Assessment Procedures at Trinity

Curriculum and Assessment

In each subject you are studying your teacher will provide you with a current course outline and an NZQA approved Assessment Statement by the end of the third week of the year/course.

These course statements provide you with the following information:

• course content
• standard titles and credit values
• the number and nature of the assessment activities
• whether the standard is internally or externally assessed
• whether there is more than one opportunity to provide assessment evidence
• the dates by which these activities are to be completed

The criteria for each NCEA assessment activity in your course will be handed to you in writing at least four weeks prior to the assessment due date.

Assessment Opportunities

1. A maximum of ONE further opportunity for assessment of a standard can be provided within a year.
2. A resubmission should be limited to specific aspects of the assessment and no more than one resubmission should be provided.
3. Evidence used to make a grade decision must be recorded and verifiable.
4. When assessing aspects of a standard separately, teachers must be confident that students can demonstrate competency for the standard as a whole.

To withdraw from a particular standard

Students who withdraw from a particular standard must see the NCEA Co-ordinator (Steve Read) or an Assistant Principal for the appropriate form which must be signed by the student, the HOD or TIC, an AP or DP and a parent. This form is then passed on to the NZQA Principal's Nominee (Jill Armstrong) to sign and action. A photocopy of this form will also be kept on the student’s file. 

Assessment activities completed fully or partially outside class time

1. Where assessment activities are not completed or are only partially completed in class, it is expected that the assessment will include your developing draft material and will be signed by your teacher regularly throughout the research process for your activity.
2. Oral questioning throughout the development and/or on completion will be used to establish your understanding, and confirmation of authenticity will be sought with signatures provided by both you and your parent/caregiver for work completed and/or taken off-site.
3. Always keep draft as well as backup copies to assist you.
4. You cannot take time off from any timetabled classes or be truant from school to complete work by the due date.
5. All formal assessments completed outside class must be signed in on the class teacher’s sheet and handed in at the beginning of the class period on the due date. Note - to ensure authenticity where work is completed off-site, it is likely that parents or caregivers will be asked by the department to sign that the work produced is the student's own work only.

Applying for an extension

1. If there are legitimate reasons students can get an extension so long as this does not go beyond the hand back date for the work assessed by the teacher. Each case for an extension is sought in writing from, and decided by the HOD, within three school days of receiving the application - as long as the staff involved are on-site and/or able to be contacted reasonably easily.
2. See further notes below as to how this will be addressed with NCEA where it is not appropriate to seek an extension or the extension is denied. 

Missed assessments and lateness in completing NCEA assessment activities

With standards-based assessment, there is no opportunity to aggregate a student’s performance in other standards to provide a grade for the standard they have missed. The principle is clear - if a student can demonstrate evidence of having achieved a particular standard, then they can be awarded the grade of either Achieved, Merit or Excellence. If they cannot demonstrate this evidence, then Not Achieved will be awarded for that particular standard.

However, using other specified and documented criteria the school may choose to waive a pre-requisite, or provide extra tuition to assist students to be eligible to enter the next level without that particular achievement standard. This would assist a student to return after extended leave or illness and continue with their current programme.

Absences at time of due date for handing in assessments completed outside the class - e.g. folios, projects, assignments 

Where the teacher has an unplanned absence on the due date, arrangements are made by the teacher. This will usually mean her/him collecting the material at the beginning of the next period.

Where a student is absent (justified or with a note from home) then the assignment is handed into the teacher at the beginning of the next period.

Absence for reasons beyond the student's control - e.g. sickness, bereavement or a school trip

If a student misses an assessment deadline the following procedure will apply:

1. For an “in class” type of assessment, the student must provide a medical certificate or explanatory note from home upon returning to school. This is given to the subject teacher.
2. Where a medical certificate or note is provided, the student will provide assessment evidence at the next manageable and convenient time.
3. Teachers should do whatever is manageable to find the evidence that the student has achieved the standard.

Wilful absence - e.g. lateness without good reason, unexplained absence or refusing to complete the task

Where there is no reasonable reason for the assessment task being missed during class time or the task being handed in late, then the student will be awarded Not Achieved for that particular assessment. The student will be eligible to show the appropriate skills and knowledge at a later date should one be available for all students.

Extended family leave or special occasion leave

Examples of this type of leave include a family trip overseas, a special family gathering requiring travel, or leave to compete in a national sporting event.

Students who will be absent due to extended leave (with permission from parents) must get the parents to write a note or e-mail the NCEA Co-ordinator (Deputy Principal). This note should contain the reason and dates for which leave is being applied for. The NCEA Co-ordinator (Deputy Principal) will then gather assessment information from staff and discuss any assessment issues with the parents. The usual outcome is that the student is not awarded a grade for the particular standard and must show the required evidence at another time should one be available. Where practicable/possible the school will try to be flexible with the timing of assessments or deadlines so that the student is not disadvantaged (this will be at the discretion of the school). A written record of this is kept by the Deputy Principal.

