Maintaining consent to assess

Information about what schools need to do to maintain their consent to assess and their obligations with the use of their provider code

Requirements for maintaining consent to assess

To maintain consent to assess for your school you must:

  • have your assessment systems reviewed by NZQA at least every 4 years as part of a Managing National Assessment review
  • meet the obligations associated with the use of your provider code.

Read about Managing National Assessment (MNA) reviews

Obligations associated with the use of a provider code

All results for internal assessment reported to NZQA are received with a provider code attached to them. Unless a school enters the external provider code of an external assessor, all of the results being reported to NZQA have the school’s own provider code attached to them by default.

Schools must use the correct provider code

For all reported results, the school must ensure that it uses the correct provider code.

A school is in breach of the rules if another organisation undertakes all or some of the responsibilities listed below but the school reports results to NZQA with its own provider code.

What the provider code tells us

For each particular assessment, the provider code tells us:

  • whose Consent To Assess is being exercised
  • which organisation is required to hold a course enrollment for each of the students being assessed
  • who undertakes the assessment and awards the grade to the particular student
  • whose appeal procedures, and other assessment procedures are ‘in play’
  • who attests that the student work is authentic
  • who is responsible for all aspects of internal moderation
  • who is responsible for ensuring samples of student achievement are adequately stored to meet moderation requirements and to respond to student appeals.

Who can exercise the school’s Grant of Consent To Assess

The school’s grant of consent to assess can be lawfully exercised only by individuals who are employed by the school’s Board of Trustees.

Sub-contracting

A school must have NZQA approval to sub-contract its consent to assess to an organisation, or individual who is not employed by the school’s Board, and that does not hold consent to assess for the particular standard(s).

Read about sub-contracting, third party consent (external link)

The Rules that apply to consent to assess

Schools that have been granted NZQA consent to assess must comply with:

  • the NZQA Assessment Rules for Schools, TEOs assessing against Achievement Standards, and Candidates 2023 (Assessment Rules) and
  • the Consent to Assess Against Standards on the Directory of Assessment and Skill Standards Rules 2022 (CAAS Rules).

In all cases, the provider whose code is being used to report results must hold NZQA consent to assess for the particular standard(s).

NZQA Assessment Rules for Schools, TEOs assessing against Achievement Standards, and Candidates 2023

Consent to Assess Against Standards on the Directory of Assessment and Skill Standards Rules 2022

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