Principal’s Nominee Seminar 2017

February / March 2017

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Dear Colleagues

2017 Principal’s Nominee Seminar

NZQA would like to welcome you to this year’s regional Principal’s Nominee Seminar.

In response to comments in your 2016 evaluations, we aim to give you the opportunity to share ideas with colleagues around leading change to:

engage in digital assessment, including the new external moderation application

ensure assessment arrangements with outside providers protect students, and the school’s consent to assess.

We look forward to also being able to update you on NZQA policies and process for this year.

NZQA appreciates the work that you do and hopes that the seminar will provide information and guidance that may assist you in your role as Principal’s Nominee in your school.

We also hope that the seminar will be an opportunity for you to meet staff from other schools and serve as a valuable means of developing collegial support for one another.

NZQA wishes you and your school’s community well for 2017.

Warmest regards

Kay Wilson ManagerSchool Quality Assurance & Liaison

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PROGRAMME AND RESOURCES

Session 1 aims to: clarify NZQA’s digital assessment programme provide the opportunity for Principal’s Nominees to share and discuss external

moderation submission experiences provide tools to support the development of the school’s digital external moderation

capability.

Session 2 aims to clarify: the nature of relationships with external providers the obligations associated with these relationships

Session 3: Updates on NZQA policies and procedures

Resources PagePlanning and Self Review Tools for External Moderation: 10 - 13

Memorandum of Understanding Draft Template and Checklist 19 - 21

Memorandum of Understanding Tracking Sheet 28

Updates of NZQA Policies and Procedures 31 - 401. Emergency Procedure changes and what schools can do2. On-line applications process3. New Zealand Certificates and Programme Approval and Accreditation 4. Extensions to Consent to Assess on-line applications process5. Code of Practice for International Students6. Special Assessment Conditions refinements7. Derived Grades reminders8. Assessor Support (Assessment and Moderation)9. Exam Team Feedback

Digital assessment transformation: where are we up to and what could it mean for you? Andrea Gray, Deputy Chief Executive, Digital Assessment Transformation 41 – 46

Information on Leaving and Transferring Students 47

Assessment Matters Circulars: 48 - 54 A2015/024 – 25 Jun 2015: Obligations associated with the use of a provider code to

report results for internal assessment A2015/026 3 July 2015: Subcontracting arrangements between a school (consent

holder) and a non-consent holder for particular standards (subcontractor) A2016/25 – 30 Nov 2016: Programme Approval and Accreditation for New Zealand

Certificate courses in Secondary Schools A2016/65 – 01 Dec 2016: New Zealand Certificate qualifications

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Source: 2016 NZQA Digital readiness survey (approximately 200 respondents)

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How does this survey data reflect with current practice at your school?

Identify where your school is on the graph.

Andrea Gray, DCE Digital Assessment

Key Messages

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Sharing your experiences with digital external moderation submission in 2016

Did you submit external moderation digitally?

What were the positives?

What were the challenges?

If you didn’t, why not / what were the barriers?

Planned changes for 2017

Advice to schools who are yet to submit digitally

What is your school goal for 2017?

2016 2017

School can request standards by email School can request standards by selecting them using the application

School checks moderation plan and requests changes

School checks moderation plan and requests changes

Moderation material provided on submission date

Moderation material can be submitted early (prior and up to the submission date)

Coversheets completed manually and sent with materials

Sample details and standard information provided to the moderator only in the

application

Materials sent in courier bags or using a URL link

Upload to submit through the application or sent in courier bags

Clarifications on paper Queries (clarifications) on-line communicating directly with the moderator

Appeal on paper. Reports on-line through the school’s Provider Login

Appeal on-line. Reports on-line within the application

NZQA reports summary of external moderation outcomes to the school

School receives analysis of external moderation outcomes within application

School does own data analysis to support self-review

Graphics and data analysis supports self-review

Progress of materials through moderation not visible

Progress of materials is visible

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External Moderation

Cycle

Create moderation

plan

Undertake external

moderationAnnual Summary and school follow

up

Where is your school at with digital evidence collection and external moderation submission?Collect digital

evidenceSubmitted external

moderation digitally in 2016

Who can support / lead

change in Faculty

Barriers to change

Capability to submit digitally

in 2017

Next steps

English

Mathematics

Social Science

Science

PE/Health

Technology

Languages

Other

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Social Science Department digital readiness

Collect digital evidence

Submitted external

moderation digitally in 2016

Who can support / lead change in

this FacultyBarriers to

change

Capability to submit digitally

in 2017Next Steps

Accounting

Classics

Economics

Geography

History

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Reviewing your school’s systems and processes to support: collection and storage of digital evidence in readiness for external moderation submission implementation of school systems that support digital external moderation submission use of the digital external moderation application identification of school priorities and next steps.

Determining responsibilities

What level of access will be granted to HOFs?

Who is to be delegated responsibility for different aspects of: using the application?

ensuring the external moderation process is completed?

analysing external moderation feedback?

For example:Who will have responsibility for using the application for:

selecting standards loading work ready to submit submitting the work to NZQA requesting clarifications appealing assessment decisions accessing moderation reports

Who has responsibility for: setting up a system and process for the storage of digital

material for external moderations including checking that work is available

What are your next steps / priorities?

