NCEA

Only consented organisations can deliver a programme that leads to an award of New Zealand Certificates and Diplomas on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework. The accreditation to assess is based on The Consent to Assess Against Standards on the Directory of Assessment Standards Rules 2011 (CAAS).

 

All consented organisations must maintain their consent to assess. An essential part of the consent to assess is to ensure that NZQA approved policies are in place and are followed.

Our assessment policies and processes are revised annually in accordance with changes in NZQA policies and in consultation with staff and the NCEA Committee which consists of the Principal, Debi Marshall-Lobb, the Principal’s Nominee and Deputy Principal, Nigel Bailey and Assistant Principal, Chris Senior. Our NZQA School Relationship Manager, Sharon Morgan, is consulted about policy revisions.

Authenticity of student work

At the beginning of the year students are required to sign the authenticity form and a statement that they have read and understood the NCEA policies on authenticity and plagiarism. This declaration applies to student work in all subjects. This document is handed in to the Principal’s Nominee for school record purposes and MNA visits by NZQA.
(Further information about plagiarism etc appears later in the document).

Moderation of Standards

All standards that we ask the students to complete internally have to be moderated. This may be by our colleagues and also by external moderators. 

NZQA expects that:

•   our processes ensure that student details, entries and results are communicated to NZQA in    an accurate and timely manner
• analysis evaluates and informs teaching and assessment practice, and validates or improves assessment processes

Chanel College policy is based on this expectation

NZQA expects that our assessment policies, information and procedures: 

•       help teachers carry out internal assessment that is valid
•       are effectively communicated to students and their families
•       are regularly reviewed and are accurate, comprehensive and up to date

Chanel College policy is based on this expectation

ASSESSMENT ISSUES

(listed in alphabetical order)

ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL EXAMS :

 If students miss sitting the Term 3 exams for any reason they must take the opportunity to sit them at the first available opportunity.  Failure to do so means that if they need to make a derived grade application in the external exams we have no standard specific internal examination evidence under examination conditions to offer NZQA and therefore we will not be able to make an application for them.

APPEALS AND THE APPEAL PROCESS FOR INTERNAL STANDARDS

 The appeal procedure can be applied in all assessment related decisions: the assessment result, when assessments are missed, whether another opportunity is available, and where there have been allegations of breaches of the rules.

The appeal process gives the student the right to be heard if you they do not agree with the grade you have been given by the teacher or if there is a dispute about authenticity.  If a student wants to appeal a grade they have been given or a decision about authenticity that has been made, here is the process to be followed:

 

 STEP 1       

Students ask for a meeting with their subject teacher at the time the work is handed back to the class. No formal appeal will be accepted until this discussion has taken place.

STEP 2

The Head of Department will organise a meeting with the student and the teacher involved.  If the student is still not satisfied with the assessment outcome then they proceed to step 3.

STEP 3

A formal appeal must be made to the NCEA Committee on the NCEA Appeal Form within five school days of the student being given the grade by the teacher.  An appeal form is provided in the NCEA Student handbook.

•                 The appeal request form must be dated and signed by the student making the appeal.
•         The appeal form must be given to the NZQA Principal’s Nominee, Nigel Bailey.
•     The appeal form includes a statement from the student which gives permission to the school to allow his/her work to be moderated by an external assessor if required.  If the student is under the age of 18 years of age the appeal must also be signed by a parent or care giver of the student concerned. (as required by the Privacy Act) as work will be assessed outside the college.
•             At least two members of the NCEA Committee must be present when the appeal is lodged. The Principal is always a member of this committee.
•             The NCEA Committee may decide to use an independent assessor from a neighbouring college
•                 The decision of the NCEA Committee about any appeal is final.
•                 When the NCEA Committee has made its decision it will notify the student concerned in writing.

 

 AUTHENTICITY AND PLAGIARISM

If there is evidence of plagiarism or non-authenticity the student will gain no credit for the standard.

Authenticity means that the final product submitted for assessment has been processed and produced by the students themselves.  

Plagiarism means presenting somebody else’s work and passing it off as your own. Plagiarism is a very serious issue because it is a matter of intellectual honesty. If a student’s work is plagiarised they will lose all the credits for that standard.

Plagiarism can easily become an issue in research standards in all subjects. Teachers should teach students how to cite and recognise information sources. Students are advised to check with their teacher about how to cite and recognise the sources they use so that plagiarism issues are avoided.  There are a range of referencing techniques/styles and which one best suits your subject is up to you.

The amount of referenced material is also to be monitored please. If someone submits work that is more than 30% referenced material please do not accept it (unless there is a very heavy data element to the work). If unsure please let Nigel know as he is happy to make the decision. Students should be reading material and then applying the knowledge and understanding to the standard mostly in their own words.

NZQA have advised: 

‘There is no limit to how much referenced work can be used. The issue will be how much of the work is then the students own work, in their own words and what is required by the standard – has the student shown their own understanding or only that of someone else.  The unreferenced work is plagiarism and can’t be accepted without referencing.’

