NATIONAL SPANISH ASSESSMENT
Overview
The National Spanish Assessment (NSA) is a formative assessment tool that can be administered up to three times throughout the year to measure students’ progress and track their growth. It can be used as a diagnostic, placement, or benchmark test, and as a stepping stone to the National Spanish Exam (NSE), or other upper-level testing examinations.
The NSA is an online, standardized, computer-graded assessment that measures content (what a student knows) and performance standards (what a student can do). Additionally, the NSA provides detailed feedback that helps educators tailor instruction to meet individual student needs, and supports targeted learning strategies for improved language proficiency.
Each assessment attempt includes four modules designed to promote communicative skills through real-life scenarios and authentic materials. These modules may be administered together or individually, depending on instructional goals:
- Vocabulary in Context
- Grammar in Action
- Reading / Interpretive Communication
- Listening / Interpretive Communication
A Speaking and Writing module is also available. Students submit recorded and written responses directly on the platform. A user-friendly rubric is included in this teacher-scored section to support consistent evaluation.
What are the Advantages?
Join our very own AATSP Executive Director Maria Carreira in a short webinar on the advantages of the National Spanish Assessment (NSA) and its formative assessment value.
Overview
For: Middle – High School, College/University
Registration: August 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026
Results: Immediate
*NOT A NATIONAL COMPETITION*
Download the complete specifications e-book for the National Spanish Assessment (NSA), updated for the 2025-26 school year.
TOP FEATURES
About the Assessment
HOW IT WORKS
Get to Know the Assessment
Content Specifications
NEW! Download the complete specifications e-book for the National Spanish Assessment (NSA), updated for the 2025-26 school year.
This printable booklet includes a format and length chart, a level placement guide, specifications for Grammar and Vocabulary, and additional resources for teachers.
Flexible Modules
The National Spanish Assessment (NSA) includes four modules per Level (est. 20 minutes each):
Grammar in Action
This module assesses content standards through the natural application of grammar in real-world communication settings. The learner’s mastery of language elements (grammar, vocabulary, syntax) directly supports the learner’s ability to communicate effectively at different proficiency levels. In this section, the learner will integrate linguistic competence into meaningful communication.
Vocabulary in Context
This module assesses content standards through the use of vocabulary in real-world communication contexts. The learner’s mastery of language elements (grammar, vocabulary, syntax) directly supports the learner’s ability to communicate effectively at different proficiency levels. In this section, the learner will integrate linguistic competence into meaningful communication.
Listening – Interpretive Communication
This module evaluates performance standards by assessing the learner’s ability to understand the spoken language, process information, and infer meaning within a real-life context. Listening comprehension and interpretive communication are essential indicators of language competency and proficiency.
Reading – Interpretive Communication
This module evaluates performance standards by assessing the learner’s ability to understand the written language, process information, and infer meaning within a real-life context. Reading comprehension and interpretive communication are essential indicators of language competency and proficiency.
What is the NSA?
The NSA is an online, standardized, computer-graded assessment that measures content (what a student knows) and performance standards (what a student can do). It is designed to help educators tailor instruction to meet individual student needs, and support targeted learning strategies for improved language proficiency.
- The National Spanish Assessment (NSA) is divided into seven Levels (01 – 6).
- Each Level (01 – 6) includes four assessment modules (28 assessments in total).
- Each Module can be administered separately.
- Teachers may choose which module(s) they wish to administer to their students.
- Each Module can be administered up to three (3) times at different points in the year to test for growth.
Why use it?
The NSA is the most flexible testing program offered in our suite of exams. Take a look at some of the advantages of giving the NSA:
- The National Spanish Assessment (NSA) provides immediate results.
- It may be administered up to three (3) times a year to show growth during the academic year.
- It may be used to determine college-level proficiency ratings.
- Instructors have the freedom to choose which of the four modules they would like to administer.
- Each module may be administered separately.
- Levels 01-6 are available, and students are allowed to repeat Levels.
