SecQual

Cook Islands Māori - change to external verification process
S2011/020 - 17 May 2011

Cook Islands Māori - change to external verification process

The verification process for all Cook Islands Māori achievement standards in 2011 will be extended to include the entry of candidates’ final results by schools. In addition, there will be a change in the provision of verification reports to schools.

Currently, schools produce their own activities for assessing candidates against levels 1‑3 Cook Islands Māori external standards, using the relevant assessment specifications. All candidate work is marked by schools and samples submitted for verification by NZQA. Schools have the facility to enter provisional results online for all their candidates.

From 2011, schools will continue to produce and mark their own assessment activities and enter provisional results online prior to submitting up to eight samples of candidate work for verification. In addition, once verification has been completed, schools will see the final results for candidates whose work has been verified and will then be required to enter final results for all remaining candidates.

Submission of materials for verification

Schools will be required to send for verification, one copy of each assessment activity and its marking schedule, together with up to eight samples of candidate work for each standard. Schools with fewer than eight entries for any one standard will submit work for all candidates for that standard. It is advisable that schools keep copies of all work sent away for verification.

Materials for the packing of school submissions will be supplied by NZQA and further details of the submission process will be provided in August 2011.

Results entry process

Schools will enter provisional results online prior to submitting up to eight samples of candidate work for verification. Once verification has been completed, schools will see the final results for candidates whose work has been verified and will then be required to enter final results for all remaining candidates.

Instructions on the entry of both provisional and final results by schools will be provided in August 2011.

Verification reports

At present, all schools submitting Cook Islands Māori work for verification receive a report from the National Verifier.

From 2011, verification reports will be sent only if a school’s verification results are significantly different from their provisional results. A significant difference is typically when:

• three or more of the verification results are different from the provisional results
• there is a grade shift greater than one degree (e.g., E to A or N to M)
• there is a change in the candidate rank order
• a number of candidates are assessed as N (Not Achieved).

If there is little or no difference between a school’s verification results and provisional results, no verification report will be provided, as the work submitted for verification indicates that the school is assessing at the national standard.

Schools who receive a verification report for any Cook Islands Māori standards are required to use this to inform and adjust decisions about the final results for all remaining candidates whose work was not submitted for verification.

Return of verified materials

Following the completion of the verification process, candidate materials will be returned to schools. Enclosed with this material will be a document which will indicate whether or not a verification report will be sent. If schools are advised that no verification report has been produced, they may enter final results for all their remaining candidates. Schools for whom a verification report has been produced should wait for the arrival of this report before making decisions about the final results for their remaining candidates.

Appeal process

An appeal process will be available to schools which will apply only to materials submitted for verification. Schools will continue to manage their own policies and procedures for work that is assessed on site.

An appeal should only be lodged where there is such a significant difference between the candidates’ provisional and final verified results that all parties suspect that an assessment or processing error may have occurred.  Details of the appeal process will be provided in August 2011.

Enquiries

Please refer any enquiries relating to this circular to:

Angela Karini
National Assessment Facilitator for Cook Islands Māori
Telephone: 04 463 3199
Fax: 04 463 3113
Email: angela.karini@nzqa.govt.nz