Assessment misconduct - suspected plagiarism, inappropriate help or cheating

Suspected misconduct such as plagiarism, impersonation, false declarations of authenticity, cheating in test or exam situations or where a student has received or offered inappropriate help to produce the work will be dealt with as follows.

If the authenticity of a student's work is doubtful then the teacher must document the evidence. This evidence is to be discussed with the HOD and NCEA Co-ordinator. The student(s) concerned will be interviewed by the HOD and/or NCEA Co-ordinator and given an opportunity to explain. The evidence and explanation will be balanced and a decision made. If misconduct is proved then the student(s) involved will be awarded Not Achieved and the parents/caregivers will be informed.

If the student is in Year 11 or below then they will be allowed to sit any second assessment opportunity for that particular standard should one be available.

If the student is in Year 12 or 13 then the student forfeits any further assessment opportunity for that particular standard should one be available.

Resubmissions

Only resubmissions that take a student from ‘Not Achieved’ to ‘Achieved’ are now allowed. This is a new change effective from 2021.

Derived Grade

Except in exceptional circumstances, a derived grade will only be granted for a circumstance that occurs within one month of the commencement of examinations or submission of work for other external assessment.  External assessment will see an approach being made to the school from NZQA for evidence. This evidence might come from school internal examinations or end of unit testing. Students who wish to apply for a derived grade must pick up a form of the Principal's Nominee on the day of the exam and take it to their Doctor. 

Conditions which apply where it is not practicable for more than one opportunity to provide assessment evidence

Where a further opportunity to provide evidence for assessment cannot be offered with a particular standard because it is not practicable, this will be indicated clearly to students in writing both in the course outline and in the written material handed out in the assessment activity and marking schedule.

Reasons and criteria which have been accepted to date include:

• the conditions cannot be replicated - e.g. on a field trip
• the project takes too long - e.g. 25% of the course
• the costs are too high to reasonably provide more than one opportunity
• people outside the school are involved in the assessment and cannot be reasonably asked to be there for another time for assessment purposes

Appeals

It is important that all assessment processes and practices including NCEA are fair to everyone.

Please follow the steps outlined if you wish to clarify any concerns you have about an assessment. These may be:

• You feel that the marking schedule has not been applied correctly or fairly.
• You feel that you have been wrongly accused of cheating, plagiarism or other breaches of the rules of assessment.
• You feel that you have been unfairly disadvantaged in your opportunities for further assessment compared to other students.

Please note that staff will also be expected to document any concerns expressed to them so that they can provide information about the process used to date. (Staff also use steps 2, 3, 4 with any concerns they have with your assessment, or any of the concerns above they may have with individual students if they find they cannot get an agreed and satisfactory outcome using the school's policy and practices.)

Immediately after receiving your assessment back as a class or as soon after the concern as possible - and in no more than 10 days after this occurs - discuss the concern with your subject teacher.

If an agreement is reached, the issue will be recorded briefly and both parties sign that they agree with the outcome (which will be within school policy and practices).

If the issue above remains unresolved, see the Head of Department/Teacher in Charge of the subject. If an agreement is reached the issue will be recorded briefly and both parties sign that they agree with the outcome (which will be within school policy and practices). If it is a serious issue the HoD/TIC and/or the student will hand it on to the Deputy Principal to be dealt with in the formal appeal process.

If the issue is a) serious and/or b) still unresolved within 15 school days of the issue arising (that is, within 15 school days of the date that the assessment was handed back to class), the formal appeal process is instigated by seeing the Deputy Principal. (While the appeal process is set up primarily for students, as noted above staff may need to access the appeal process from time to time to ensure a situation or dispute about assessment is mediated and resolved.)

• Outline the issue of concern.
• At this stage be ready to provide data that the student/staff member believes assists the concern. This could include: a written statement of concerns or issues, attempts made already to resolve the issue or others in the past (which should all have been documented and signed by the parties concerned), the course outline, and/or reference to the school's policy and practices with regards to assessment.
• The Deputy Principal investigates the case and weighs up the evidence, consulting with whoever is needed to ensure natural justice is seen to be done. School policies and practices are the criteria used to weigh up the evidence. It is expected that under normal circumstances the investigation plus any interviews that may be needed, and/or mediation, will lead to a proposed way forward and/or outcome within ten school days from the time the formal appeal process is instigated with the Deputy Principal. Records of all meetings and any agreements, including changes needed to current practices/policy, will be signed by the parties concerned and filed in the appropriate areas only.

 Should there still be issues outstanding the appropriate course of action will be advised at this stage. This will depend on the issues still to be addressed.