Appendix B: Condition Codes

For more information about how to score responses and use condition codes, refer to the Smarter Balanced Hand Scoring Rules document.

Condition Code	Description
Blank	Student did not enter a response.
Insufficient	Student has not provided a meaningful response. Some examples: Random keystrokes Undecipherable text "I hate this test" "I like pizza!” (in response to a reading passage about helicopters) Response consists entirely of profanity For ELA Full Writes, use the “Insufficient” code for responses described above and also if: Student's original work is insufficient to make a determination whether the student is able to organize, cite evidence/elaborate, and use conventions as defined in the rubrics. Response is too brief to make a determination regarding whether it is on purpose or on topic.
Non-Scorable Language	ELA/literacy: Language other than English Mathematics Language other than English or Spanish
Non-Specific	This condition code is assigned to machine-scored responses when TDS identifies that the response requires a condition code but cannot determine which specific condition code it requires.
Off Topic	For ELA Full Writes Only: A writing sample will be judged off topic when the response is unrelated to the task or the sources or shows no evidence that the student has read the task or the sources (especially for informational/explanatory and opinion/argumentative). Off-topic responses are generally substantial responses.
Off Purpose	For ELA Full Writes Only: A writing sample will be judged off purpose when the student has clearly not written to the purpose designated in the task. An off-purpose response addresses the topic of the task but not the purpose of the task. Note that students may use narrative techniques in an explanatory essay or use argumentative/persuasive techniques to explain, for example, and still be on purpose. Off-purpose responses are generally developed responses (essays, poems, etc.) clearly not written to the designated purpose.