LACES may be integrated with DRC to allow TABE and TABE CLAS-E assessments to be imported into LACES for matching students. This ONLY applies to clients who have opted to integrate with DRC.
The integrated import is associated with a specified LACES user account at the SEA so the user may monitor the success of the import. The SEA user will receive an email notification alerting them that the test results have been sent. The imports display at the Imports grid at the SEA only. An import record may be opened to see the scores that imported as well as any error messages generated by the import. While the DRC/TABE scores are added to student records in the local agencies, the import files do NOT display in the local agencies.
District IDs
When the integration is first established between LPS and DRC, a District ID is provided to LPS. This District ID is added to the LACES agency settings in the "Identification Code" field. An ID must be added for assessment records to import; test results will not import into a LACES agency that does not have an Identification Code entered. Multiple District IDs may be entered in the field, separated by a comma.
To see if a District ID has been added in your agency for the TABE-DRC integration:
1. Sign into LACES.
2 At the person profile drop down menu, select Agency Settings.
3. Open the Key Info panel at the Agency Data tab.
4. The DRC District ID provided to LPS will display in the Identification Code field. District IDs may be text and/or numbers, or a combination of text and numbers.
DRC Student ID
The DRC-TABE import files sent to LACES contain the Student Login ID assigned to the student at the testing center. Because the import file includes the column "Student_Login_ID," a corresponding field named DRC Student ID was added to the student record at the Education Tab/Education panel in clients who are integrated with DRC (added during Release 2021.13.0 on 11/19/2021). The field may be added to a custom student view.
The field DRC Student ID is automatically added in the student record in LACES from the Student Login ID the first time the student appears on an import file as an exact match. Once the DRC Student ID is added to the student record through the import, it should not be edited. If the ID is incorrect, the ID should be edited in the test vendor record. However, if the correct ID is available prior to an import, it may be added to the LACES student record. DRC Student IDs that have been added or edited in LACES not matching the Student Login ID on the import file will be overwritten the next time scores are sent for the student if an exact match occurs; the IDs sent from the test vendor take priority.
The ID may be used for matching as long as two other data points match. For example, an exact student match means that Last Name, First Name, Date of Birth, and Gender match an existing student in the agency where the Identification Code matches the District ID on the import file. The DRC Student ID field will be updated with the Student Login ID on the import file. On subsequent imports, a matching ID and at least two other matching fields will be considered an exact match.
Assessments Imported
The DRC integration only adds scores if the assessment is visible in the agency Assessment list. If you need to accept score for instruments that are not in your Assessment list, please reach out to the state and ask them to request that we add the missing tests for your agency and these scores will be able to be imported.
Daily Data Transfers
Every weekday morning between 5-8 am MST, TABE and TABE CLAS-E test results are transmitted to LACES from DRC. This allows you to see your students' scores at the assessment tab in the LACES student record on the following business day after the student takes the assessment. For example, if a student takes a TABE or TABE CLAS-E assessment at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, the test results will be sent to LACES on Wednesday morning.
Data is transmitted from the previous 60 days of the assessments. For paper assessments with local scanning, you have up to 60 days from the test date to scan your documents. Test data more than 60 days prior must be manually entered.
Matching Student Profile Data
Individual test scores from DRC will only be accepted into LACES if a matching student is found and a matching District ID has been entered in the LACES agency settings Identification Code field. The assessments will be added to LACES if:
a) the student exists in LACES at the time of assessment, OR
b) the student is entered into LACES within 60 days of their TABE or TABE CLAS-E assessment.
IF MORE THAN 60 DAYS have elapsed before the student is entered into LACES, test results must be manually entered.
The following student profile fields in DRC and in LACES must match exactly for the assessment to be added to LACES.
a) First Name
b) Last Name
c) Date of Birth (Required format is MM/DD/YYYY. LACES auto-corrects the birthdate to the correct format.)
d) Gender (M, F, or O are recognized for matching as of Release 2022.5.0 on 4/15/2022.)
If student scores from recent assessments are missing, make sure the profiles match. The data may be corrected in either DRC or LACES.
Additional Student Naming Data Considerations
The ONLY special characters allowed in a student name are:
Apostrophes (')
Hyphens (-)
Spaces
Extra spaces are NOT allowed at the beginning or end of names. Make sure spacing is consistent within names, so that the name in DRC matches the name in LACES.
DRC does not allow the following in a student name:
Commas (,)
Periods (.)
Remove these characters from the student name in LACES for the data to match, if they exist.
Diacritical characters, i.e., characters from non-English alphabets, are converted to the alphanumeric equivalent in DRC. For the student name to match the student name in LACES, the name in LACES should be converted to its alphanumeric equivalent.
DRC and LACES both allow numbers to be used in names.
Multiple Student Records
Test results for students who are entered into more than one agency in LACES will be imported when a matching student is found, if a matching District ID has been been added to the agency in the Identification Code field.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Students are prevented from counting on NRS Table 2a with an externally imported assessment if they do not have a current FY intake date, current FY enrollment, or current FY hours; students may only count on Table 2a with a level defining assessment that was manually entered or manually imported.
Externally imported assessments will display "Yes" in the "External Import" column at the assessment grid in the student record. Externally imported assessments cannot be edited or manually deleted.
Scaled Score
TABE 11/12 [Note: Per Federal guidance, TABE 11/12are set to expire on June 30, 2025.These forms are not valid for the 2025-2026 reporting year, and cannot be used or moved forward beyond that date.]
DRC will return + or - with the scaled score to indicate that a score is so high or so low that the student should be reassessed using a different difficulty level. The assessment is still valid, however, and the student is not required to be re-assessed.
For example:
1. A student was tested with a TABE 11 M in Reading with the scaled score 583.
2. The score 583+ is on the import file.
3. The + indicates that the score was artificially high because the assessment was at a low level, and the student should be reassessed at a higher level, such as a TABE 11 D or A.
The + and - in the scaled score cell is ignored and the scaled score is imported. The correct EFL will be populated in the student record from the scaled score.
TABE 13/14 and CLAS-E C/D
TABE 13/14 and CLAS-E C/D do not have +/- scores.
Out of Range (O/R) Indicator: A score will be classified as “Out of Range” (O/R) if the student performed more than one NRS level below the targeted level. They will not receive a scale score or an NRS level on their score report, and they will need to take a lower TABE level test. O/R scores will be added to LACES with a Scaled Score of "0." The Assessed Level will be "Level Not Defined" and will not count towards NRS reporting.
Highest Reporting Level (*) Indicator: If a student scores more than one NRS level above the targeted level, then a single asterisk (*) symbol will appear next to the NRS level on their score report, and their score will be set to the highest possible scale score for that test level. In this case the student is performing at the very top of the test level, and you may want to test them with a higher level of TABE to better assess their ability. Levels with an *, will be added to LACES as the level indicated by the score, there will not be an indicator in LACES that it is high, you will only be able to see the indicator in the DRC daily file under the NRS_LEVEL column which can be seen and downloaded from the "Imports" area at the SEA. For example an NRS_LEVEL of 5* will show in LACES as ABE L5 or ESL L5, according to the instrument used.
NRS Exit Score Achieved (**) Indicator (TABE CLAS-E Only): If a student reaches NRS Level 6 on a TABE CLAS-E test, then a double asterisk (**) symbol will appear next to the NRS level on their score report. This indicates that the student has no room for growth and is ready to exit the program. In LACES, these scores will produce an Assessed Level of "Completed ESL l6."
For more detail: TABE 13&14 AND TABE CLAS-E SCORING LEVELS: Best Practice Guidance.