Building staff capability

How is this to be achieved?

What do staff need to know?

Who is going to train staff ?

For example:1. Building staff capability to:

collect evidence digitally store evidence digitally ready for submission store/use common file format upload files in suitable formats

2. Building staff capability to use the external moderation application to:

upload material into the application ready for submission request appeals and clarifications use the reports to inform self review track the external moderation process within the app

For example: What are your next steps / 12

Follow up on external moderation

What changes are needed to your current follow-up process?

How are the additional analytics going to be use?

Who is monitoring: compliance - all material submitted for external moderation appeals and queries made and outcomes

What data analysis will be completed: Who is reviewing the data analysis? How is the external moderation data going to be used? Who is reporting on external moderation outcomes and who are

they reported to? How will the analysis inform self review / identify issues and

risks?

priorities?

Updating school policies and staff handbook

Who is responsible for updating the staff handbook:

what needs to be updated? what new procedures need to

be include?

Who is responsible for preparing the digital assessment policy:

what to include? how is it to be socialised with

staff so consistently applied?

For example:What is to be included in the staff handbook:

Responsibilities of HOFs and teachers around digital evidence collection and external moderation submission?

How is student work to be stored ready for submissiono cloud/school network – o by Faculty or in whole schoolo file names to be used

When is random selection to be made and work stored – after IM completed?

monitoring by HOF and SLT

What to include in the digital assessment policy: privacy authenticity storage access rights to student work eg blogs, google docs

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EXTERNAL MODERATION APPLICATION USER TYPES

Types of user access

There will be four types of user access to the External Moderation Application. In preparation for the update, it is important for you to ensure that all users have the level of access they need. The user categories are:

Moderation Process: This new category is intended for all teachers submitting moderation materials as it gives users access rights to:

complete moderation submission details view current and historical moderation reports and results submit queries about moderation reports prepare appeals.

High Security: This existing category is intended for the person/s responsible for the management of the external moderation process in a school. In addition to the access rights of a Moderation Process user above, it allows the user to:

manage assessment and moderation plans authorise the submission of material for moderation lodge appeals view annual summaries and manage action plans.

Moderation Management View Only: This new category is intended for users who are monitoring external moderation outcomes e.g. the Principal and other senior curriculum leaders. It allows the user to:

view historical moderation reports and results view annual summaries and action plans

General Security: This existing category allows users to: view historical moderation reports and results.

Please contact your School Relationship Manager if you have any questions about Moderation roles.Giving users access

Access to the external moderation application is controlled through the ESAA process which is managed by the EPA Authoriser at your school. It is essential that the Authoriser allocates appropriate access to the various Moderation Application user groups.

Please remember that all queries about EPA or ESAA should be directed to the Ministry of Education Service Desk at telephone 0800 422 599. NZQA staff are unable to assist you with these queries.

The following links to the Ministry of Education website provide further information about the ESAA and EPA processes: http://services.education.govt.nz/schools/nzqa-external-moderation/access/http://services.education.govt.nz/schools/epa/online-guide/

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Obligations associated with the use of a provider code to report results for internal assessment

The provider code identifies, for the particular assessment:

the organisation whose:

Consent to Assess is being used to undertake the assessment and award the grade to the student

assessment procedures are being used to ensure valid, authentic and credible student work

the organisation who is responsible for:

all aspects of internal moderation

ensuring samples of student achievement are adequately stored to meet external moderation requirements and to respond to student appeals

health and safety, providing adequate facilities, ensuring staff are suitably qualified, ensuring there are adequate teaching and learning resources and support services for students.

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Memorandum of Understanding

1. This Memorandum is between (the school and its provider code) and (the external provider and its provider code). The following arrangements have been agreed between (the school) and (the external provider) to enable the students of (the school) to be taught and assessed against standards in the domains listed below for which (the external provider) has NZQA Accreditation/Consent to Assess.

The standard(s) to be assessed are as follows:

(Insert standards here):

2. (The external provider) as provider of professional services to (the school), ensures that the required standards of teaching, assessment, moderation and quality assurance are maintained by agreeing to:

a. provide qualified staff competent with NZ Qualifications Framework (NZQF) procedures to deliver courses and assess students for the standards relating to the courses delivered

b. have quality management systems to oversee and deliver courses or programmes of learning that lead to the assessment of the standards

c. ensure that the standards are assessed according to NZQA requirements

d. have quality management systems in place for assessment and moderation procedures

e. have procedures for regular and timely reporting of results to the school and ensure that final results will be reported to the school by (date) ____________________________

f. have administrative responsibility for the enrolment of students in their courses

g. have responsibility for the welfare of students while under their supervision#

h. have responsibility for health and safety #

i. have responsibility for reporting the attendance and progress of students while attending courses

j. have the responsibility for managing student appeals

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The following is a draft template for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that could be used between a school and an accredited/consented external provider (which may be another school). It is a suggestion only and should be adapted to suit specific arrangements negotiated between the school and the outside provider. To protect all parties it is advisable for the MOU to be agreed and signed before delivery of any standards commences.

k. the external provider gives permission for the new school to report results using its provider code for students transferring between schools

#Schools should ensure these align with the school’s health and safety, and welfare expectations

3. (The school), as the receiver of academic services from (the external provider), ensures that:

a. it has verified whether (the external provider) has consent to assess the standards specified above

b. it has procedures to collect fees from students and enter them for NZQF qualifications.

c. it has procedures for the entry of candidates to NZQF qualifications

d. it has the responsibility for student welfare when travelling to and from (the external provider)

e. it (or stipulate the particular person) will oversee the functions of this Memorandum of Understanding

f. it will pay (the external provider) the agreed sum of (financial details) (when and under what terms.

