SecQual

Quality Assured Assessment Materials (QAAM) Trademark
S2010/018 - 21 Jul 2010

NZQA has established a quality assured assessment materials trademark (QAAM) to identify assessment materials that have been quality assured by NZQA. 

The QAAM will be for assessment materials for secondary school subjects only and primarily for the assessment of achievement standards.  Assessment materials include an assessment activity (instructions and tasks), an assessment schedule (including evidence, judgements and a sufficiency statement), and other resources that are used by schools and Tertiary Education Organisations to assess student performance against a registered standard.

The majority of assessment materials used in schools come from existing TKI assessment resources or are purchased from subject associations or commercial providers.  For the purpose of the trademark service, these producers of assessment materials may apply for a QAAM for their assessment materials, before use.  The fee is $960 (plus GST). This is a quality assurance process and different to normal moderation. Teachers or schools can avail themselves of the QAAM service and submit assessment materials they have devised in-school.  However, post-assessment moderation will still occur in the normal way (there is no charge for post-assessment external moderation).  An online register of assessment materials that have received a QAAM is available on NZQA’s website.

The key advantage of using assessment materials that have a QAAM is that teachers will know the assessment schedule they are using to make judgements is at the national standard and students will be completing assessments that are fit for the purpose and give them the best opportunity to achieve at each level.

The QAAM logo (above) and the abbreviation, "QAAM," are all registered trademarks with the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand.

QAAM Questions & Answers

1. What does QAAM stand for?

QAAM stands for the Quality Assured Assessment Materials trademark.

2. What does the QAAM apply to?

The QAAM is available for assessment materials that are developed to assess students against a standard registered on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF). "Assessment Materials" include:
a) an assessment activity (instructions and tasks)
b) an assessment schedule (including evidence judgements and a sufficiency statement), and
c) other required assessment resources.

The assessment materials must meet the following quality measures:
a) They must be fully compatible with the content of the standard.
b) Visual and audio materials must meet the requirements for moderation submissions.

3. What are the advantages of having the QAAM?

Resources that have been quality assured have distinct benefits for teachers and students. Teachers will know that the assessment materials they are using to make judgements are at the national standard and students will be completing assessments that are fit for the purpose. Owners of assessment materials may further benefit from increased sales of their materials.

4. What does the QAAM add to material?

The QAAM has been developed as a way of giving teachers a clear indication and assurance that the assessment materials they are using meet the requirements of the national standard.

5. Who is the QAAM designed for?

The QAAM is designed primarily for subject associations and commercial providers to quality assure assessment materials before use. Teachers can avail themselves of the service for assessment materials they have devised.  However, post-assessment moderation will still occur in the normal way and there is no charge for post-assessment moderation.

6. How does my organisation apply for QAAM?

An organisation or person wishing to apply for a QAAM for their assessment materials must complete an Application for Issue of a Quality Assured Assessment Materials Trademark (DOC, 194KB) form.  Applicants must ensure they submit all the required assessment materials, application form and payment of $960 plus GST per assessment activity upon application.

7. Why can NZQA charge for this service?

NZQA can charge fees for this service under the Education Act which states: "The Authority may charge fees to any person for any service provided by the Authority". The fee of $960 plus GST is based on cost recovery only, for the direct costs associated with supplying this service.

8. What if I include multiple standards under one application?

One application applies to one assessment activity regardless of the number of standards being assessed within the activity. NZQA will return the submission to you if the payment is incorrect. Once the full fee is received, NZQA moderators will begin work on the application.

9. Can I photocopy the application form and send in hard copy material?

Yes. NZQA is happy to receive the assessment materials, completed application form and payment by hard copy. Please ensure your application and payment are on top of the assessment materials and send to:

Finance
New Zealand Qualifications Authority
PO Box 160
Wellington 6140

10. Can I send in all material, application form and payment electronically?

Yes. Please ensure the application form is filled in. If your payment method is direct debit, you will need to contact Finance at accountsreceivable@nzqa.govt.nz for more details. The application form, payment and attachments can be sent via accountsreceivable@nzqa.govt.nz.

11. Why would an application be rejected?

This status is different from having an application returned because some or all of the material, payment or application form is not present. You will receive a report outlining the issues.

Rejecting the application occurs when the moderator has viewed material and determined that the application does not meet the national standard and the QAAM cannot be awarded. Applicants will receive information outlining deficiencies. The moderator will give guidance concerning what is required to meet the requirements for the QAAM to be awarded.

12. Can I resubmit an updated application and will I be charged another fee?

You can resubmit the application after the changes have been made to the materials, following moderator advice. You will not be charged for the first resubmission.

13. How long does the QAAM remain valid on my material?

The QAAM remains valid until:
a) a new version of the standard is registered
b) the provider changes the activities
c) the deficiencies process is activated (see Procedures).

