About Us
What are these examinations?
The National Spanish Exam, National Spanish Challenge and National Portuguese Exam are motivational contests to recognize student achievements in the studies of Spanish & Portuguese and to stimulate further interest in the teaching and learning of Spanish & Portuguese.
How valid are the exams?
AATSP Exams (NSE) recognizes that test reliability is defined as the degree to which the test gives consistent results each time it is given.
Reliability answers the following questions:
- Can I depend on the test to measure the same outcomes consistently?
- Given all the other variables being the same, will the test produce the same results again?
Please click here to view our Reliability and Validity reports.
What is the difference between the NSE and other exams?
AATSP Exams (NSE) is a program of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) that recognizes student achievement and promotes language proficiency in the studies of Spanish & Portuguese in the United States. Participation in our exams presents teachers and students with opportunities to further their studies and experience with Spanish and Portuguese. To learn more about our awards, click here.
Where are the NSE Chapters?
NSE Chapters are no longer active.
Are the exams still on Quia?
We no longer support Quia.
Can I start an SHH Chapter at my school?
Please visit the SHH website for information regarding Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica.
How can I get a copy of my past scores?
We do not send scores or report cards to students or parents. If you are a parent, student, or graduate who would like like a copy of a past score (eg. for a college application), please contact the school first, and have them reach out to us at [email protected] for security and verification purposes.
I’m not getting your emails!
We send email updates to teachers either monthly, biweekly, or weekly, depending on the season. Instructors are automatically signed up to our mailing list when they place an exam registration.
Please note the following:
• We recommend that you use your school email address upon registration.
• If a coordinator is placing an exam registration for you, please ask them to enter your school email address instead of theirs – otherwise, they will be notified, not you.
• If you have unsubscribed from our emails in the past, then you will no longer receive any updates.
• Check your spam folder – you might need to label us as “Not Spam” so that you can continue to receive our notifications.
• Speak with your school’s technology team about whitelisting aatsp.org in the school’s firewall.
Is AATSP membership a requirement to give the exams?
The American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) is a non-profit membership organization.
Instructors who refuse membership may pay a $75 non-member fee in order to administer an exam, however, active AATSP membership is required for all teacher and student scholarship applications.
Payments
How do I renew my AATSP membership?
You can renew your AATSP membership online by logging into your account, or contacting the main office at: 219-295-1491
How do I submit payment for an exam?
You may mail a check or submit a credit card payment. Please have your invoice number(s) ready and visit our payment page to submit an online payment.
Can I pay for multiple invoices at once?
Yes! Once you click the Pay for Registration button, you will be re-directed to a secure payment page hosted by Authorize.net:
• First, enter the full amount that you will be processing.
• Then, simply enter all of the invoice numbers that you will be paying for separated by a comma in the Invoice Number field.
For example:
Where can I mail a check?
Checks can be made payable to AATSP or National Spanish Examinations.
Our mailing address is:
AATSP – National Spanish Examinations
160 Rail Road
Suite 3
Chesterton, IN 46304
I think I paid but I don’t remember, what can I do?
Receipts are automatically issued for electronic (credit card) payments and sent via email to the email address that was entered at the time of payment.
For check payment information, please email us at [email protected].
What is an invoice number?
Every time a teacher places an order on Lingco Language Labs, a PDF invoice is automatically generated and sent to you via email, to the email address that you used when you registered for an exam. You can find the Invoice/Order number displayed on that PDF document.
I can’t find my invoice.
Invoices are emailed automatically
Check your inbox and/or your spam folder. Once you have completed a registration on Lingco Language Labs, you will receive an email confirmation from [email protected] with an attached invoice.
How to download a copy of your invoice
Alternatively, you may follow these steps to download a copy of your invoice(s):
1. Log in to your Lingco Language Labs account.
2. Click on the exam icon on the left (whether it’s National Spanish Exams, or National Spanish Challenge, or National Spanish Assessment, or National Portuguese Exam).
3. Click on “Order More Seats”.
4. Scroll down to the end of the page to find your Order History.
Did you follow these steps but can’t find the icons on the left? Try zooming out of your screen by clicking CTRL- on a PC or CMD- on Mac.