- Not a national competition (ie. students are not eligible for prizes or scholarships).
- Teachers may be eligible to apply for teacher scholarships.
- No late fees! Register at any time between August and June.
Who is it for?
Take a look at some examples of how other teachers and school departments use the National Spanish Assessment:
• Growth Tracking: You decide to use only one, or two, or three, or all four of the National Spanish Assessment’s flexible modules to evaluate your students’ progress throughout the school year (year-start, mid-year, end-of-year).
• Placement: You believe that a new student will fare well in Level 2. You decide to use the first attempt to evaluate the student’s proficiency at Level 2 (placement), and then use the remaining two attempts to track the student’s growth at different levels.
• Preparation: You enter your students in the National Spanish Exam (NSE) every year. You utilize the NSA to test for placement and prepare your students for the national competition.
• Formative Value: You use the NSA in the classroom as a teaching activity, combined with a KWL chart to engage students in their own learning process.
• Independent Teachers: You teach Spanish at a learning center or independently. You use the NSA to track your students’ growth and provide parents with valuable data.
• Strategic Planning: You use the National Spanish Assessment (NSA) for benchmarking, operationalizing objectives, and monitoring outcomes and successes over time.
• Summer School: You enroll your students in the National Spanish Assessment as part of your Summer School program.
• College Placement: You are a Spanish professor at the undergraduate level and use the NSA as a placement and growth tracking tool for new or first-year students.
• …and more! The National Spanish Assessment (NSA) is flexible and modular by design so that instructors can use it to suit their needs.
How does it work?
Teachers complete their registration and invite their students to the National Spanish Assessment (NSA), which is administered through Lingco Language Labs. Once registered, teachers have access to all of the NSA Levels, each of which include four modules, along with practice material related to the corresponding Level. Teachers have the option to test their students’ progress up to three times in the school year until the NSA window ends in late June.
To begin registration, visit the NSA registration page.
For help with registration, we recommend visiting our Help Center or contacting our office.
How can I score results?
Results are available immediately in the Gradebook. In order to have a more complete picture of the student’s language capacity, please take each student’s individual background and exposure to the language into account when utilizing the scale below. This scale is intended to provide teachers with a basis for interpretation of their student’s results using the rating guidelines from the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) and ACTFL (the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages).
* Note: These levels do NOT necessarily correspond to course levels but rather to proficiency levels. (i.e. Level 3 ≠ Spanish III)
Are there any prizes?
Students who take the National Spanish Assessment (NSA) may be given an optional certificate of completion.
Because the NSA is not a competition, students are not eligible for medals or student scholarships. Instructors who administer the NSA may be eligible to apply for a teacher scholarship.
What is the cost?
AATSP Exams is a program of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP). Participation in the AATSP Exams is a benefit of AATSP membership.
There are two costs involved in registration for the National Spanish Assessment (NSA):
- Student cost: $4
- Includes up to 3 assessments per student throughout the school year
- Teacher cost: $75 (a.k.a. Non-Member Fee)
- FREE for teachers with an active AATSP membership for 2026
- $45 First-Year Membership / $65 Annual Renewal
An invoice will be generated when you complete your registration. Click here to find out how to make a payment for your National Spanish Assessment (NSA) registration.
OPTIONS BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
A Resource for Spanish Teachers
Teachers state that they use the National Spanish Assessment (NSA) to “Prepare students to take other standardized tests such as AP, IB, SAT II and college placement exams.” Administrators state that they can use data from the National Spanish Assessment to “Create reports to show how their schools have improved over an academic year.”
While the NSA is usually implemented in schools by middle-to-high school Spanish teachers, it is also used at the community college, university, and even professional level for placement and benchmarking. Take a look at how the NSA compares to other exams*:
*Note for clarification: The cost of Avant 4S for AATSP Members applies after a minimum purchase of 10 tests.
Register Today
Are you ready to sign up for the National Spanish Assessment (NSA)? Registration for the 2025-26 school year will be available from August 1, 2025 until June 30, 2026.