4. Termination and Amendment of this Agreement

a. This agreement will be in place from (date) until (date): ________________________

b. This agreement will be reviewed annually for effectiveness by (date): _____________________

c. Any amendments to the provision of this agreement must be in writing and signed by both parties.

5. Dispute Resolution

a. In the event of any dispute or controversy arising out of, or relating to this Agreement, the two parties agree to exercise their best efforts to resolve the dispute as soon as possible. The parties shall, without delay, continue to perform their respective obligations under this Agreement that are not affected by the dispute.

b. In the event of any dispute or controversy arising out of, or relating to this Agreement, the protection of students will not be compromised in any way.

c. In the event of this arrangement being terminated, the students will be protected financially through (add agreed arrangements here).

Signed for and on behalf of (the school) by its authorised agent:

Date: __________________________________________________

Signed for and on behalf of (the external provider) by its authorised agent:

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Date: __________________________________________________

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CHECKLIST FOR MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDINGClause Possible risk if not included:

Names of the parties to the agreement

Specific standards being assessed (number, title, version)

Consent checked for the standards being offered

Who manages the quality assurance systems

Who is responsible for on-going monitoring

Are assessment procedures noted in the MOU e.g. appeals, late procedures etc

Are internal moderation arrangements noted in the MOU

Are external moderation arrangements noted in the MOU

Who is responsible for candidate entries

Who reports results or other information to NZQA

Who is responsible for fee payment

Date and format for reporting

Who looks after administration such as student enrolment, student welfare, decisions relating to progress, assessment, etc.

Agreement about financial arrangements and provision of resources (physical and human)

Method of resolving any differences which might arise between the two parties

Means by which students are protected should the arrangement terminate

Note: In every instance where any element is missing from an MOU, a potential risk may exist. 22

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Personal Best Gym Memorandum of Understanding

This was an activity that has been deleted.

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Personal Best Gym

This was an activity that has been deleted.

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RHS Arrow: direct schools to Key Indicator Checklist

LHS arrow: scroll down to Use of External Education Organisations; click on this link

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A list of all the standards reported by external providers will show

By clicking on a standard number, the specific external provider, school course and individual candidates will appear.

To find out whether the school or an external provider has Consent to Assess:On the NZQA website- In the Search space on the

Right Hand Side, type in Framework

- Click on the Search Framework link that appears

- In the Search Standard box, type in the standard number, and click search

By clicking on the appropriate links, the following can be viewed:- Consent and Moderation

Requirements: requirements for the specific standard

- View Education Organisations with Consent to Assess: by clicking on the region, those organisations with Consent to Assess are listed

- Standard setting body: details are able to be viewed

http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/providers-partners/assessment-and-moderation/managing-national-assessment-in-schools/managing-school-data/candidates-who-leave-secondary-education-or-transfer-to-another-school/

• The new school should request from the previous school a full transcript of the transferring student's results for the year an entries for externals. When requested, the school must send a full transcript of the transferring student's results for the year, to the new school.

• When making an enrolment for the student with NZQA, these results need to be reported using the previous school’s provider code to ensure the correct school is responsible for moderation.

• The new school needs to make entries as appropriate for standards the student will be assessed for in the remainder of the year including externals.

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the learners are enrolled with the consented school who reports the results with its own provider code

the subcontractor has the specialist resources or facilities that are needed to assess the learners

the consent holder is responsible for the assessment and moderation of the student work which is reported using its provider code

the subcontractor is not an employee of the school

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Memoranda of UnderstandingTracking Document 2016

ITO/Provider: Course: Teacher: Date Signed:

Finish Date: PN sighted: Comment:

Aoraki Polytechnic Gateway/Star ABC 11/05/16 Nov 2016

Porse Gateway/Star ABC 10/02/16 Nov 2016

Fairview Educational Gateway/Star ABC 12/02/16 Nov 2016

Open Polytechnic Gateway/Star ABC 02/03/16 Nov 2016

Te Kura PQR Nov 2016

NZQA

Aoraki Polytech Vocational Pathways DEF 11/05/16 11/05/16

Pro Med Gateway/Star ABC 01/05/16 08/05/16

Service IQ Gateway/Star ABC 27/05/16 Nov 2016

Skills Active Gateway/Star ABC 30/03/16 Nov 2016

Southern Institute Gateway/Star ABC 27/03/16 Nov 2016

MediTrain Outdoor Education GHI 01/06/16 Nov 2016

Red Cross Gateway/Star ABC 24/09/16 Nov 2016

Fire Safety & Training Gateway/Star ABC 01/05/16 Nov 2016

BCITO Technology JKL 03/02/16 Nov 2016

Service IQ Geography (Tourism) MNO 05/02/16 Nov 2016

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Earthquake /tsunami/flooding emergency P – M – I What are your school’s experiences and planned changes?

