NZQA Assessment Procedures

 

For a full list of assessment rules and procedures, and information about how NCEA works, please download the current Assessment Guide for Students.

 

Authenticity

Authenticity means that all work that students submit must be their own. The following will apply to ALL work presented for internal assessment for national qualifications:

You must:

• submit work that is entirely your own
• sign an authenticity form for each internal assessment that you submit
• acknowledge the source of all material in your assignment, including texts, electronic sources and other source material, and the name and status of any person who provided assistance, together with the type of and extent of assistance received.
• ensure your data is accurate;
• attend classes regularly to allow teachers to see you working on assignments and to discuss the work with you.

All electronic submissions require a record of the history to be made available to your teacher

• For most written subjects, that means Google Docs.  Other types of assignment require an alternative log trail, e.g. 'versions' - discuss with your teacher.

It is your responsibility to:

• keep all drafts and working documents, and hand them into your teacher, if required;
• keep a record of all sources you used, including handwritten plans and websites;
• be prepared to discuss your work with your teacher
• use Google Originality Reports to check your work before it is submitted.

You must not:

• copy the work of another student, or allow someone else to copy your work;
• quote material from written or electronic sources without acknowledging the source;
• inappropriately help another student with any part of their work;
• allow someone else to do your work for you;
• use unauthorised technology in a test or exam (e.g., non-approved calculator, cell phone etc).
• knowingly present material which is incorrect or misleading.

 

Use of AI in Assessment

There are many types of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that have become available in recent years.  The most widely known is the Large Language Model (LLM) ChatGPT, but there are many others that generate content that goes well beyond text.  Effective users of AI know how to:

• Identify strengths and weaknesses of AI
• Use AI to enhance, rather than replace, their own learning
• Recognise the risks and limitations (including inaccuracy and bias).

For your work to be authentic there are restrictions about how you may use AI in assessment.

• For most assessment, you MUST NOT USE any form of AI (including paraphrasing tools)
• You may only use AI if you have been given written approval by the person in charge of the subject 
• If AI is permitted at any stage of an assessment, you must document how it was used, for example:

a.  accurately reference it (according to GDC library guidelines)
b.  identify the AI tool used
c.  retain all prompts entered into AI.

 

Breaches of the Rules

Where a breach of rules is suspected the following process will take place:

1. The subject teacher will collect and document the evidence of a breach of rules and present it to the Faculty Leader.
2. The Faculty Leader will interview the student to establish their side of the story and document this.
3. If a breach of the rules is established, a conversation between the teacher or Faculty Leader and the student is required, outlining the reasons for the breach. There is a Not Achieved awarded to this assessment, or a ‘no grade’ awarded for that component of the assessment (if it is a multi-part assessment).
4. If there has been collusion with another student and work has been deliberately shared, that student will also receive a Not Achieved, ‘no grade’ or zero grade.
5. When the rules are breached in NCEA assessment submissions, no Resubmission or Further Assessment Opportunity is allowed.
6. If a student disagrees with the decision, they may appeal to the Deputy Principal (Curriculum) whose decision will be final.
7. The parents are informed by the FL. The Deputy Principal (Curriculum) is informed.
8. For serious or repeated misconduct, the student and a parent may be required to meet with a Deputy Principal or the Principal.

Teachers should not set work for internal assessment which cannot be authenticated.

All digital submissions should be uploaded to Google Classroom. Originality Reports will be used to check for plagiarism. 

A register of all breaches of the rules will be maintained by the Deputy Principal (Curriculum).

 

Extensions

All work must be handed in on time. Students must have a valid reason for missing an assessment to be eligible for an extension or Further Assessment Opportunity (if offered).

An extension can only be requested and approved on the Missed Assessment / Extension form. Students must not negotiate any extensions verbally with teachers. Extension requests must be made as early as possible, but no later than 48 hours before the assessment due date/time. For College sport and cultural trips, you should apply for an extension at least one week in advance.

Self-interest leave is not a valid reason for an extension.

Applications for extensions to portfolios are unlikely to be accepted.

Late work will not be accepted if the correct approval process is not followed.

 

Assessment Lateness and Absence

Students are expected to submit assessments on time. Students unable to do so must liaise with the relevant HOD/FL prior to the deadlines to determine whether an extension will be granted (see Extensions).

All internal assessments must be completed and submitted at the specified day and time. Otherwise, a Not Achieved grade must be awarded.

If a student is absent for a valid reason (e.g. illness) on the day an assessment is due, then it is the responsibility of the student to either:

• upload it digitally, if that is an agreed submission method, or;
• arrange for the assessment to be handed in to the school office on the due date, and clearly marked to the attention of the appropriate staff member.

A student unable to fulfil this requirement must complete the Missed Assessment / Extension form – you may need to provide a medical certificate together with the assessment on the day of return to school and give this to the HOD/FL.

