Managing Participation Codes
There are circumstances in which a student did not participate in an expected test or participated in a test but in a non-standard way. Examples include a student inadvertently taking an incorrect test, a parent opt-out, or the student not receiving appropriate instruction prior to the test. In such instances, you need to assign a code to the student's test so that Centralized Reporting (CRS) can accurately explain the non-participation.
There are two types of participation codes: non-participation and participation. A student is considered to have participated in a test after answering six questions or after responding with any text to both writing prompts. Table 13 lists the participation codes and their descriptions.
Table 13: Participation Codes and Their Descriptions
| Special Code |
State |
Federal |
Description |
| Did Not Test |
Countable for Participation only |
Countable for Participation only |
Student was enrolled at the school and eligible to test (with or without reasonable accommodations) but did not test. |
| EL First Year in U.S. April 15 or Later |
Not Countable |
Not Countable |
The student is an English learner (EL) and first enrolled in the U.S. on or after April 15 of current school year. Student is not required to test, but testing is made available. |
| EL First Year in U.S. Before April 15 |
Counted for Participation only |
Counted for Participation only |
The student is EL and first enrolled in the U.S. before April 15 of current school year. Student must take ELA, Math, and Science. |
| Student Refused to Test |
Countable |
Countable |
Student refuses to start the assessment
or refuses to complete at least six items of the assessment.
|
| Excused for Health Emergency |
Not Countable |
Not Countable |
Student is unable to test during the testing window due to an unanticipated health circumstance. |
| Course Instruction Not Complete |
Not Countable |
Not Countable |
Student will not complete the relevant course instruction during the current academic year. Not available for Utah Aspire Plus. |
| Course Not Provided |
Not Countable |
Not Countable |
Student did not take a course associated with the assessment (E.g. Student is assigned a test for a course they did not take at any time during the current school year). |
| Test Has Already Been Taken |
Not Countable |
Not Countable |
Student has already taken the same assessment during a previous administration year. |
| USBE Excused – Approval Needed |
Not Countable |
Not Countable |
Requires USBE authorization. Used in rare circumstances to capture irregular test circumstances. |
| Student Transferred Before Testing Window |
Not Countable |
Not Countable |
Student transferred out of school before the LEA had a reasonable opportunity to administer the assessment. |
| Standard
Participation
|
Countable |
Countable |
Student took the assessment under
normal circumstances.
|
| Accommodated |
Countable |
Countable |
Student took the assessment with allowed accommodation(s). |
| Invalidated |
Not Countable |
Not Countable |
LEA determines that the test was spoiled or invalid (E.g. Student cheated; test administrator broke protocol). |
| Parental Exclusion |
Not Countable |
Countable |
A parent or guardian has requested in writing that the student be exempt from the assessment. |
| EL in Second Year of Enrollment |
Counted in Participation and Growth |
Counted in Participation and Growth |
Student is EL and first enrolled in the
U.S. during the 2017-2018 school year. Student must take ELA, Math, and Science.
|
| Test System Irregularity |
Not Countable |
Not Countable |
The test event was interrupted by a system error without reasonable opportunity to reset or re-open the test.
USBE Approval required.
|
| Incorrect Course Code Assigned |
Countable |
Countable |
An incorrect course code or grade was assigned, triggering an incorrect test. LEA correction of the course code is
required.
|
If you assign a non-participation special code prior to testing, TIDE removes the student's eligibility and the student will not be able to start that test. In order for a student to take the test, you must change the participation code in TIDE to No Special Code. For details, the procedure in the section Viewing and Editing a Student's Participation Codes.