Plus

Minus

Interesting

Planned school changes

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Reflecting on your school’s preparedness in the event of an emergency that affects examinations

In the event of an emergency eg earthquake, tsunami or flooding how prepared are you/your school?

Planned Changes

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Can you access your school email from home to read messages sent by NZQA/SRM?

Do you have contact numbers for your SRM?

Does NZQA have out of school contact numbers for you?

Can your school notify students that examinations are on/postponed/the school is closed?

How do you know that your teachers are holding valid and authentic emergency or derived grades for ALL standards students are entered for?

Are the emergency or derived grades held up-to-date and reflective of student achievement?

What process do you use to examine if the grades held are reflective of actual student achievement?

How do you ensure students understand the importance of the evidence gathered from practice external exams?

Do you / your staff know NZQA’s rules regarding Derived Grades/Emergency Grades?

Does your school submit emergency grades to NZQA as part of your monthly file submission?

Following the series of significant events during the 2016 examination period, NZQA reviewed current Emergency Response processes in light of the scale of the disruptions. Refinements include: communication (decisions to be communicated by 7am), bulk text and email upgrade, website continuously updated, emergency grades clarified.

Principles used in the awarding of emergency grades:- Emergency grades can only be applied with the approval of the NZQA Chief Executive

- The school can apply for emergency grades where a valid entry exists for a student on the date of the external examination

- The emergency grade is based on standard-specific evidence collected by the school prior to the start of the external examination period

- An emergency grade of not achieved grade must be reported where the student has had an adequate opportunity for assessment

- Where the student attends the examination, the ‘best’ of the emergency grade or examination grade will be awarded

- If the student does not attend the examination, a ‘void’ grade will take precedence over a ‘Not Achieved’ emergency grade

- Students can appeal an emergency grade through their school

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Online Application Process

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Examples: NZ Certificate in Tourism, Hospitality and Supported LearningSome new certificates may require extensions to consent for some standards

- Programme Approval is where the school develops and owns the programme- Programme Accreditation is where the school applies to be accredited to offer a

programme owned by another provider

- If a school wants to deliver a programme approved for another educational provider (eg Tertiary Education Organisation TEO), they can gain permission from the owner of that programme to be accredited to deliver the programme. Accreditation to deliver a programme must be approved by NZQA

- Approved and accredited programmes can only be delivered by schools who have gained approval and who have consent to assess the standards offered in the programme. This is required, even for those programmes that allow a student to gain a New Zealand Certificate qualification but do not offer achievement or unit standards

- Students currently enrolled in National Certificates can complete the national qualification- Application for Programme Approval and Accreditation is completed online through High

Security/School Administration/ Application- Current New Zealand Certificates are listed under “Qualifications” on the NZQA website- Application processing costs are outlined in the circular.

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Only schools which are signatories to the Code can enrol international students. Compliance with the Code is a requirement of Consent to Assess.

Applications to become a signatory to the Code of Practice for International Students are made online.

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Deadlines: New applications will be accepted beyond the end of Term 1 deadline BUT will only be processed monthly after first deadline applications have been processed.

It is in the students best interest to meet the first deadline to ensure both students and school know the SAC entitlement. If a late application is subsequently decline this could be stressful for the student who may feel something is being taken away from them. To avoid this distress make applications early.

Data matching: Applications with incorrect NSNs or surnames or dates of birth or which are duplicates will not be able to be submitted.

Rollover: Some rollovers will still display the three year entitlement.

For SAC audits keep documentation and evidence on which applications were made and the needs analysis used for a rollover

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All applications are evaluated by NZQA Derived Grade Team, against the derived grade eligibility criteria. Invitational Teams do not meet the criteria for national selection.

Reasonable travel time to and from the event is allowed for but not additional touring.

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See 2017 Emailink 1

Online options cater for those who prefer online delivery and those teachers who do not wish to travel outside of their own region

The face-to-face and online workshops’ aims and objectives are the same – to increase teacher confidence in making assessor judgements at the national standard and allowing facilitated collaboration between participants

Workshops still require sufficient participants to be able to run on a cost recovery model so early enrolment encouraged

Guest Speaker requests have been very popular as they allow targeted support to suit regional needs

Requests need to have an assessment focus. Examples of this could be a particular level, ie 1, 2 or 3, or a particular group of standards eg interaction standards for Languages.

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See 2017 Emailink 1 AttachmentNZQA recommends to candidates for external assessment that, for example:

in a written examination: ‘the quality of your response is more important than the length of your essay’, and

in a submitted report: ‘there was an improvement in the quality of reports this year. Most

candidates presented well-structured reports within the 10 page limit’.Supporting Information:

Assessment specifications- are accessible on the Subjects pages or on the Assessment Specifications page- provide the assessment parameters for each externally assessed standard- updated every year for all subjects and levels (end of year/ March / notified in circular)- should be read alongside the applicable standards.