 

Absences for Tests / Live Assessment

Derived grades are not available for internal assessments. Notes from parents explaining a student's absence on an assessment day must be given directly to their teacher by the student, who will discuss the absence with the HOD/FL. If the absence may be excused on medical or compassionate grounds the student may be required to sit a test of comparable difficulty. If it is not possible to offer another assessment opportunity, then previous evidence collected can be used or further evidence can be collected. The student may be awarded a grade based on evidence already recorded only if this evidence is sufficient and equivalent to what the NCEA standard requires. If the absence cannot be satisfactorily explained, a Not Achieved grade will be given.

 

Computer Issues

For digital assignments, missing an assessment due to technical difficulties will be considered only in exceptional circumstances. Students are required to make backup copies of their work regularly to reduce the chance of loss. Possible options include regular printing, saving to alternative locations or emailing the work to themselves. Teachers might suggest that students email work to them on a regular basis, both as a backup and to authenticate the work.

Network failure in school during a computer-based, in-class school assessment is not the students’ responsibility so the teacher will make equivalent time available to the class.

If a student fails to submit or participate in two or more assessments on time in a subject, then the HOD/FL will inform the parents/caregivers.

If a student wishes to have a decision on an overdue or missed assessment reviewed, the student must complete the Appeal form and submit it to the Deputy Principal (Curriculum) who will make a decision in consultation with the relevant HOD/FL.

 

Assessment Grade Appeals

Before an appeal, students should ask their teacher for detailed feedback about the reasons for the assessment decision. The teacher should explain the grade and make any necessary alterations. If the assessing was done by another teacher in the department, that teacher must be consulted.

If students are not happy with the explanation, they should complete an Assessment Grade Appeal form and submit it to the HOD/FL. This must be within three school days of the return of the assessment result. The teacher and HOD/FL will discuss the result. If required, the marked work may be sent to an external marker for an independent verification. The HOD/FL will make a decision and advise the student of the result.

If the student disagrees with the decision, the student may appeal to the Deputy Principal (Curriculum) whose decision will be final.

Student results and the use of student work will at all times comply with the Privacy Act.

 

Resubmission

Schools may offer a resubmission opportunity to students when a minor error prevents them from reaching an ‘Achieved’ grade.

The only change in grade boundary available for resubmissions is from ‘Not Achieved’ to ‘Achieved.’ On this basis, the highest grade that can be awarded as a result of a resubmission of an internal assessment is limited to ‘Achieved’.

• Only one resubmission can be provided for each assessment of a standard.
• Teachers decide which students at the Not Achieved grade boundary meet the criteria for a resubmission.
• No further teaching or learning can take place.
• Teachers must ensure that the student’s work is authentic, by only giving non-specific feedback and taking care not to over-direct them.
• The amount of time provided for a resubmission depends on the nature of the assessment and should ensure teachers can confidently assure authenticity.
• If there is a substantive or significant change to be made to the student work, a resubmission cannot be offered.

 

Further Assessment Opportunity

A maximum of one Further Assessment Opportunity may be offered to students where it is practicable and manageable to do so.

• Only one further assessment opportunity for each standard can be offered in a year.
• Schools can decide whether a further assessment opportunity is offered for any standard. It must be a manageable and practical decision for the school and it can be on a standard by standard basis. Students must be told upfront whether a further assessment opportunity is available for a standard.
• The further assessment opportunity can only be offered after further learning has taken place.
• A different activity or task must be offered for the further assessment opportunity.
• The further assessment opportunity must be offered to all students entered for that standard in that course, regardless of the grade that they achieved. Students do not need to take up the opportunity.
• A student must have access to all grades – Not Achieved, Achieved, Merit or Excellence - whether it is their first or subsequent attempt at the standard.
• The highest grade from either assessment opportunity is reported.

A maximum of one further opportunity for assessment means none or one.  It does not mean one must be offered.

If students do not sit the first assessment, and do not have an acceptable excuse for an absence, they will not be permitted a second assessment opportunity in that standard. A ‘Not Achieved’ must be reported if they had an adequate first assessment opportunity but failed to take that opportunity.

If a further opportunity for assessment is offered to any student, it must be made available to all students entered for that standard, including those who did not complete the original assessment for a reason acceptable under the School's policy on missed and late assessment.  This is regardless of their performance on the first opportunity.  Therefore, further assessment opportunities need to be carefully planned.

Any further opportunity conditions must be consistent with those for the first opportunity.

 

Withdrawing from a Standard

Withdrawing from a standard requires the permission of your family, recommendation of your subject teacher, and, preferably, a three-way parent/student/teacher conversation. A Withdrawal form must be completed and approved by the Faculty Leader and Deputy Principal (Curriculum).

Withdrawal from a standard is designed to enable you to focus more on passing other standards in a course, especially if you are having difficulty coping. If you wish to withdraw from an internal or external standard you should seek the guidance of your subject teacher and/or Dean. Similarly, a teacher wishing to recommend a withdrawal from a standard must discuss the situation with you before any recommendation can be made.

You must continue to attend classes and meet course requirements even though you may have withdrawn from one or more standards.

Students may not withdraw from a standard if they have been present for the teaching of the topic. Withdrawal should take place before a topic begins, unless a student’s attendance and participation throughout the topic has been impacted.