Am I required to pay for a seat that I didn’t use?
Yes. Seat registrations are similar to pre-paid concert tickets – they cannot be “deleted” or refunded. You can always add extra seats to your registration or assign an empty unused seat to a new student. Once you have submitted a registration, you are obligated to pay the full amount invoiced.
Please read the guidelines, notifications, and terms and conditions carefully before placing an order, or contact us at [email protected] if you need extra guidance before registering.
Do you take purchase orders as payment?
We do not accept purchase orders as payment. Your school may send a check to:
AATSP – National Spanish Examinations
160 Rail Road
Suite 3
Chesterton, IN 46304
How can I redeem a Gift Certificate?
To redeem your gift certificate, have a photo of the certificate ready and please email us at [email protected] before you complete your registration so we can adjust your invoice.
What is the deadline for payment?
In order to accommodate all participating schools across the United States and their different accounting processes, we do not state final payment deadlines for our national examinations (NSE, NPE, NSC). However, all seat registrations and AATSP membership activations must be paid and updated in order for teachers to receive their national results and students’ medals. We recommend submitting your payment by the time national examination ends in order to receive your results and medals on time. Teachers who renew their AATSP memberships and/or submit their exam payments after examination windows have closed run the risk of receiving their medals in the Summer.
Payment for the National Spanish Assessment (NSA), which is not a national competition, is expected one month from the placed order.
What are the late fees?
Registration of national examinations (NSE, NPE, NSC) runs through Fall-Winter. An invoice is generated with every order that is placed by an instructor or school. Please take a look at your exam’s specific testing window to understand the following:
• Regular Registration*: Begins on November 1st, 2023 and ends on February 9, 2024 at $5 per student seat.
• Late Registration: Grace period between Regular Registration and the examination window, at $6 per student seat.
• Last-Minute Registration: Emergency add-ons during the examination window, at $8 per student seat.
*Exact Regular Registration dates for our competitions can vary by year. There are no late fees for the National Spanish Assessment (NSA).
Can I get a refund for seats that I did not use?
The AATSP Exams (NSE) office does not issue refunds for unused seats/exams.
The exam administration periods typically last well over four weeks, and are communicated over four months in advance. We encourage teachers to organize their own calendars in order to make the time to administer the exam within the exam administration windows, as we do not grant extensions.
Exam Proctoring
Can I get access to past exams?
For teachers who would like access to Past Written Examinations for supplementary use in the classroom, we have published written examinations (booklets and scripts) for levels 1 – 4 (1985-2005) onto a CD-ROM to allow printed versions. Click here to learn how to purchase a CD.
We also recommend signing up for the National Spanish Assessment (NSA), which is an evaluation tool for teachers to use in their classrooms and is available year-round.
What is the process to register for an exam?
Registration for the NSE, NSC, and NPE typically begins on November 1st. The process begins with a formal seat registration through Lingco Language Labs, followed by seat assignment and subsequent exam administration during the examination period. Individual scores are available immediately on teachers’ Gradebooks, and national percentile rankings for the NSE and NPE are released sometime after exam time has ended (results date will vary).
When are the exams administered?
Exact dates vary every year, typically between late Winter and early Spring. Because some schools offer Winter breaks and/or Spring breaks, we strongly recommend that administrators and proctors plan their examination events by checking our website and consulting their calendars well ahead of time.
Who can administer an exam?
An appropriate proctor is generally the teacher of record who has registered the participating students.
Can students register themselves for an exam?
No. Students attempting to register themselves for an exam risk disqualification. Please encourage your teacher to visit our website to learn more about AATSP Exams (NSE).
Can homeschoolers take an exam?
Virtual and Homeschool students are eligible for the National Spanish Examination. Click here to learn how virtual and homeschool students can take the NSE.
What about special needs and accommodations?
AATSP Exams (NSE) recognizes the changing environment and individual needs of some of our students. Click here to learn more about Student Accommodations.
What is prohibited during an exam?
