Examination Assessment Information

Summary of Assessment Policies and Procedures – An Overview for Students
(The full version is available at the office for parents or students)

Rules from Staff Procedures Manual

Advice to Students
Absence and late work procedures

In Standards Based Assessment, evidence must be provided that the student has achieved the standard.  Therefore, it is not permissible to estimate a result if no appropriate assessment has taken place.  When a student is absent from a scheduled assessment the procedures in this section will be applied consistently to ensure that the assessment is manageable, valid and fair.

 Approved absences
  • Absences known and condoned by the school, e.g. school trips, participation in sporting events at a national level, significant religious observances.  Students who will be absent from an assessment/due date because of school trips overseas must make arrangements to hand the work in early or sit the assessment prior to going away.  Absence through illness or catastrophe will be deemed approved absence when validated by appropriate documentation (e.g. medical certificate).
Unapproved absences
  • Absences not condoned by the school, e.g. self interest, willful absence, early leave.
 Absence from scheduled internally assessed standards

  • In the case of absence through illness, parents are requested to contact the Dean on the morning of the internal assessment.

  • Formal, verifiable documentation (such as a medical certificate) will need to be provided for absence through illness from an internal assessment.
 Absence from school examinations / assessment weeks
  • In the case of absence through illness, parents are requested to contact the Dean on the morning of the examination.
  • Should the examination involve internal assessment, formal documentation (such as a medical certificate) will need to be provided.
  • Examination results for practice externally assessed standards may be used to process a derived grade at the end of the year if a student is absent from the actual external NCEA examination of that standard.
  • Where appropriate and possible, examinations may be rescheduled for any student who is absent through illness or who has approved leave.  However, in the interests of validity and fairness, it is not feasible to allow students to sit such examinations once papers have been returned to candidates.
  • When a student is absent from a scheduled examination through self-interest, examinations will not be rescheduled.
Absence from school during the period of an ongoing assignment

 When an internal assessment consists of an assignment or project to be completed over a period of time with a stated due date/deadline:

  • Absence does not automatically entitle a student to an extension; students are usually able to catch up on short absences by prioritising other activities.
  • Where there are valid reasons for a student to request an extension, she should negotiate with the teacher concerned in good time.  If agreement cannot be reached, the student may complete the Assessment Appeal Form (Appendix E).
  • Where the absence has been extensive, the student and teacher may decide that withdrawal from that particular standard is warranted.  (See Fr/Sr to arrange this)
If you are unable to attend school on the day of an assessmentor on the due date of an assignment:

YOU MUST

  • make official contact with the school to advise that you are unable to be present to hand in the assignment or undertake the assessment task.

 

  • hand in the work or expect to undertake the assessment task as soon as possible on your return.

 

  • provide formal documentation of your absence.
If you have been absent for an extended time before the day of an assessment: 

YOU SHOULD

  • discuss the possibility of an extension with your subject teacher IN GOOD TIME before the due date.

YOU MUST

  • provide acceptable evidence
    (such as a doctor’s certificate)

Take the initiative to find out from the teacher what you have missed and discuss how you will catch up on missed course content.

 

Late work
  • Ordinarily, late assignments will not be accepted for marking.
  • Unless otherwise clearly instructed, submissions must be handed in directly to the teacher concerned by 3:30 pm on the stated due date.
  •  In the case of absence from school, the work may be emailed, hand delivered to the school office or sent by post with the due date’s postmark.
  • Printing problems are not an acceptable excuse for lateness. Should these occur, the work should be emailed to meet the due date and time.
Special Assessment Conditions

NZQA have clear guidelines relating to special assessment conditions for students.
If you wish to apply for special assessment conditions then this must be made in consultation with your parents and Mrs Shears at the start of the year.
Authenticity of Work

At Iona, all assignments undertaken for NCEA assessment outside supervised class time must be submitted with a signed authenticity statement.

If it is found that deliberate cheating has taken place, no grade will be awarded.  In some cases this may also lead to further consequences.
Teachers are constantly on the look out for work that may have been:
  • copied from peers, books or the Internet, 
  • the result of excessive help from parents, siblings or other people
  • submitted in previous years at this or another school
YOU MUST
  • acknowledge all sources of help in a bibliography
  • be honest in your work and be able to show that it is your own
Further Assessment Opportunities

A maximum of one further assessment opportunity may be provided within a year.

A maximum of one further opportunity for assessment means none or one.  It does not mean one must be offered.

If a further assessment opportunity is offered to any student, it must be made available to all students entered for that standard.

It is not the intention to allow students a further assessment opportunity where they have chosen for unacceptable reasons, not to take the first opportunity.

Students must be awarded the highest grade they have achieved over both opportunities.

It is the school’s decision whether a further opportunity will be offered for any standard.  If it is not manageable to offer a further opportunity, then students should be advised from the outset that there is only one opportunity to be assessed against that standard.  This should occur after further learning has taken place.

Resubmission opportunity

A Resubmission opportunity should only be offered where a teacher judges that a mistake has been made by the student, which the student should be capable of discovering and correcting themselves.

A resubmission should be limited to specific aspects of the assessment and no more than one resubmission should be provided.

 

Every effort must be made to treat each assessment seriously and to do your best.

 
Appeals by Students

Appeals can be made by a student with regard to any aspect of the assessment process.  At Iona we use two different Appeal Forms to cover different appeal situations:

Iona College Assessment Appeal – Student Application Form (Appendix E/1)

  • Students will be asked to complete this form when they wish to (a) appeal an internal assessment grade or (b) dispute a time extension given for an assessment.

Iona College Missed Assessment Appeal – Student Application Form (Appendix E/2)

  • This form is used when a student has missed an assessment and the subject teacher has been unable to accommodate an assessment opportunity for this student.
IF YOU WISH TO LODGE AN APPEAL YOU MUST
  • do so within seven days.
  • first see your subject teacher or Dean. 

If necessary, the Assessment Conciliators will be asked to make a decision. 

The Assessment Appeal Student Application Form is available on request from the front office or from Mrs Shears or Mr Friggens.