14. Can I on-sell the QAAM?

No, you cannot provide the QAAM to other providers. Commercial providers can sell the assessment materials but not the QAAM.

15. Can I distribute and place the QAAM on additional work from my organisation once we have had one successful QAAM approved?

No, the QAAM applies to specific assessment materials approved by NZQA. It is not awarded to an organisation, association or school to apply to their material. Rather, it is applied to only those assessment materials submitted to and approved by NZQA moderators.

16. How long will it take for an application to be considered for the QAAM?

NZQA will consider the application and make a decision within 30 working days from the date the fee is received. Should the application need to be modified or if payment is not received, processing will take longer.

17. Can we send payments for multiple applications?

Yes. Please ensure there is an application form for each submission as these may well be distributed to different moderators. Please ensure the bulk payment matches the number of submissions.

18. How will people know my assessment materials have a QAAM?

You will be entitled to use the NZQA QAAM trademark on your materials and NZQA will have an online register on their website where buyers or users of your materials can check their status.  NZQA does not host your assessment materials on our website.  You will also be able to promote these as being quality assured by NZQA.

19. Does a QAAM mean the materials no longer need to be externally moderated?

No. The assessment materials and student work, if selected for external moderation, must still be sent to the moderator.  The moderators will check to see if the providers have changed your Quality Assured Assessment Materials. If they have not been changed, or only changed within acceptable cosmetic limits such adding a context, then a tick is placed on the Moderation Report saying so and they are not further moderated.  If it appears that the assessment materials have been changed in a more significant manner, the QAAM status is lost and the materials are moderated in full.

20. What if the standards change or a fault with the materials is identified at a later date?

NZQA has a deficiencies process in our procedures for dealing with faults.  We will work together to rectify any issue.  When the standard changes a new version is published, so materials with a QAAM for a previous version will expire.

21. So is NZQA now charging for external moderation?

No. The QAAM is a process for quality assured assessment materials before use that commercial organisations and subject associations can take advantage of to ensure their products for sale are at the national standard.  The post-assessment moderation process used to ensure that assessment decisions being made by teachers are at the national standard is still a free service and covered within the NCEA fees paid by students.

22. If assessment materials have already been externally moderated and are deemed to be at the national standard, do they automatically get QAAM status?

No. External moderation is a check to see that the minimum requirements of the standard have been met.  The QAAM process is far more thorough and detailed. One of its aims is to ensure that learners have the best possible opportunity to achieve the standard through best practice assessment methods and clear instructions.  Improvements are suggested by the moderators to this end to improve the activity.  Improvements are not normally suggested in the external moderation process.  You could liken external moderation to a Warrant of Fitness check as opposed to the thorough manufacturers’ guarantee of a QAAM.

23. Will QAAM assessment materials and their assessment schedules be available to students?

Only those published by the MOE or NZQA will be.  It will be up to each commercial provider or subject association how they publish their resources or make them available.  Some have already indicated that they may be developing Common Assessment Tasks (CATs) with secure assessment schedules that can be accessed only by purchasers at a specific time of the year to ensure greater authenticity of student responses.

24. If the assessment materials and assessment schedule are available online for students, how do I ensure authenticity?

The same as you do now. Each school must develop their own authenticity procedures. You must follow these. It may be as simple as setting a different topic to be investigated or a different play to read. The QAAM status of the assessment materials still holds. Authenticity of the student work is the responsibility of the assessor (teacher).

25. If the activity requires me to do something like set a context or specify the topic for investigation or I make cosmetic changes, does this affect the QAAM status?

No. This is taken into account when the assessment materials were given a QAAM. You are required to set a context or change the context for reasons of authenticity of student work. This would be expected and will be checked by the moderator. You may also make cosmetic changes that do not affect the assessment instructions such as adding a cover page with the teacher name and school crest.

26. Can I use the abbreviation 'QAAM', or the words 'Quality Assured Assessment Materials' or the 'QAAM logo' on my own resources or in other contexts?

No - not unless NZQA gives you permission. These are all registered trademarks.

27. How can I be sure that the assessment materials I use have an authentic QAAM approved by NZQA?

Check the register on the NZQA website.

28. What if I have further questions and how do I make enquiries?

You are advised to read the QAAM Procedures and the questions and answers provided before applying. Should you still have an enquiry please contact qaam@nzqa.govt.nz or write to:

QAAM Enquiry
Secondary Moderation
New Zealand Qualifications Authority
PO Box 160
Wellington 6140

Enquiries

Please refer any enquiries relating to this circular to the Secondary Moderation team.

QAAM Enquiry
Secondary Moderation
New Zealand Qualifications Authority
PO Box 160
Wellington 6140

Email: secmod@nzqa.govt.nz