prior to prior to 3/26/24
ELPA21 and Alt ELPA:
Student's withdraw date is prior to 2/5/24
NCE (01) Not Currently Enrolled
Student started/withdrew enrollment in the district/school during the testing window(s).
ADVISER enrollment data must support coding.
Growth;
Alternate;
ACT;
ELPA21 (NLE)
Not included in reporting
NCE overides a partial score or NEI
Y Y
WHEN TO USE (ADVISER Validation enrollment data must support coding.)
NSCAS Growth & Alternate:
Student's withdraw date is between 4/1/24 to 4/26/24
Students entry/start date is 4/26/24 or later
ACT:
Student's withdraw date is between 3/26/24 to 4/12/24
Student's entry/start date is 4/13/24 or later
ELPA21 and Alt ELPA:
Handled case by case, reach out to the Title III/EL Office for determination.
(06) Non-Public Student
Student who is enrolled in a non-public school & receiving less than 51% of their
instruction provided by the LEA.
ELPA21 Not included in reporting Y Y
OTH
Other
Student was not tested for reasons not covered by other descriptions. For example,
occurrence of a natural disaster.
NDE approval required.
Growth;
Alternate;
ACT
Not included in reporting
OTH overides a partial score or NEI
Y Y
Please reach out to Dr. Trudy Clark or Maggie Sis before adding this code in the test system. Provide the student's
circumstance as to why the district believes OTHER is the appropriate code.
NDE approval to use this code is required.
PAR (04)
Parent Refusal
Student was not tested because of a formal request from the parent/guardian. District
should have written documentation on file from the parent at the district.
Growth;
Alternate;
ACT;
ELPA21
Counted as a Non-participant
Scale Score = lowest score
PAR overides a partical score or NEI
Y Y
Written documentation should include student's name and specific administration (example Spring 2024 NSCAS
Growth ELA, Math and Science). NDE does not have a sample letter/form. It is at the discretion of the district how to
collect these written opt-out letters/forms.
RMV
Remove Used by NDE and vendors only.
Growth;
Alternate;
ACT
Not included in reporting N Y Not available for district use.
(03)
Student Misclassified/No Longer EL
Student Misclassified/No Longer EL (MIS) is used for any student who was misclassified as
EL or is no longer an EL student.
ELPA21 Not included in reporting Y Y
(07)
Summative test taken in another
ELPA21 state during this year
Student identified as EL and took summative in another ELPLA21 district this testing
window.
ELPA21 Not included in reporting
Y Y
STR
Student Refusal Student was not tested due to student refusal to start or participate in testing.
Growth;
Alternate;
ACT
Counted as a Non-participant
Scale Score = lowest score
STR overides a partial score or NEI
Y Y
SSO
State Score Only ACT deemed as invalid or misadministered; but NDE is including scores for state reporting ACT
Included in state reports as a Participant,
accept scores
N Y
The districts should provide as much information as possible regarding student's circumstance as to why the test was
deemed invalid/misadministered by ACT. This information can be provided to the Statewide Assessment Office
through the ACT Misadministered Test Log at the end of the ACT test windows. The additional information will help
the Statewide Assessment team deem the appropriate coding for the test: INV, STR, or SSO.
UTT (05) or (08)
Unable to Test
District was unable to test the student during the testing windows due to excessive
absences or suspension/expulsion.
Growth;
Alternate; ACT;
ELPA21
Counted as a Non-participant
Scale Score = lowest score
Partial score or NEI overides a UTT
Y Y
Districts are still responsible to arrange testing of suspended or expelled students. Districts can provide the testing in
an alternate location, for example a public library, or bring the student onto campus after hours when the general
student population is not in session.
Use for NSCAS Growth & Alternate if student's withdraw date is 4/27/24 or later
Use for ACT if student's withdraw date is 4/13/24 or later
WSR
Waived Score Replacement Previous ACT scores that met qualifications and were approved by NDE . ACT
Counted as a Participant
Scale Score = approved scores Y
Y
Districts may submit a formal written request prior to the first spring ACT test date. Deadline is March 26, 2024.
CONDITIONAL CODES - Alternate Assessment
GEN
General Assessment
Student was originally coded ALT, but district administered the General Assessment or the
ACT.
Alternate Not included in Alternate or ACT testing Y Y
This would occur when an IEP review takes place after the initial roster is pulled in January, and the review
determines the student is NOT an Alternate Assessment student and will participate in the NSCAS Growth or ACT.
NOR
NonResponsive Student is unable to interact and respond to any item on the test Alternate
Counted as a Participant
Scale Score = lowest score
NonResponsive overides a partial score.
Y Y
Best practice is to administer 3-5 questions of each content area , before determining the student is nonresponsive
every year . There is additional guidance on this coding available on the NDE Statewide Assessment website.
CONDITIONAL CODES - Growth Assessment
NEI
Not Enough Information Student did not complete enough operational items on the test to calculate a score. Growth
Counted as a Participant
Scale Score = lowest score
N Y
MS 04/02/2024
Process to add NTC to Individual Student Record
NSCAS Growth and General Science
Short How-to Video: How to Assign NTC's
ACT
1. Log into the PA Next system
2. Choose the High School account in the top right hand corner
3. Click on Students in the SETUP dropdown
4. A list of your students should come up, click on the small box to the left of the student name that you are editing
5. Click on the Task dropdown (top of page in blue) and select Create/Edit Students and then click on the Start
button just to the right
6. On the student’s detail page, scroll down past the demographics to the State Use Questions (towards the
bottom of the page)
7. On the 2
nd
question “If this student did not test, select the reason from these options” click on the appropriate
Not Tested Code from the dropdown
8. Click the SAVE button at the bottom of the page; a green bar across the top of the page that says “Success!”
should appear
NSCAS Alternate
Log into INSIGHT system, and follow these steps:
1. Hit Student Management in the MY APPLICATIONS dropdown Menu on the left corner
2. Hit Manage Students on top left corner (in gray font, just below the navy tool bar
3. Enter the appropriate fields and hit Find Students
4. Hit the Action icon on the right side of the student’s name on the list
5. Hit the Testing Codes tab within the student’s record
6. Add the appropriate NTC code for each appropriate test subject and hit SAVE
a. Or check Yes if the student participated in the NSCAS Growth or ACT
ELPA21 and Alt ELPA
Log into NE Portal and follow these steps:
1. In the After Testing section, locate the Data Cleanup task menu.
2. If your user role permits, you can edit a student’s Reason Not Tested Code by clicking the green pencil next to
the student’s name in the search results page.
3. The student’s available tests and special codes are listed in the Special Codes panel.
4. To enter Reason Not Test Code, select the special code from the drop-down lists and click save.
5. To enter for multiple students, select Upload Reason Not Tested from Data Cleanup task menu and download
the provided template. Choose from the test dropdown and Code dropdown selectors and upload the
completed form.
*More information can be found here: NE Portal - #8 of the TIDE Training Modules
