Providers and partners

SAC Timeline

For all enquiries, please email sac@nzqa.govt.nz

There are certain SAC processes that require attention every month, and others that begin or end in certain months.

Continue to submit applications and appeals. See the SAC Online Submission and Processes Guide at SAC Forms and Guides.
Continue to check the online SAC tool for notes or decisions, inform students and their parents of the outcome, note any amendments to their entitlements and inform teachers.
Appeals and Chief Executive Reviews must be made within 15 school days of notification and contain extra information.
Submissions for the following year can be started and saved as Drafts. Evidence can be saved there progressively throughout the year, ready for submission from 1 October.
Check for SAC-entitled students transferred from another school and email sac@nzqa.govt.nz for them to be transferred onto your Submitted list.
Check that assessment programmes align with student’s specific needs. Discuss with student, parents/caregivers and staff, and adjust if not optimal for their well-being (e.g. for students with mental health issues).
Trial the use of SAC with junior students. See the Cover Sheet document at SAC Forms and Guides to record the outcome.

Ensure you have a current Education Sector Logon (ESL) password. Consult the ESL Authoriser at your school if needed.
Conduct a SAC needs analysis for students who had SAC entitlements in the previous year to decide whether to rollover, change or remove the SAC for the current year. Further details can be found at Rolling over SAC Entitlements.
Review information about newly enrolled students who may need learning support and SAC. See SAC Forms and Guides for documents to help with this process.

You are able to start the rollover process from 1 February. See the SAC Online Submission Guide at SAC Forms and Guides for an explanation of the process. Screen Year 9 and 10 students for potential SAC applications.
Identify and train appropriate assessment assistants for internal and external assessment. See Assessment and Exam Assistants for details.

The last day of term is the End of Term 1 Application First Deadline for new submissions and Rollovers/Changes.
New submissions made after this deadline will only be processed once a month until the End of Term 3 Final Learning Submission Deadline. Sensory, Medical and Physical submissions may be accepted in Term 4 until the final exam day, although in many circumstances a Derived Grade may be more appropriate.

Remind teachers to make complete entries into externally assessed standards including Scholarship for all students entitled to SAC.
Begin interviewing each SAC student about what they would like to use for each exam session and record the decision.

Attaching entitlements for SAC for the November external examinations opens 1 July and closes at the end of Term 3. Consult the SAC Online Submission Guide at SAC Forms and Guides to understand how to complete the process.
After attaching the SAC, print each student's page and have the students sign the allocations. Amend if requested.
Consider SAC provisions for the Mathematics CAT, Languages CATs and Technology CATs. These Common Assessment Tasks are assessed by schools. These and the portfolio subjects do not appear in the system to attach SAC to as they do not have November exam sessions. However, SAC should be provided as needed and appropriate.

Compare your Submitted list of students with SAC entitlements against your list of students with SAC attached to their exams. Follow up any not on both lists to ensure entries are made if appropriate.
Check the August data file submission includes as many external exam entries for SAC applicants as possible, including Scholarship.

Once all early September data files have been processed, the link for attaching SAC to exams closes for 7-10 days so that personalised papers can be prepared. Dates will be advised.
It is then reopened until the end of Term 3.
Check SAC attachment lists for the addition of more standards which may now make the addition or choice of Extra Time possible.
Train Readers and Writers/Typists for school exams. See Assessment and Exam Assistants.
Check if any changes to the SAC selection preferences of students for exams are needed and edit accordingly
Liaise with the Exam Centre Manager regarding exam preparation, including providing the names of Readers and Writers/Typists.
Provide SAC as appropriate for any Common Assessment tasks (e.g. MCAT).
End of Term 3 is the Deadline for SAC submissions for Learning Disorders. Submissions for Sensory, Medical or Physical (SMP) continue.

First Time submissions open for next year on 1 October.
Applications continue for Sensory, Medical or Physical (SMP), e.g. diabetes, anxiety.
Before applying, consider why a Derived Grade is not appropriate and have confirmation from the ECM that it will be feasible to provide the requested entitlement.
Confirm all preparations for exams:

Liaise with ECM
Confirm SAC attachments for exams with students. Hold a signed acknowledgement from students of their preferences.

Check for any late entries for SAC students and update the SAC attachments as needed. Consult with the ECM about these changes.

Exams underway.
Applications for the current year’s First Time Sensory, Medical, or Physical close on the last exam day.
Begin to gather the information needed for the Needs Analysis process: