CMR for NZQA Early Childhood Education and Care [Ref: 0135]
Review of NZQA National Qualifications Services CMR
NZQA National Qualifications Services (NQS) has completed the review of the Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR) above.
Date new version published February 2017
The next CMR review is planned to take place during 2022.
Summary of review
The CMR for Early Childhood Education and Care had not been reviewed for some time, and required updating from the Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP) to the CMR format. The introduction of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014 required changes to the sections relating to police vetting and safety checks, and some new sections have been included in the CMR.
The Moderation Requirements (MR) section that applies to all CMRs for NZQA National Qualifications Services and Māori Qualifications Services was revised November 2016 to reflect changes to content and links as a result of the introduction of online national external moderation.
Key stakeholders and organisations with consent to assess have had the opportunity to review the CMR and offer feedback. CMR 0135 was available via the NZQA website to the wider ECE sector network for consultation and endorsement during November/December 2016. All feedback was considered and actioned where appropriate.
Compliance with new requirements
Requirements for consent to assess will apply with effect from February 2017.
Moderation system requirements will apply with effect from February 2017.
Organisations with consent to assess will be expected to be able to demonstrate compliance with the CMR from August 2017 onwards.
NQS has retained the core requirements for consent to assess to ensure the least amount of change possible for the sector. NQS will communicate any changes in a timely fashion and work with any organisation that needs more lead time to accommodate any change required.
Main changes
Update from the Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP) to the CMR format, including adding DAS registration information.
Requirements for Consent to Assess (RCA)
Visit waiver conditions, fees and industry or sector specific requirements for consent to assess have been updated to reflect current practice. The terminology has been updated to reflect the introduction of safety checks required as a result of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014, but the intent of other aspects of the RCA remain the same.
Visit waiver conditions
· The conditions of a visit waiver have been included – previously nil.
Areas of shared responsibility
· Statement was added to provide for shared responsibility – previously nil.
Fees for SSB involvement in process for granting consent to assess
· General statement now included – previously accreditation fees were specified.
Industry or sector-specific requirements for consent to assess
· Criterion 1: The development and evaluation of teaching programmes criterion was rewritten to ensure current research and good practice inform ECE training programmes.
· Criterion 2: The financial, administrative and physical resources criterion was updated to include arrangements for use of facilities or resources not owned by the applicant organisation.
· Criterion 3: The staff selection, appraisal and development criterion was adjusted to include minimum requirements for all teaching staff, including safety checking of the children’s workforce for relevant staff, and opportunities for professional development in assessment of standards, and adult education and training.
· Criterion 4: The student entry requirements have been updated to reflect the introduction of safety checks required as a result of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.
· Criterion 6: The off-site practical or work-based components were updated to provide more clarity around the expectations and emphasise the requirement for the applicant organisation to have policies and procedures to address arrangements for safety checking trainees prior to practical placements in ECE services.
· Criteria 7: The assessment criterion was included to reflect current practice and to clarify expectations around internal assessment and moderation practices, and ensure RPL/RCC policies and procedures are in place.
Moderation Requirements (MR)
A separate review of the Moderation Requirements (MR) was undertaken by NZQA Tertiary Assessment and Moderation in August 2015, and the reviewed version applies to all CMRs for NZQA Māori Qualifications Services and National Qualifications Services. The MR section was revised November 2016 to reflect changes to content and links as a result of the introduction of online national external moderation, and an updated version has been incorporated in the reviewed CMR 0135.
· Moderation System and Responsibilities sections have been added to reflect current practice.
· Reporting section has been updated to include moderation reports, summary of moderation outcomes, querying moderation reports, and feedback on moderation system.
· Funding section added, including reference to Best Practice Workshops.
· Non-compliance with moderation requirements section updated, with specific examples of NZQA actions added.
· Appeals section added, referring organisations to the NZQA website for specific details.