Assessment Updates
District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) Information
- New DAC? Update the information here.
- DAC Task Management Checklist
NSCAS & General Science
USER GUIDES and LINKS
- NSCAS Readiness Checklist
- NSCAS Scheduling Guide
- Roster for NSCAS General and NSCAS Alternate
- Math Reference Sheets – The district has the discretion to choose between using the universal or grade-specific reference sheets; both options are acceptable.
- Universal Mathematics Reference Sheets (English)
- Universal Mathematics Reference Sheets (Spanish)
- Grade 4-8 Reference Sheets can be found on our NSCAS Mathematics – Nebraska Department of Education page in both English and Spanish
- A Reference Sheet is not needed for grade 3.
2025-2026 NSCAS Scheduling Guidance
NSCAS Test Administration Orientation (PowerPoint)
NSCAS Test Administration Orientation (PDF)
NSCAS Assessment Security Manual
Report of Testing Irregularity Form
25-26 Acacia System Requirements Guide
25-26 Acacia System Technology Guide
25-26 CAP System and Technology Guide
25-26 CAP Technology Setup Overview
This link includes the 2024-2025 Percentile Rank Tables, Non-Tested Code Guidance, Roster Review Guidance and more!
REPORT RESOURCES
Utilizing NSCAS Growth Reports (vimeo.com)
Condensed MAP Reports Portfolio
NSCAS General Interpretive Guide for Parents
NSCAS Alternate Interpretive Guide for Parents
Did you administer PreACT this fall or winter and have your scores back?
Join Dr. Bryan Williams for a free webinar designed to look at those results and take the next step to leverage PreACT data for strategic planning, personalized insights, and improved student outcomes.
Dates and Deadlines
- ACT Accommodations and EL Supports in TAA is open
- The ACT Now Platform is now open. Confirm Participation and add the Primary Test Coordinator as well as adding each school’s Test Coordinator as a user DEADLINE to confirm is 2/13/2026
- Choose the “materials received” date when staff will be able to sign for packages. If the school is out for break, choose another delivery window.
- Bookmark the spring 2026 Schedule of Events to avoid missing important deadlines.
ACT State Testing- Spring 2026 Changes:
- The ACT Now platform is now open, Confirm Participation DEADLINE is 2/13/2026.
- Student Transfers will be easier; you will not need to wait for the previous school’s approval.
- Exporting files from ACT Now is a new feature. Tested, not tested, state use questions, and other important information can be exported from the student roster.
- Test Status tab is a new addition to the Students Tile in ACT Now. The tested status occurs when ACT begins processing the students’ test responses.
- ACT Now has a new “ORDERS” tile to track shipments of materials.
- ACT will provide a pdf of test manuals on ACT hosted website.
- The ACT provides a practice test for the new enhanced test, Preparing for the ACT Test- THIS IS A NEW LINK to 2025-2026 practice test.
- Printable Test Day Instructions, formally known as “Backup Instructions” and task cards will continue to be available to print from the ACT website.
- The Test Accessibility and Accommodations, TAA system for ACT accommodations and EL supports opened on September 8, 2025.
- The ACT Schedule of Events is posted on the ACT Hosted Website.
ACT Accommodations & EL Supports in TAA
- Deadlines to submit new requests for ACT-authorized accommodations & EL Supports:
- Test Event 1 (March 24 – April 3, 2026): February 11, 2026
- Test Event 2 (April 7 – 17, 2026): February 25, 2026
- Test Event 3 for Makeup Testing Only (April 21 – May 1, 2026): March 11, 2026
ACT Webinar registration links (for districts and external programs)
- ACT Accommodations and EL Supports- 9/4/2025 (Recording)
- ACT Test Administration part one- recording
- ACT Test Administration part two- recording
Links
ACT Now - What's New (web content)
ACT English Learner Documentation Comparison
ACT Hosted Website for Nebraska
Spring 2026 Schedule of Events for ACT
ACT Score Replacement Fillable Form 2025-2026
ACT Changes:
ELPA21 & ALT ELPA
New Students to your District
- Nebraska provides a FUTURE kindergarten screener for new students enrolling in kindergarten through December. Beginning in January, any new students entering kindergarten who have already started kindergarten elsewhere will take the kindergarten screener.
- NDE also provides resources for students taking the Alt Screener.
- Reminder - students who move into your district from another Nebraska district (or another ELPA21 state) may already have ELPA21 data.
- The ELPA21 Screener should only be administered once to determine if a student qualifies as an English learner.
- Contact Julie Otero at julie.otero@nebraska.gov or Anne Hubbell at anne.hubbell@nebrasaka.gov before screening — to check for:
- Existing ELPA21 reports
- Any information regarding the student’s English Learner (EL) status.
Links
Student Practice Test
The Practice Test for both ELPA21 and the Alt ELPA is available in the Cambium Portal
2025-26 Summative Testing Training Available
All testing administrators need to be trained. There are many options for training.
- Accessing ELPA21 Administration Training
- Test Delivery System (TDS) Overview - Summative (without audio)
- Training Modules in Cambium
- Updated Alt ELPA LMS Training Modules Available
Updated ELPA21/Alt ELPA Assessment Documents
- Posted under the Resources tab in the Nebraska Cambium Portal:
NDE English Learner Programs Website
Cambium Assessment TIDE v18 Overview Webinar Recording
ESU 10 NWEA Certified Facilitators
Denise O'Brien, dobrien@esu10.org
Amy Walters, awalters@esu10.org