External examinations- format of the paper- equipment students can bring and use- context for questions, where appropriate

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Portfolio subjects: cover- format of the assessment- portfolio submission date- portfolio specifications including the type and volume of materials that may be submitted

as evidence- requirements for authenticity

Assessment reportsReport on candidates’ responses in the previous year’s assessment, and are therefore valuable feedback and also essential feedforward for teaching and learning. They are published in early April after the review and reconsideration process. Examination papers and exemplarsRecent examination papers and exemplars are available on the Subjects pages, except those with copyright material. These are available to teachers using their log on to the school’s secure website link. Key dates for National Secondary Qualifications

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Thank you so much for the opportunity to address you today. I would like to briefly share with you my thoughts on the digital assessment transformation journey that will help your learners qualify for the future world and how I hope we can work together this year.

For me April 2016 was the start of a great learning curve and the more I learn from you the longer the curve seems to become. I appreciate the insight that many of you have provided me either directly or through your school relationship manager.

I am responsible for the NZQA Future State goal of “all NCEA examinations, where appropriate, online by 2020”. Around that goal, though, there are many other ways to connect with the process of transforming assessment to take advantage of digital technologies. I know that because many of you are already doing it. From the 2016 Digital Readiness survey that around 200 of you responded to we sensed a high degree of acceptance of the opportunity presented by digital assessment and we have gained good insight into the teaching, learning and internal assessment activity that was already well supported by digital technologies to varying extents.

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The digital assessment transformation will only work to help our learners qualify for the future world if we work together. In 2017 my team will work much more closely with the school relationship managers to optimise our use of your insights and provide better support back to you. In response to your feedback, one of the changes you’ll see is a streamlining of our communications into Assessment Matters and Email Link for important, actionable information, and the softer stories about digital assessment will be available through other channels. February 2017 will see the last edition of Newsbyte.

A key finding for me from the Digital Readiness Survey was that there are many routes into digital assessment. I wanted to lay out an idea that I hope will give you practical guidance about how to embark on the digital assessment transformation journey by building on whatever you are ALREADY doing in your school. I’ve been thinking about this as your school’s individualised “digital assessment package”.

For example, if your students are doing some of their assessments online and you are marking them online, and if this is happening for standards that are included in your moderation plan, then I would encourage your use of the digital moderation service. That way you will have the administration of the external moderation activities streamlined with the submission of the content, and you’ll be able to take advantage of the shorter cycle times (because of the removal of the physical movement of the work) and improved processes for queries and appeals. If your students are creating portfolios for submission for external assessment, and they are being developed digitally, then NZQA has an online service for portfolio submission. Last year we trialled this with 19 technology standards and, while we have yet to complete the evaluation, we will offer this again in 2017

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and are looking to expand the service in the future. Reduced printing and manual packaging of materials at your end is one of the main advantages if the work has been created digitally.

If your students are undertaking lots of their learning online and are used to producing material in online form AND you want to understand what conditions work best in your school for running online examinations, then you may want to consider participating in one or more Trials or Pilots in 2017.

We want as many learners as possible to participate in the Trials and Pilots and we are keen to ensure Māori and Pasifika learners are equally involved in all the subjects. In particular, we want more Māori and Pasifika

learners to achieve in STEM subjects that widen their future study and career options, so the opportunity to participate in the physics or science Trials could be an exciting one for your school/kura and for your students – who will be part of and influencing the future of education. We will be there to support your decision-making and planning so that your journey into digital assessment transformation is right for you. Any route into digital assessment is a learning platform for your school, your staff and students, that you can build on at your own pace. And to be really clear, your choices, and the feedback we are currently processing from the 2016 digital assessment participants (students, teachers, markers, examination centre managers) hugely inform our learning and yours.

So what are we doing this year in relation to the Trials & Pilots?

There is much more detail in the February Newsbyte, but the basic ideas are that:• We want to ensure that as many schools as possible undertake at least a Trial, so that we can all

learn about the ways in which external digital assessment will work in your environment – in particular to resolve some of the technical issues your schools and students experienced in 2016 and build on the positive experiences

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• Based on your feedback last year we are starting work on the assessment of 21st century skills and the Art History Trial gives an opportunity to see how this works. We have some other initiatives as well in this area which we’ll communicate in the coming weeks

• We are working with our Office of the Deputy CE Māori & Pasifika and the school relationship managers to support schools to draw in as many Māori and Pasifika learners as possible, because the early findings from 2016 Trials & Pilots is very positive in terms of their experience

• We are still finalising the details for more intensive co-creation and co-management of Trials of the Digital Pilot subjects in a small number of schools, building on our focus group experience from 2016

• And we are planning to offer Level 2 Pilots, mainly for cohorts who undertook Level 1 Pilots, but with some room for exceptions, as well as the 2016 Level 1 Pilot subjects again

• We are still working through whether Level 1 French will be a Trial or a Pilot.

Finally, some of you have seen the SAMR slide before. It lays out our thinking about how we move towards innovation in assessment at a pace that reflects the teaching, learning and assessment processes you, your Principals, and your Heads of Department, as sector leaders, are driving.

In each year from 2018 to 2020 we expect to step up the breadth of subjects that we offer for Trialling and Piloting so that by 2020 we reach the goal of all NCEA examinations available online, where appropriate. Where it’s possible to add in features available BECAUSE the examination is digital AND where that is relevant to the teaching and learning that is prevalent in a subject area we will do so.