 

At the beginning of the year students are required to sign the authenticity form and a statement that they have read and understood the NCEA policies on authenticity and plagiarism. This declaration applies to student work in all subjects. This document handed in to the dean and is kept by the Principal’s Nominee for school record purposes and MNA visits by NZQA.

Authenticity Declarations must also be signed by students for External Assessment in NCEA and Scholarship Music, Design and Visual Communication, Technology, Dance, Drama, Visual Arts and Education for Sustainability

Opportunities for students to discuss these policies and to ask questions will be provided at Deans’ meetings.

Teachers may elect to provide a statement to be used for authenticity purposes for students to say that the work they are submitting for assessment is their own.

• The NCEA Committee will be advised if plagiarism is suspected.
• If there is evidence of plagiarism or non-authenticity the student will gain no credit for the standard.
• If a student knowingly allows their work to be copied and submitted by another student, they will also receive no credit.  The assessed work of the student will be kept on file by the subject teacher so that it can be easily checked if there is any sign of plagiarism.
• In any standard that requires the use of research students must be sure that they know how to use the information they have found without plagiarising. Teachers in each subject area will be able to help students in this area. Also check carefully that you have used the guidance provided at the end of this booklet on the use of references.
• Complaints about authenticity must be recorded on the authenticity dispute form which is available from the NZQA office.

DERIVED GRADES APPLICATIONS

Requests for a derived grade can only be made for external standards and must be referred to the Principal’s Nominee, who will:

•  consult the subject teacher concerned plus the Principal and/or deans and/or counsellor, the          parents and the student
•  collect the evidence and send the requests to NZQA.
•  If students apply for a derived grade assessment information gathered from school assessments or formal tests which supply standard specifications will be used to provide a derived grade.

 EXTENSION OF TIME REQUESTS FOR INTERNAL STANDARDS

•  A formal process must be followed
•  Extension requests must be made first to the subject teacher and then to the dean at each level  on the official NCEA extension request form
•   All sections of the form must be filled in, signed and dated
•   Extension requests must be submitted at least 24 hours before the assignment deadline except in extraordinary circumstances
•  If an assessment is missed for a valid reason the opportunity for re-assessment  is a manageability issue at the professional discretion of the HOD/TiC
• Students should make a request for reassessment to the subject teacher concerned.
• Each case is treated on its merits, for example:
• Missed assessments beyond the student’s control (e.g. sickness or bereavement) Fill in an extension request form. A medical certificate or a death notice may be required
• Missed assessment because of school trips (e.g. field trips, sports or music events)  

Fill in an extension request form requesting an assessment opportunity at a negotiated time

• Missed assessment due to “self interest” (e.g. family holidays, appointments in  town)
• Students and Parents will be informed by the subject teacher of what will be missed and the potential impact of not achieving these credits or what might be handed in before the intended absence.

If a student knows that they are going to be absent on the day the work is  

due, it is their responsibility to get their work in by the due time.

• Missed assessment due to “willfull” absence or a decision or a refusal to hand in work for assessment. 

In such circumstances a Not Achieved grade will be recorded.

• The teacher must have evidence of the work already done at the time of the extension request.
• Computer failure sometimes used as an excuse for an extension request:  Students are expected to have a backup of their work so that computer failure is not an issue. Printer failure should not be an issue because work could be printed elsewhere or shared on Google Docs.
• Once the extension request is actioned, it must be signed by the Dean and filed with the student’s work in the subject concerned.
• Only one extension will be granted per assignment
• The deadline for standard work due for assessment is 3.30 pm on the due date.
•   Late work gains no credit but will be marked
• Students will have the opportunity to gain credit if an additional assessment opportunity is offered 
•   If there is a problem, the matter will be dealt with by the NCEA Committee.
• NZQA policy is that it is invalid to penalise late work by reducing a grade, for example:  from Merit to Achieved

 

SPECIAL NEEDS AND READER WRITER ASSISTANCE

Provision is made for students with special needs to have valid and fair assessment conditions consistent with the assistance they would normally have as part of their learning environment. Students with special needs have usually been identified at the time of their enrolment.

Special assessment conditions are managed by the Principal’s Nominee, Nigel Bailey and Kristy Boderick, who is in charge of SENCO.

Reader/Writer Assistance The guidelines set down by NZQA are followed when deciding upon those students who qualify for Reader/Writer assistance.  Applications for assistance must be made by the beginning of the year to the Principal’s Nominee who will consult with Kristy Boderick and the parents of the students concerned before the application is lodged.

Reference will be made to the annual special needs analysis of students with special needs conducted by the school.

Applications are needed for both internal and external assessment.

Extra Time Allowance. If a student asks for and is granted extra time allowance and then does not use it and leaves the examination early, this is their choice, however  it may result in a review of the special needs agreement that exists between them and NZQA, resulting in extra time applications being declined in subsequent years.

 All new applications for entitlement must be made before the end of Term 1.