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NEDP (National External Diploma Program)
LACES includes a process to accommodate the National External Diploma Program (NEDP) for those state clients that offer NEDP. The process allows an Educational Functioning Level (EFL) gain to auto populate if the student's initial assessment in Reading or Math placed them at ABE L4 or ABE L5. Once the student has entered both the Diagnostic and Assessment phases of the program, students may show a gain to ABE L6 without being reassessed beyond the initial assessment. The EFLs will populate in a Period of Participation (PoP) in the current FY or in a PoP that crosses FYs.
Students with an initial assessment in Reading or Math that placed them at ABE L6 will advance to Completed ABE L6 once they have entered both the Diagnostic and Assessment phases of the program and achieved the NEDP Diploma.
Ultimately, students will complete the program and earn an NEDP High School Diploma. At that time the students may continue with Adult Education study if they wish.
It is important to be familiar with your state's NEDP policy, as some states may have additional requirements for students to enter NEDP. Contact your program or state director if you have additional questions.
Keep the following in mind:
Only accredited agencies are allowed to grant an NEDP diploma.
To be in the NEDP program, students must meet the requirements for entry, which means students must have initial assessments in Math or Reading at ABE L4, ABE L5, or ABE L6 in the tracked subject area.
Students are identified as NEDP when a date is entered in the Diagnostic Phase Entry Date field at the Education tab/Education panel. This field "triggers" the business rule that allows an EFL gain to ABE L6 when the student enters the NEDP Assessment phase. When a gain is made as the result of entering the assessment phase, the subject area will update to NEDP. The gain will be reported in the FY the student entered the assessment phase.
Once a student enters the NEDP Assessment phase, they are placed at ABE L6. Students who continue into the next FY will be placed at the entry level ABE L6.
The NEDP Diagnostic Phase Entry Date and NEDP Assessment Phase Entry Date are both captured in the FY summary.
Current FY students who begin a new PoP in the NEDP Diagnostic or Assessment phase will be placed at the appropriate EFL based on the exit level of the previous PoP.
Once the student has earned the NEDP Diploma, they are no longer in the NEDP program. If the student continues in the program, they must be reassessed.
Students who choose not to continue in NEDP may be indicated with a date in the field "NEDP Exit Date." This date stops all further NEDP processing that affects a level gain.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The NEDP Diagnostic Phase Entry Date, NEDP Assessment Phase Entry Date, and NEDP Exit Date fields should not be entered for non-NEDP students.
Please refer to NEDP for additional information as it relates to WIOA.
A Typical NEDP Student Workflow:
A new student enters your program and is initially assessed in Math and Reading at ABE L4 or higher.
The student enters the diagnostic phase based on state policy; some states require that the student be enrolled and earn hours prior to entering the diagnostic phase, others do not.
The NEDP Diagnostic Phase Entry Date is entered in the student record at the Education tab/Education panel. The entry of this date identifies the student as being in NEDP.
The student meets the requirements to be placed in a PoP.
The student enters the assessment phase based on state policy. The NEDP Assessment Phase Entry Date is entered in the student record at the Education tab/Education panel. This date must be after the NEDP Diagnostic Phase date.
The entry of the NEDP Assessment Phase Entry Date triggers an EFL gain in the PoP to ABE L6 if the initial entry level was ABE L4 or ABE L5. The PoP Subject Area updates to NEDP if the NEDP Assessment Phase Entry date is within 90 days of the PoP end date.
The student earns the NEDP High School Diploma. The diploma/credential record is entered at the student's Education tab/Education panel.
After earning the NEDP High School Diploma, the student may return in a new PoP, or new FY for additional instruction. Since the student has completed NEDP, the student must be reassessed.
To understand how student EFLs are triggered by assessments and the NEDP Diagnostic and Assessment Phase Entry dates, please review the following workflows.
1: Students whose entry level is ABE L4 or ABE L5 will advance to ABE L6 when they enter the NEDP assessment phase
Student 1 Basic Workflow - student begins in the 2022-2023 FY and completes NEDP without gaps in activity
Student intake date is 10/1/2022.
Student is assessed on 10/1/2022 in Math at ABE L4.
Student is assessed on 10/1/2022 in Reading at ABE L5.
Student is enrolled in a class and earns 12 hours.
Student is placed in a 2022-2023 PoP. The student is being tracked in Math since Math has the lower EFL.
6. The student entered the diagnostic phase on 10/20/2022. The date is entered in the NEDP Diagnostic Phase Entry Date field at the Education panel. The student is now considered to be an NEDP student.
7. The student entered the assessment phase on 12/1/2022.
9. Because the student entered the assessment phase without a 90+ day gap in activity, the student advanced from ABE L4 to ABE L6 without being assessed.