In each year from 2018 – 2020 we will be working closely with you to support you to increase your participation in external digital assessment at a rate that suits your learners and your school’s environment. If you like the “digital assessment package” idea, we could use it to map out an uptake pathway with you. We are also working with the Ministry and Network for Learning to ensure that our collective support and services are well targeted and co-ordinated.

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Enjoy the rest of the seminar, and I look forward greatly to working with you over the coming year.

So this slide is just another reminder about why NZQA is embarking with the education sector and the community on this journey.

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It’s useful to take a quick look at the 2016 Digital Trials & Pilots experience. The evaluation report is well underway and we are working with qualitative and quantitative data to understand what has worked well and what needs further work. It’s important to keep front of mind the idea that these are Trials and Pilots. There are as many safeguards as possible built in for schools and students, but in a learning period there will always be some things that surprise us, and it is our collective response to these that is most important. We really appreciated the response of the French teachers, who, although disappointed, were overall supportive that we withdrew the French Pilot because we could not guarantee that all student browsers would behave consistently in relation to a foreign language examination. We discovered this working with a school doing the Spanish Trial. We have some good possible solutions for the presenting problems, but we are still considering whether we should Pilot a foreign language or just Trial it. We are keen to work with the language teaching community to resolve this.

We apologised to those schools whose English Pilot students were locked out of the digital examination (some many times – others not all, and in some cases only able to be reset by NZQA staff). Again, we have some new thinking underway to resolve the impact of anti-breach software on multiple browser types, while ensuring the authenticity and integrity of the examination.

The question of SAC and facilities such as spellcheck (available to some SAC students not undertaking digital Trials & Pilots) impacted on SAC student participation. We intend to address those types of questions this year, because digital assessment has great potential for some Special Assessment Conditions students and many more students who would not qualify under the criteria but would perform better with a more responsive and closer to real life examination mode.

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CANDIDATES WHO LEAVE SECONDARY EDUCATION OR TRANSFER TO ANOTHER SCHOOL There is a different procedure for students who leave secondary education to those who transfer to another school.Procedures for students leaving secondary educationIf a student leaves secondary education, withdraw all entries that you will not report a result for (except for any external entries where the student has indicated they expect to sit the examination). Leave the student active in your data file submission to NZQA (this will be different from what you notify to ENROL about this student) until the end of the following January, when you withdraw all leavers. This will keep their results active. You may need to contact your student management system vendor on how this can be achieved. Confirm any fee payments and financial assistance applications.

If you withdraw a student's NZQA enrolment and no other school enters them, NZQA will no longer have an active file for them and they will not see their results online or gain any qualifications relevant to that year.

Procedures for students transfering to another schoolStudents can only have one active secondary school enrolment with NZQA each year. This means that when a student transfers schools the following procedures must be followed.

School transferred to (new school)

The new school should request from the previous school a full transcript of the transferring student's results for the year. When making an enrollment for the student with NZQA, these results need to be reported using the previous school’s provider code to ensure the correct school is responsible for moderation. The new school needs to make entries as appropriate for standards the student will be assessed for in the remainder of the year including externals. Check fees payment and financial assistance with candidates, and enter financial assistance information as appropriate.

A list of contacts for Principal’s Nominees can be found in School’s Administration in the Provider Login.

If required a candidate's previous results, qualifications and endorsements can be obtained using the Candidate Results from Other Providers link in the Provider Login.

School transferred from (previous school)

The previous school is responsible for ensuring they withdraw all entries and the NZQA enrolment once they are confident the student has been enrolled with NZQA by another school. If unsure of the destination school, treat the student as leaving secondary education until the transfer is confirmed. When requested, the school must send a full transcript of the transferring student's results for the year, to the new school

Late External Entry process for transferring candidatesStudents who transfer after 1 September will not have personalised papers at the new examination centre. The new school will need to follow the Late Entry process which includes adding the details of entries to the data submission but also requesting papers for the student.

The student will be marked absent at the previous school examination centre which will receive and return to NZQA their personalised papers.

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Obligations associated with the use of a provider code to report results for internal assessment: A2015/024 - 25 Jun 2015All results for internal assessment reported to NZQA are received with a provider code attached to them.

In every instance, the provider code identifies, for the particular assessment, the organisation:

whose Consent to Assess is being used that undertakes the assessment and awards the grade to the particular student whose appeal procedures, and other assessment procedures are being used that attests that the student work is authentic that is responsible for all aspects of internal moderation that is responsible for ensuring samples of student achievement are adequately stored to meet

external moderation requirements and to respond to student appeals that has the responsibility for health and safety, providing adequate facilities, ensuring staff are

suitably qualified, ensuring there are adequate teaching and learning resources and support services for students.

For all reported results, the school must ensure that it uses the correct provider code, that is the provider code of the assessor. Where an external provider code is used, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) must be in place.

Employees of schools are able to exercise the school’s grant of Consent to Assess

The school’s grant of Consent to Assess for the particular standard can be lawfully exercised only by individuals who are employed by the consent holder (i.e. the School’s Board of Trustees).

Note: This does not preclude the school from bringing in an outside “expert” to assist with the teaching and the assessment verification process. The awarding of grades must always rest with the consent holder.