During the administration of the National Examinations, the use of scrap paper, notes (online or written), a dictionary, online translator, cell phones and any similar device is strictly prohibited.
Visual aids must be completely covered or removed from walls / bulletin boards during testing, for example:
– Charts
– Posters
– Diagrams
– Use of translation services (such as Google Translate)
The use of any such aids will result in disqualification of the student’s score.
How can I disable translation features?
All schools administering any of the AATSP Exams must disable the translation features through the browsers that will be used to administer the test. Instructions are as follows:
For Google Chrome:
1) Open Google Chrome on the device.
2) In the top right, click the menu icon (three dots in a vertical column) and select Settings.
3) Scroll to the bottom and click Advanced.
4) Under the ‘Languages’ menu, click Language.
5) Turn off the setting next to ‘Offer to translate pages that aren’t in a language you read’.
For Microsoft Edge (latest version only):
1) Open Microsoft Edge on the device.
2) In the top right, click the menu icon (three dots in a horizontal column) and select Settings.
3) On the left side, click the ‘Languages’ tab.
4) On the right side, turn off the setting next to ‘Offer to translate pages that aren’t in a language you read’.
Can I get an exam extension (past the deadline)?
The AATSP Exams (NSE) office cannot grant extensions past the exam administration deadline, without exception.
The exam administration periods typically last well over four weeks, and are communicated over four months in advance. We encourage teachers to organize their own calendars in order to make the time to administer the exam within the exam administration windows, as we do not grant extensions. Our office does not issue refunds for unused seats/exams.
Technical Requirements
What is required to administer the exams?
AATSP Exams (NSE) has contracted with Lingco Language Labs to deliver practice exams and the online exam. In order to take the exam, each student must have use of a unique email address and a personal computer that has access to the Internet.
Each computer station should have:
- Sound in order to complete the listening sections of the exam.
- A set of headphones so that students may hear the audio portion of the exam. (If schools do not have enough headphones, ask students to bring headphones which should work with most computer systems.)
- A browser that does not automatically translate the page.
What are the system requirements?
Each teacher should share the system requirements for the computer technician(s) in their school to ensure that all software and hardware components are adequately compatible.
Lingco is a modern web-based application that works best with the latest version of Google Chrome, running on a laptop or desktop computer (either Mac, PC or Chromebook). It should also work on the last two versions of Safari, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, but Chrome is highly recommended. The activities used in the suite of the AATSP Exams courses are designed for larger screens. Mobile devices or tablets at this time cannot be supported.
In order to take the exams on Lingco, you will need:
- A stable internet connection with at least 4 Mbps download and 512 Kbps upload speeds
- A screen size of at least 1280×720 pixels
- Functioning speakers or headphones connected to your laptop or desktop
Firewalls & VPNs
Certain school network components, such as VPNs and firewalls, can impact the quality of audio and video files in Lingco.
Please discuss this with your IT and/or Network Administrator if you discover such issues when testing out the Lingco Language Labs platform before registering for the exam.
Tablets and mobile devices
The activities used in the suite of the NSE exam courses are designed for larger screens.
Although tablets and mobile devices are technically not supported, we at the AATSP Exams (NSE) Office have attempted to use devices like iPads in practice testing efforts and we have been able to successfully use those devices. Please make sure your operating system is up to date.
Our best recommendation is to test our free Lingco practice with your students to find out if it works on the device(s) your school offers at this time. If you are successful with the practice, you should be successful with proctoring/taking our Exams on Lingco.
Privacy policies and technology usage in classrooms
We recommend consulting with your IT department and/or reviewing any policies that your school/district might have for the IT usage. AATSP Exams (NSE) is not responsible for device incompatibility. Once you have submitted a registration, you are obligated to pay the full amount invoiced.
To learn more about Lingco Language Labs’ Privacy Policy, click here.
To request a privacy agreement, please email: [email protected]
Special circumstances
Schools having an insufficient number of computers to administer exams to all students at once may administer the exam to a small number of students over a longer period of time.