10. The PoP subject area updated to NEDP and the PoP exit level updated to ABE L6.
(Notice in the screenshot that the PoP end date is now 12/1/2022. The NEDP Assessment Phase Entry Date populates the PoP end date when this is the last activity in the PoP.)
IMPORTANT NOTES:
In this scenario, the field "Assess Status in Subj Area" updated from Assessed Once this FY to Never Assessed this FY. The "Assess Status in Subj Area" field looks at the Subject Area. The subject area updated to NEDP once the student entered the assessment phase. There are no actual assessments with that subject area, so this field correctly displays Never Assessed this FY.
The FY summary will display:
AssessStatusAnySubject = Pretested -- This indicates that the student was pretested in another subject area.
Pop1DomainCode = 1300 -- This is the domain/subject area code for NEDP.
SubjectAreaCode = 1300 -- This is the domain/subject area code for NEDP.
11. The PoP shows that the student made an EFL Gain (MSG), so counts on the 2022-2023 NRS Table 4 in Column E (Number who achieved at least one EFL gain).
12. The student does NOT count on the 2022-2023 NRS Table 4b. Even though the student made a level gain, the student was not posttested.
Q: What if the student had a gap in activity before entering the NEDP phases?
A: When the student has a 90+ day gap in activity before or after entering the NEDP Diagnostic Phase and NEDP Assessment Phase, the student is still considered to be an NEDP student, and NEDP data will display in the FY summary.
For example:
1. A student entered your program on 10/1/2022, was assessed with a CASAS Math GOALSs assessment at ABE L4 and a CASAS Reading GOALS assessment at ABE L5, earned 12 hours, and was placed in a PoP. The subject area is Math.
2. The student was post-tested in Math and made a gain to ABE L5.
3. The student's last hours were on 11/1/2022. The student entered the NEDP Diagnostic Phase on 6/1/2023 and the NEDP Assessment Phase on 6/30/2023. There is a gap of more than 90 days from 11/1/2022 to 6/1/2023.
4. The student's FY summary was updated.
5. The student's PoP Summary record shows an EFL gain (Reading), and the student counts on Table 4 as expected.
6. However, since the student entered the NEDP Assessment Phase - even with a gap in activity - the FY summary reflects that the student is NEDP, even though the student counts on Table 4, 4a and 4b. The FY summary will display:
AssessStatusAnySubject = Posttested -- This indicates that the student was post-tested. In this case, the student was post-tested in Math.
ExitLevel = ABE L6 -- This means that the exit level in the FY is ABE L6 because the student entered both NEDP phases. However, the PoP exit level is ABE L5. This is because there was a gap in activity before the NEDP phases were entered.
Pop1DomainCode = 614 -- This is the domain/subject area code for CASAS Math GOALS. In this case, the Pop1 Domain Code reflects the CASAS Math GOALS assessment because of the gap in activity.
SubjectAreaCode = 1300 -- This is the domain/subject area code for NEDP.
Q: Why does the FY summary show NEDP if there was a gap?
A: When a student enters the NEDP Diagnostic Phase they are considered an NEDP student. The NEDP SubjectAreaCode will be used to set the entry level in the next FY if the student continues. Once the student enters the NEDP Assessment Phase, the student will always be considered an NEDP student until they earn the NEDP diploma, or exit the NEDP program.
Student 2 Basic Workflow - student begins in the 2022-2023 FY and enters the NEDP assessment phase in PoP 2
Student intake date is 10/1/2022.
Student is assessed on 10/1/2022 in Math at EFL ABE L4.
Student is assessed on 10/1/2022 in Reading at ABE L5.
Student is enrolled in a class and earns 12 hours.
Student is placed in a 2022-2023 PoP. The student is being tracked in Math at ABE L4 since Math has the lower EFL.
The student enters the diagnostic phase on 11/1/2022. The date is entered in the NEDP Diagnostic Phase Entry Date field at the Education panel. The student is now considered to be an NEDP student.
The student continues to earn hours through 12/31/2022, then stops attending.
The student has a gap of 90+ days without activity, but then returns and enters the assessment phase on 6/1/2023.
Because the student had a gap of 90+ days from the PoP end date, the student's EFL in the PoP does not automatically update to ABE L6.
The student earns 12 hours on 6/10/2023.
The student now has a second PoP.
The start date of the second PoP is 6/1/2023, which is the date the student entered the NEDP assessment phase.
The exit level of PoP 1 was ABE L4, which populated the entry level of PoP 2.
Since the student entered the NEDP assessment phase in PoP 2, the student got the gain in PoP 2. The subject area in PoP 2 updated to NEDP and the EFL advanced to ABE L6. This is because the NEDP Assessment Phase date is before the hours date which allows the previous PoP exit level to populate the entry level of PoP 2.
Q: What if the student assesses at ABE L3 or lower?