Subcontracting

If the school reports a result with its own provider code but has subcontracted the teaching and/or assessment to an external provider, or person, who does not hold Consent to Assess for the particular standard, an NZQA-approved subcontracting arrangement is required. A circular detailing the process for subcontracting will be published shortly.

Enquiries

Please refer any enquiries relating to this circular to your School Relationship Manager.

School Relationship ManagerSchool Quality Assurance and LiaisonTelephone: 04 463 3000Email: firstname.lastname@nzqa.govt.nz

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Subcontracting arrangements between a school (consent holder) and a non-consent holder for particular standards (subcontractor) A2015/026 - 03 Jul 2015

1. What is a subcontracting arrangement?

The Consent to Assess against Standards on the Directory of Assessment Standards Rules 2011 (CAAS Rules) makes provision for a holder of a consent to assess (school) to use a subcontractor to deliver study, training or assessment for standards on the Directory of Assessment Standards, where:

The proposed subcontractor does not hold consent to assess for the particular standards the consent holder (school) wants them to offer to learners enrolled in the school

The school intends to report the result with its own provider coder.

2. How does subcontracting work?

There are two parties to the subcontract:

the school (consent holder) with whom the learners are enrolled the subcontractor that, in most cases, has the specialist resources or facilities that are needed in order to

assess learners against the standard(s) in question.

With approval, the subcontractor is able to assess learners against particular standards but the consent holder remains responsible for all of the subcontractor’s actions for the learners in question.

The school applicant (consent holder) must:

have consent to assess the standards to be assessed by the proposed subcontractor hold an enrolment for the student and maintain all student enrolment and academic information report credits for the learners and pay the relevant credit reporting fee remain responsible for the subcontractor meeting all of the consent holder’s obligations set out, in its application to NZQA, how it intends to ensure the subcontractor meets the holder’s

consent to assess obligations such as:1. personnel having sufficient teaching and subject knowledge;2. premises, facilities and other physical resources being adequate;3. appropriate procedures for managing assessment processes, including resubmission, further

assessment and appeal of assessment results;4. internal moderation; and/or5. external moderation.

The subcontractor must:

provide the teaching, learning and assessment environment for the delivery of the particular standards; meet the assessment and moderation requirements of the school that holds consent to assess; assess only those students who are enrolled with the consent holder; and not further subcontract the delivery of study or training or assessment. (CAAS Rules 13.2.)

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3. Why is a sub-contracting arrangement necessary?

This application ensures that:

the school, as consent holder, and the subcontractor, as the provider of teaching, learning and assessment, understand their obligations when engaging in a subcontracting arrangement;

the consent holding school’s assessment quality assurance processes are used by the subcontractor before results are reported;

these results are reported using the consent holding school’s provider code; and the teaching, learning and assessment environment provided by the subcontractor meets the

requirements of the consent holding school’s Quality Management System.

4. NZQA approval

NZQA will approve the subcontracting arrangement where it is satisfied that:

the consent holder remains responsible for the subcontractor meeting all of the consent holder’s obligations in relation to the consent; and

the subcontractor will meet all relevant obligations in the Act and in rules made under section 253 of the Education Act 1989 (The Act) in relation to the consent; and

there is an agreement between the consent holder and the subcontractor that includes provisions to ensure that NZQA is able to exercise its quality assurance and enforcement powers and functions in respect of the acts or omissions of the subcontractor relating to the consent; and

the information and advertising for the study or training clearly states that it is provided through a subcontracting arrangement; and

all student enrolments are through the consent holder, and the consent holder maintains all student enrolment and academic information; and

the consent holder will report credits for the learners (See CAAS Rules 8.3.)

5. How does a school apply for NZQA approval to engage a sub-contractor?

The school’s Principal’s Nominee should discuss the proposed arrangement with their School Relationship Manager. If it has deemed that a subcontract would be a suitable arrangement to increase the range of courses or standards that the school can offer its learners, the consent holder should compete the application form (DOCX, 40KB) and send it to:

School Relationship ManagerSchool Quality Assurance and LiaisonNZQA125 The TerracePO Box 160Wellington 6140

Enquiries

Please refer any enquiries relating to this circular to your School Relationship Manager.

School Relationship ManagerSchool Quality Assurance and LiaisonTelephone: 04 463 3000Email: firstname.lastname@nzqa.govt.nz

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Programme Approval & Accreditation for NZ Certificate courses in Secondary SchoolsA2016/025 - 30 Nov 2016

What is a programme?

A programme is a coherent arrangement of learning or training which is based on clear and consistent aims, content, outcomes and assessment practices that lead to New Zealand Certificate qualifications. (Assessment Circular #, New Zealand Certificate Qualifications,)

What is programme approval and accreditation?

Schools wanting to provide a programme of study that leads to a New Zealand Certificate qualification must apply to NZQA for approval or accreditation to deliver that programme. Approved programmes are developed by an educational provider to meet the graduate outcomes of a New Zealand Certificate qualification. The developer of this programme is referred to as the owner of the programme.

If a school wants to deliver a programme approved for another educational provider, they can gain permission from the owner of that programme to be accredited to deliver the programme. Accreditation to deliver a programme must be approved by NZQA.