Schools with insufficient hardware or software requirements can choose to administer the exam in another location. Where possible, schools should arrange for their own alternative site. If necessary, contact the national office and we will be happy to help these schools find an alternative location.
Integrating Lingco with other e-learning platforms
Lingco Language Labs is able to integrate with a number of e-learning platforms. Use the following links for more information about how to sync Lingco with your school’s platform:
Canvas
How to sync data with Canvas
Setting up Canvas API integration
Schoology
How to sync data with Schoology
Clever
Add the Lingco Language Labs app to Clever
Blackboard
Enable single sign-on with Blackboard
Moodle
Enable single sign-on with Moodle
Brightspace
Enable single sign-on with Brightspace
Note: Integrations may take time to complete. Please share this information with your IT administrator at least 12 weeks before examination time.
What if my students don’t have e-mail addresses?
A unique, valid email address is required for students to sign up and take the exam. Students will need to have access to this email.
If your students don’t have email addresses, there are three options:
- Use Google Classroom: Sign up to Lingco using your Google Classroom account, and invite them by sharing the link provided by Lingco. Students should also be logged onto their Google Classroom accounts when they click on the link.
- Sync Lingco with your e-learning platform: Single sign-on is available for Canvas, Brightspace Desire2Learn, Blackboard (Ultra), Blackboard (Classic), Schoolology, and Moodle. For more information and instructions on how to set up single sign-on, click here. Note: Integrations may take time to complete. Please share this information with your IT administrator at least 12 weeks before examination time.
- Give the exam next year: Plan ahead for next year’s examination cycle.
What if I don’t understand all of this technology?
Please reach out to your school or school district’s IT department or administrator for help with integrations, firewalls, and other technical issues.
I can’t see the Lingco page / I am not receiving any emails from you.
You will be receiving emails from AATSP Exams and Lingco Language Labs. In order to make sure that you receive our emails, invoices, notifications, and other important correspondence, contact your IT administrator about whitelisting aatsp.org and lingco.io
Do I need to add the Free Practice in order to give an exam?
Teachers do not need to sign up for Practice in order to administer any of our exams. Practice modules will now be automatically included with exam registrations (including the NSA, NSE, NSC, and NPE), making the FREE PREP an optional tool for teachers.
Medals and Scores
How do students earn medals?
When a student sits for the National Spanish Exam (NSE) and/or National Portuguese Exam (NPE), they are entered into the exams in a specific level and category to test their language and proficiency skills against other students within that level and category. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded based on national percentile rankings. To learn more, visit our Medals & Prizes page.
Where are the NSE/NPE results?
All NSE/NPE results are collated, reviewed, and finalized after the exam window has closed in order to determine the percentile ranges for that exam year. These results are posted on teachers’ accounts in Lingco Language Labs when they become available. Results include a full list of all students who took the exam under that teacher’s account. This list summarizes students’ individual scores (displayed by score, weight, and percentage), and their national percentile ranking.
Results are available in the form of 3 downloadable files:
• Score summary: A spreadsheet listing all of your students, their scores, percentile ranking, and medals, if won.
• Report cards: Individual report cards for each student, to be given to each student.
• Certificates: PDF templates for teachers to fill out and print as they see fit.
We strongly encourage teachers to download these results for safekeeping, as they will not be stored on Lingco after the academic year closes.
Can a teacher see their students’ individual scores?
Student individual (“raw”) scores are available immediately on teachers’ Gradebooks in their Lingco Language Labs account as soon as they complete the exam. Individual scores show how well a student performed on the exam individually, however, they do not determine how the student will rank nationally on the NSE/NPE.
Does a good score mean that my student will get a medal?
Individual scores (in teachers’ Gradebooks) show how well a student performed on the exam individually, however, these scores do not predict how well your student will rank at the national level. We ask teachers to wait until national results are released to find out if their students have earned prizes.
How do I know if my student has won a medal?
Shortly after examination time has ended, final results based on national percentile rankings are posted on teachers’ Lingco Language Labs accounts. If your student is eligible for a medal, it will be displayed on their report card.
Can I estimate if my student won a medal based on past data?