A: Students whose initial assessments place them at ABE L3 or lower do not technically qualify for NEDP. Check your state policy before indicating that a student at ABE L3 or lower is in NEDP. While the diagnostic and assessment phase dates may be entered, the NEDP processing does not apply when the assessed level in the tracked subject area is too low. The student may only get an EFL gain from an additional assessment.
Students may assess at ABE L3 in one subject area and ABE L4, ABE L5, or ABE L6 in the other subject area. In this case, NEDP processing would only apply if the ABE L4 or higher assessment was selected as the subject area.
Q: What if the student assesses at ABE L6 in both Reading and Math?
A: The subject area for students whose initial assessments place them at ABE L6 will not change to NEDP when the assessment phase is entered. This is because ABE L6 is as high as the student can go. The subject area only changes to NEDP when a gain can be made by entering the assessment phase.
2: Entry Level ABE L6 will display in a continuing PoP if the student entered the NEDP Assessment Phase in the prior FY
Student 3 Basic Workflow - student has 2 PoPs in the prior FY, and is in a continuing PoP in the next FY
Using the student from Workflow #2 above:
The student's 2022-2023 FY summary is updated.
The database is rolled over to the 2023-2024 FY.
The student header fields display Subject Area = NEDP, Entry Level ABE L6, and Current Level ABE L6.
13. The student earns 12 hours on 7/25/2023.
13. A continuing 2023-2024 FY PoP is generated.
14. Because the student entered the assessment phase in the prior FY, the entry level in the current FY will be ABE L6 with the Subject Area of NEDP.
Remember: once the student enters the NEDP Assessment Phase, they will be at level ABE L6 until they earn their diploma, or exit the NEDP program.
Q: What if the student takes other assessments? Can they show a gain if they enter at ABE L6?
A: The student may be assessed in other subject areas lower than ABE L6 and make a gain. The gain would count on Tables 4, 4a, and 4b, even if the initial assessment placed the student at ABE L6.
Q: Can I select a different subject area?
A: You can, but before doing so, consider if selecting a different subject area makes any difference. For example, there is no reason to select an assessment with a higher EFL if the student has already made a gain by entering the assessment phase.
3: NEDP processing stops once a student earns the NEDP High School Diploma
Students in the diagnostic and assessment phase who earn the NEDP High School Diploma are no longer considered NEDP students, and NEDP processing will stop. Students who plan to continue Adult Education instruction must be reassessed to be placed in a new PoP.
4: NEDP processing stops if the "NEDP Exit Date" date field is entered
Some students may wish to discontinue the NEDP program in order to pursue a GED or other adult education. In that case, a date may be entered in the "NEDP Exit Date" field at the Education panel. The date must be on or after the assessment phase date. Once an exit date has been entered, all NEDP processing will end.
How NEDP Students Count on the NRS Tables
It is important to remember that an NEDP student whose initial reading or math assessment placed them at ABE L4 or ABE L5 will advance to ABE L6 by entering the assessment phase. It is not necessary to assess the student in order to get this gain.
Tables 4, 4b, and 4c
Students who make a gain by entering the NEDP Assessment phase will count on Table 4 and 4c (if the student earned the correct percentage of distance learning hours), but will NOT count on NRS Table 4b. This is because Table 4b report students who have been pre and posttested. NEDP students who make a gain to ABE L6 from an initial assessment solely by entering the assessment phase were not posttested, therefore they cannot count on this table.
Agencies typically continue to assess NEDP students, however, even after the students have entered both the diagnostic and assessment phases. This creates a mixture of the processes that determine a "regular" vs. "NEDP" student, which will allow NEDP students to count on Table 4b.
For example:
A student was initially assessed in Reading at ABE L5 and Math at ABE L4. Math is the lower score so will be used for the entry level on Table 4.
When the student has enough hours for a PoP AND enters both the diagnostic and assessments phases, the student's subject area will update to NEDP and show a gain from ABE L4 to ABE L6 without a posttest.
3. The student is assessed in Math again, and makes a gain to ABE L5. Consider the student's activity and how that activity is reported on the NRS tables.
The student already has a gain from ABE L4 to ABE L6 because the student entered the NEDP Assessment Phase. The gain is based on the NEDP subject area.
The student also has a gain in Math from ABE L4 to ABE L5 from the posttest. The PoP Outcome record already shows an EFL gain based on entering the NEDP Assessment Phase, so it doesn't matter if the gain came from entering the assessment phase or from the posttest. It's still an EFL gain.
Since the student has now, in fact, been posttested, the student may count on Table 4b.
The FY summary will display:
AssessStatusAnySubject = Posttested -- This indicates that the student was posttested in another subject area, which in this case, is Math.
Completed Level Math Subject = Yes
Exit Level = L6
SubjectAreaCode = 1300
Last update: 4/3/2024
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