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A2008/032 - 10 October 2008Common Assessment Tasks for Information Management for 2008 - Follow-up Questions and AnswersFurther to circular A2008/026 regarding the administrative requirements for the Common Assessment Tasks (CATs) for Information Management in 2008, this circular provides answers to queries that have been received by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. A timeframe of two weeks has been provided, with a minimum of four hours and no maximum set. Is this fair given that some schools may provide more time than others?How teachers manage the time required for their candidates is flexible so that the administration of the tasks can be suited to the individuality of the school and its candidates, as is done for internal assessment. This generous timeframe has been provided to acknowledge the provision of study leave for senior students in some schools and also other subject demands over the same period. To better manage delivery of the CATs, it has been recommended that one standard is delivered at a time, with work being stored securely between lessons as required. The tasks contained within the CATs are of similar duration and complexity to those in the external examinations set in previous years. This has been done to ensure that the credit allocation and award of grades for Information Management remain consistent. It is anticipated, therefore, that teachers will use their professional judgment to ensure that candidates are given the time necessary to best demonstrate their ability. The circular states "a minimum of four hours to complete all CATs. If fewer CATs have been entered, the time allowance may be reduced". How much of a reduction in time is appropriate?This is entirely at the discretion of each school. If a candidate is only sitting one standard, it would be unlikely that they would take four hours to complete it. Teachers should again use their professional judgment to determine if, and how, the time allowance should be reduced. How can student work be reliably authenticated with an extended timeframe, access to the internet, and potential collaboration with other students?Policies and procedures already in place within schools to authenticate student work completed for internal assessment should be applied during the management of the CATs. As with internal assessment, a student's activities can only be observed within class time under class conditions, and a teacher's ability to authenticate work is only reasonably expected to be confined to these times. However, again as with internals, if a teacher has good reason to suspect that a student has collaborated with another student and produced similar work, this can be detailed on the Authenticity Form. It is also expected that students will be given clear instructions at the beginning of the assessment timeframe about authenticity. What happens if a student is ill during the two week timeframe? Is a compassionate consideration application to be completed?As the CATs are being sat within the school situation, teachers should apply their school policy for missed assessments, e.g. if a student is absent for a legitimate reason, such as illness, they can do the assessment at another time, if the timeframe for the CATs allows. If the school cannot manage this in the timeframe given, then they should apply to NZQA for compassionate consideration for those standards that the candidate is unable to complete because of the illness. The circular states "there are no requirements to restrict internet access or create separate logins". Can students access the internet to obtain graphics for any task requiring graphics and does this raise copyright issues? Internet and email access do not have to be turned off. However, if a school does use such measures to assist in the authentication of their internal work they would probably continue to apply such procedures for the administration of the CATs. As indicated by the Assessment Specifications, candidates do need to have access to a dictionary (either hard copy or online) and, for the assessment of 90036, either clip art or an illustrations file. Access to these may only be available through the internet for some schools. The issue of copyright regarding clip art or images on the internet needs some consideration and students should be directed towards sites that specifically allow images to be used for personal use. A number of sites prohibit images to be published but such candidate work would not be published. ESL students will not be disadvantaged by restricting access to the internet and online dictionaries. Disabling access to the internet causes great difficulty for an increasing number of schools. The increased timeframe for the administration of the CATs would further compound this difficulty. After considerable consultation with Information Management teachers, access to the internet was agreed to be acceptable for these reasons. Can the teacher give the occasional hint and help out with specific questions or should they act as an exam supervisor?Teachers are required to act as supervisors as there will not be a paid supervisor present. They should only assist students with technical questions, i.e. relating to a computer or peripheral issue. Any assistance to complete the tasks set is not acceptable and students should be advised of this prior to the CATs timeframe commencing. If teachers are required to be supervisors, this will create an additional workload for them. Is this fair? The decision to use CATs with their associated administrative requirements is designed to benefit the candidates and provide them with every opportunity to achieve to the best of their ability. It is correct that teachers will be more involved in ensuring work is kept secure and collating student work before sending it to NZQA for marking. However, unlike internal assessments, the work will be marked by external markers, to ensure national consistency. Is it OK for teachers to mutually swap schools and administer CATs for Information Management 90034, 90035 and 90036? If so, what paperwork, if any, will be required?One of the reasons for moving to CATs was to enable students to complete the tasks in a familiar setting. This would understandably include having their own teacher administer the tasks. Given that there is a two-week timeframe, teachers swapping schools may create some difficulty. However, there is no restriction on who administers the tasks, so a swap is permissible, but this should be done carefully bearing the above factors in mind so that students are not disadvantaged. Can students access work previously saved for viewing?Schools may choose to create separate logins for the CATs but even if separate logins are not created, accessing previously saved work is not likely to significantly improve a student's grade. It has been suggested that students may access formulas and formatting instructions but this information can also be obtained, without accessing saved work, from the 'Help' facility of computer applications, if required. It has been suggested that, ultimately, these standards will move from CATS to being fully internally assessed. Is there a move for this to happen?This is the first year that the CATs have been used. It is not anticipated that these standards will be fully internally assessed. However, this decision may be subject to review given the Alignment of Standards Review that is taking place for all subjects, including Information Management. At this stage, no change is imminent. EnquiriesCirculars are available from the Qualifications authority website (www.nzqa.govt.nz/publications/circulars). A PDF Please refer any enquiries relating to this circular to:
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Page updated: 14 October 2008