National percentile rankings are based on how well students performed across the United States in the same exam, year, level, and category. Because population size and performance vary from year to year, the best way to know if your student has won a medal is to wait until all results have been evaluated.
What’s the difference between percentage and percentile?
Percentage and percentile are two different concepts. While the percentage shows the individual score out of 100, the percentile shows a comparison. Percentage tells us the value in terms of 100, and percentile is a relative quantity that shows us a comparison of the given value with the rest of the data which is lesser than the given specific value.
For example, if a student scores 43 points out of a weight of 60, then his percentage is expressed as 72%. On the other hand, if the student’s percentile in an examination is given as 75, this means that he scored better than 75% of the students who sat for the exam in the same year, level, and category.
Can I get a list of student rankings in my State?
In the past, the National Spanish Examinations office published lists of NSE students who had placed Gold, Silver, or Bronze in the national competition. We understand that many students and teachers looked forward to these lists with pride. However, due to data privacy requests and changing regulations, we no longer publish student names without written authorization.
We are bound by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), which protects the privacy of students by limiting third-party access to student education records. When a student reaches the age of 18 or begins attending a postsecondary institution, regardless of age, FERPA rights transfer from the parent to the student.
We appreciate teachers’ understanding in this matter. Lists of schools with students who were awarded National Spanish Exam (NSE) medals can be found in the NSE Results section of this website.
What do the Report Cards mean?
To learn more about how to interpret National Spanish Exam (NSE) Report Cards, click here.
You published my school’s name/address wrong!
School names and addresses are published as entered by instructors in every order that is placed.
Address Mistakes
Multiple instructors in the same school sometimes enter different addresses, like personal addresses, and the system labels these as separate institutions with the same name but in different locations. Please do not enter a personal address unless you are representing a homeschool.
School Name Mistakes
Multiple instructors, or the same instructor with multiple orders, sometimes enter variations of the same school name. For example: Ivy School, Ivy High School, and Ivy Senior High School might be the same institution, but the system will read it as three separate ones. These names are also displayed on student report cards as entered by the instructor, including any typos, and cannot be changed.
It is the instructor’s responsibility to enter this information correctly, as it affects:
• The finalized results list
• Student report cards
• The address where prizes will be sent
We ask that instructors be proactive in ensuring that the information displayed in every invoice matches and that it aligns with their needs, as we are not responsible for these mistakes and they will not be changed after being published.
How can I get my child’s Report Card?
Due to federal privacy regulations, the AATSP Exams (NSE) office is unable to disclose student information to parents. Please reach out to your child’s school or teacher to have access to your child’s report card. We do not send copies of student report cards to parents.
When do medals arrive?
Gold, silver, and bronze medals are included in the price of the exam. Shortly after national percentile ranking results are made available to teachers, medals are shipped directly to schools in a package addressed to one teacher for those students who have earned them. Because medals are shipped from multiple locations, delivery times cannot be guaranteed. Please allow up to 8 weeks for delivery from the national results date.
Note: Make sure to enter the appropriate school name and address, with correct spelling, when you register in Lingco to help advance your medal shipments.
When do ribbons arrive?
National Spanish Challenge (NSC) students earn ribbons based on their individual scores. Ribbons are sent from the NSE office shortly after testing time has ended.
What about Honorable Mention medals?
Teachers may purchase NSE Honorable Mention medals for their hard-working students at: www.nse-store.com. NPE Honorable Mention certificates are available for download.
What is a Perfect Score medal?
Students who answer every question correctly on the National Spanish Exam (NSE) are awarded an NSE Perfect Score medal.
What is the NSE Store?
The NSE Store is owned and operated by National Awards, Inc. (NAI), a for-profit business contracted by the AATSP/NSE to provide NSE medals to its teachers, available at www.nse-store.com.
Accounts on the NSE Store website are separate from any other Lingco or AATSP accounts. Please remit payments to the NSE Store directly. Any questions concerning orders from the NSE Store should be addressed to National Awards, Inc. at 800-748-8663 or [email protected].
Lingco Help
Where are the practice exams?