Approved and accredited programmes can only be delivered by schools with consent to assess the standards offered in the programme. This is not required, however, for those programmes that allow a student to gain a New Zealand Certificate qualification but do not offer achievement or unit standards.

How does a school apply for programme approval or accreditation?

Applications for both programme accreditation and programme approval are made online through the high security applications button on your school’s NZQA website.

1. Applying for accreditation to deliver an existing programme

NZQA will approve applications for accreditation to deliver an existing approved programme from a consented school where it is supported by the owner of that programme.

Read the Instructions for making an online programme accreditation application.

Before you start the application process it is important that you have:

a letter from the owner of the programme supporting your application

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the title of the programme and the programme ID number (find it) the necessary consent to assess for any standards that may be included in the programme. (You

may have to apply for an extension to your consent to assess).

Cost: maximum of $200

2. Applying for approval for a programme owned and developed by the school

Schools may decide that they want to develop their own programmes. In this case they need to apply for programme approval and accreditation. When you apply for programme approval you automatically also apply to be accredited to deliver that programme. When approved, the school is deemed to be the owner of the programme and other educational providers can be accredited to deliver the programme, if they have permission from the school.

Read the Instructions for making an online programme approval and accreditation application.

Before you start the application process it is important that you have:

the evidence to show how the programme will meet the graduate outcomes of a New Zealand Certificate qualification

the necessary consent to assess for standards that may be included in the programme. (You may have to apply for an extension to your consent to assess).

Cost: $150 per hour of evaluation.

3. Reporting the Completion of a New Zealand Certificate Qualification to NZQA

Advice on how schools will need to report New Zealand Certificate completions will follow in due course.

4. Assuring national consistency of graduate outcomes of New Zealand qualifications

All Qualifications will be scheduled for a “consistency review” which will be facilitated by an independent reviewer. NZQA will administer the review schedule, appoint the reviewers and work with qualification developers and schools to prepare for the consistency review.

To cover the costs of the reviews NZQA will charge a consistency fee when completions of new certificate qualifications are reported by schools. The fees are:

qualifications at levels 1 to 2 – Full fee $12.00 per graduate qualifications at level 3 – Full fee $16.00 per graduate.

5. Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What types of qualifications can programmes be used to assess?Programmes can be used to assess all NZQA qualifications, except NCEA.If you open the Qualifications heading on the NZQA website homepage you can see a range of vocational and academic New Zealand Certificates available that have existing programmes or that can be used to develop programmes for approval.

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2. Can credits gained from completing programmes be counted toward NCEA?Yes they can. Programmes made up of standards can be used for the award of NCEA.

3. Can a student complete a programme if they move to another education provider?Students could start being assessed for a programme at a school and then when they transfer to another school or educational provider they could continue that programme, if it is available.

4. How can I find out the names of programme owners? When you open individual programmes under Qualifications on the NZQA homepage, the front page will tell you who owns the programme.

5. What is happening to National Certificates?All National Certificates have a final date for entry and a final date for the qualification being awarded. You will need to check the National Certificate qualifications document on the NZQA website to confirm these dates. Credits earned from standards in National Certificate qualifications can be transferred to programme qualifications if they are approved as part of that programme.

6. Who should I contact for more information on applying for programme approval or accreditation?Contact your School Relationship Manager.

Enquiries

Please refer any enquiries relating to this circular to your School Relationship Manager.

School Relationship ManagerSchool Quality Assurance and LiaisonTelephone: 04 463 3000Fax: 04 463 3115Email: firstname.lastname@nzqa.govt.nz

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New Zealand Certificate qualifications A2016/026 - 01 Dec 2016

To ensure consistency of qualifications nationwide, National Certificates are being progressively replaced by New Zealand Certificates. New Zealand Certificates are qualifications that are approved by NZQA for Levels 1 to 6 of the New Zealand Qualifications Framework.

Why has the New Zealand Certificate qualification been developed?

A review in 2008-09 found that the qualifications system was difficult for learners, employers and industry to understand because it:

was not relevant to some employers and industry was not user-friendly, and the status of qualifications was unclear contained a large number of similar qualifications which made distinguishing between qualifications and

identifying education/career pathways difficult.

The following principles are used to develop New Zealand Certificate qualifications. They must be:

focused on graduate, education and employment pathways flexible, so they can be achieved in different settings including the workplace and provider-based education developed collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders including education providers and employers.

How are New Zealand Certificate qualifications awarded?

To be awarded a New Zealand Certificate, qualification graduates must have demonstrated that they have met the graduate outcomes specified in the qualification.

In order for this to happen, programmes are developed that take a student through their learning journey to reach those graduate outcomes. Graduate outcomes include the knowledge, skills and key competencies necessary to meet the requirements of the qualification.

To deliver the qualification all educational providers including schools need the relevant programme approved and/or accredited by NZQA (see A2016/025 - Programme Approval and Accreditation for New Zealand Certificate courses in Secondary Schools)

A list of NZQA approved New Zealand Certificate qualifications is on the NZQA website under Qualifications.

Enquiries

Please refer any enquiries relating to this circular to your School Relationship Manager.

School Relationship ManagerSchool Quality Assurance and LiaisonTelephone: 04 463 3000Fax: 04 463 3115Email: firstname.lastname@nzqa.govt.nz

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