Assessment and Certification Rules and Procedures for Secondary Schools - 2008

6.1.4 Compassionate Consideration

1. Candidates may, in accordance with these Rules and Procedures or their schools' policy, apply for consideration of their internally or externally assessed results. Compassionate consideration is not available for Scholarship.
   
   
2. In the case of internal assessment:
   
   the school's missed assessment policies will apply. Each school must have a written policy setting out how applications for missed assessment are to be made, and how such applications will be dealt with. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority monitors school policies as part of the Managing National Assessment systems check.
   
   
3. In the case of external assessment:
   
   
   1. Candidates who have been prevented from sitting examinations or otherwise presenting materials for external assessment, or who consider that their performance in an external assessment has been seriously impaired because of exceptional circumstances beyond their control, may apply to The New Zealand Qualifications Authority to be granted a result through compassionate consideration.
      
      
   2. Except in exceptional circumstances, compassionate consideration will only be granted only as a result of a circumstance that occurred no more than one month before the start of examinations or the submission of work for other external assessment. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority may vary these conditions for performance-based external standards.
      
      
   3. An applicant for compassionate consideration must:
      
      
      • complete The New Zealand Qualifications Authority's application form and submit it to the school by the closing date
      • supply a copy of their admission slip with the application
      • supply appropriate medical or documentary evidence.
        
        
   4. The school must process all applications for compassionate consideration, and retain any supporting information. Applications should be made online on The New Zealand Qualifications Authority website by the specified date for processing.
      
      
   5. In cases where an event has occurred that is likely to result in applications from a group of candidates (such as a local emergency or the death of a student from the school), The New Zealand Qualifications Authority should be contacted before the school takes any further action.
      
      
   6. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority may accept late applications, or other applications for compassionate consideration which do not comply with paragraph (iii) above, but applications for compassionate consideration cannot be accepted after result notices have been released in January.
      
      
   7. In considering whether to grant a result to an applicant, The New Zealand Qualifications Authority will only consider cases where standard-specific evidence is held by the school, in particular:
      
      
      • information from the Principal's Nominee of the candidate's school in each of the external achievement standards.
      • the quality of any work actually completed and submitted by the candidate that directly relates to each external achievement standard.
        
        
   8. Candidates must apply to their school in the first instance if they wish to appeal a compassionate consideration decision.
      
      
4. In the case of Graphics, Information Management, Technology and Visual Arts external standards the procedure for making an application in non-examination performance-based achievement standards differs from that for examination achievement standards.
   
   
5. In the case of Graphics, Technology and Visual Arts external standards
   
   
   1. To be eligible for a compassionate consideration in performance-based standards, a candidate must have suffered a temporary impediment or non-permanent disability occurring within one month of the submission date for the portfolio(s).
      
      
   2. A physical injury or an emotional trauma during the last three to four weeks of portfolio preparation can impair performance. Such cases will require a signed statement from a medical practitioner in support of the application.
      
      
   3. A physical disability or epilepsy, chronic relapsing conditions such as glandular fever or ME, and ongoing personal trauma such as the effects of an earlier death in the family are not generally accepted as grounds for compassionate consideration.
      
      
6. In the case of Visual Arts at levels 1 and 2:
   
   Schools are responsible through their policies for managing compassionate consideration of Visual Arts for levels 1 and 2 during the assessment process and prior to verification.
   
   
7. In the case of Visual Arts at level 3:
   
   Applications for compassionate considerations must be made earlier than applications for other standards because the portfolios of the candidates involved need to be identified during the external assessment process.
   
   
8. In the case of Information Management, external assessment is by way of a common assessment task to be completed over a number of days within a specified fortnight.
   
   
   1. A candidate who is unable to undertake the external assessment, or whose performance in the external assessment is impaired because they have suffered a temporary impediment or non-permanent disability, a physical injury or an emotional trauma may apply for compassionate consideration
      
      
   2. A candidate who has started but is prevented from completing the external assessment during the specified fortnight because they have suffered a temporary impediment or non-permanent disability, a physical injury or an emotional trauma may apply for compassionate consideration only of the section of the assessment missed.
9. 
   In the case of a candidate selected as New Zealand representatives whose representative duties will prevent them from sitting the exams, documentary evidence from the New Zealand body of their selection to a New Zealand team or representative duties and the dates for which representation will occur is required.
   

Compassionate Consideration Guidelines
Information for candidates
Applications for Compassionate Considerations in Visual Arts Level 3
Applications for Compassionate Considerations

Last updated: 01 February 2008