Practice exams are now bundled with exam modules.
How do I add my students to Lingco?
Before you begin the setup process, we recommend organizing your students’ email addresses separated by Level or classroom in a document or spreadsheet. Then, log in to your Lingco account and follow the instructions in the NSE Registration Guide to add your students to your Roster by sending them an email invitation.
What if my students don’t have email addresses?
A unique, valid email address is required for students to sign up and take the exam. If your students don’t have email addresses, here are some options:
• Use Google Classroom: Sign up to Lingco using your Google Classroom account, and invite them by sharing the link provided by Lingco. Students should also be logged onto their Google Classroom accounts when they click on the link.
• Sync Lingco with your e-learning platform! Single sign-on is available for Canvas, Brightspace Desire2Learn, Blackboard (Ultra), Blackboard (Classic), Schoolology, and Moodle. For more information and instructions on how to set up single sign-on, click here.
My students are seeing a “Category error” and can’t log on to Lingco.
Log in to your Lingco account and access the Roster. Select your student’s name or email address by clicking on the bubble on the left and Assign a Seat for your student. Assigning means that you are certain that your student will be taking this test.
Note: In national competitions such as the NSE and NPE, the instructor will place the student in the appropriate competition category during seat assignment (the NSA and NSC do not have category options).
Once the student has been assigned a seat, ask the student to refresh their page.
To avoid this issue altogether: We recommend using email invitations when adding your students to your Roster, followed by a quick category assignment, before your students attempt to log on to Lingco.
What is a “seat”?
A “seat” is an official space, like a theatre entrance ticket, to sit for an exam. Instructors purchase seats on Lingco and distribute them to their students by inviting them to their exam Rosters.
How do I move my student to a different Level in the NSA?
For step-by-step guidance on how to unassign or re-assign seats in the National Spanish Assessment (NSA), click here.
My students aren’t getting the email invitation.
• Ask students to check their spam mail.
• Please contact your IT department and have them reach out to Lingco tech support.
I am not getting any emails from Lingco or the NSE team.
• Check your spam folders.
• Add [email protected] to your address book/contact list.
• Contact your IT department and request to whitelist aatsp.org.
• Contact your IT administrator and request to whitelist lingco.io. Click here for more information.
My school is blocking Lingco.
Please contact your school’s IT department and have them reach out to Lingco tech support. You can also click here for more information that may help your IT administrator.
What do Instructors do on the day of the exam?
Exam-Day Checklist
- Log into Lingco (https://class.lingco.io) and use the login credentials created during the registration process.
- Click on the Courses button, or the NSE icon on the left sidebar.
- Select the course related to the exam you’ll be administering (Level 1, Level 2, etc.)
- Click on the Modules link (right side of the page)
- Select the 2023 Exam module (left side of the page)
- Select the section you’ll be administering (Achievement or Performance)
- Click the Availability panel on the right side
- Locate the Secret Code. You’ll be giving this to your students shortly.
- Walk your students through Steps 1-7 above. They will need to follow those exact same steps on their own computer.
- Give your students the Secret Code from step 8. They’ll need to enter this into the text input on their screen.
- Tell your students to click the Start Assignment button on their screen. That will start each student’s timer.
- Now you can navigate to the Submission page and refresh periodically if you’d like to monitor your student’s progress.
- For more information, access the NSE Exam Administration Guide.
Need more help? Click on the purple question mark button to start a Live Chat with Lingco tech support.
Where are the secret codes?
Instructors can find the secret code for the exam in their Lingco account. Click here for instructions.
What will Students do on the day of the exam?
Students will log in to their Lingco accounts, access the exam, and wait for instructions. A secret code (or password) will be required to begin the exam. This code can be found in instructors’ Lingco accounts.
What if we have computer or Wi-fi issues during the exam?
If you encounter any technical or personal issues during the exam, contact Lingco tech support right away by clicking the question mark button on the bottom-right corner of the screen to start a Live Chat.
If you need to request a re-take due to extenuating circumstances, please email the AATSP Exams (NSE) office as soon as possible at: [email protected].