Managing National Assessment Report 2012 Akaroa Area School

Managing National
  Assessment
    Report

      2012

Akaroa Area School

Managing National Assessment Report

Akaroa Area School

17 and 18 May 2012

Introduction
The purpose of the Managing National Assessment (MNA) external review is:
  •   to help schools achieve valid, fair, accurate and consistent internal assessment
      according to the requirements of the Assessment and Examination Rules and
      Procedures for Secondary Schools 2011 (Rules and Procedures); and
  •   in combination with the most recent Education Review Office report, to ensure
      that schools are meeting the requirements of the Consent to Assess Against
      Standards on the Directory of Assessment Standards Rules 2011 and its
      Guidelines (CAAS Guidelines) in order to maintain their consent to assess.
This process is a partnership between schools and the New Zealand Qualifications
Authority (NZQA) to ensure that assessment systems remain effective and internal
assessment decisions are valid.

The MNA review has two components:
  1. The annual external moderation of assessment materials and assessor
     decisions for an NZQA-selected sample of internally assessed standards and
     randomly selected samples of student work across curriculum areas selected
     according to the school’s random-selection process.
  2. An external review of each school’s assessment systems at least once every
     four years.

This report summarises NZQA’s evaluation of how effectively:
  •   senior management has addressed issues identified during the previous MNA
      review in 30 April 2009
  •   the school manages assessment for national qualifications
  •   the school manages internal and external moderation
  •   the school manages and makes use of assessment-related data
  •   the school maintains the currency of assessment policy and procedures, and
      communicates them to staff, students and families.

In preparing this report, the School Relationship Manager (SRM) met with the
Principal’s Nominee (PN) and the Teachers in Charge (TICs) of English, Food
Technology and History. The school also provided the SRM with pre-review
information and the staff and student assessment procedures guides.

There was a report-back session with the Principal and the PN at the end of the visit
to highlight strengths and weaknesses, with suggested strategies for good practice
and to agree on recommended actions.

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May 2012

2009 Managing National Assessment Report (CAAS Guidelines 3v)
Evidence was sought that action items in the previous MNA report have been
effectively addressed.

The 2009 report recommended some changes to the school’s assessment
procedures documentation for both teachers and students. All action items in the
2009 report have been addressed.

Assessment Practice (CAAS Guidelines 2.5v-vii, 2.6, 3v)
How does the school’s assessment practice allow for the effective management of
assessment for national qualifications?

Assessment Philosophies The school’s underlying philosophies are
encompassed in their vision “Kotahitanga – Awhinatia a nga ra. As one, Embrace the
Future” and their values “Respect, Integrity, Perseverance and Pride”. Underpinning
the school’s values are complimentary values “Inclusiveness, Honesty, Ambition and
Ownership”. The school’s main focal point is that effective teaching and learning
contributes to its assessment practices. The purpose of assessment is to recognise
success, which enables students to achieve. Student success is recognised and
celebrated within the school and their whanau.

Senior management acknowledges that providing a quality learning environment that
is conducive to their student needs enables the school to create pathways for all
students beyond school.

Recognising achievement The school has three pathway systems called
“splitting”. The first system includes courses that meet the needs of targeted
students and vocational courses that offer only unit standards. The second system
includes courses that offer internal achievement standards only and the final system
includes courses that offer a mix both internal and external achievement standards,
with the potential for students to gain course endorsement. However, students who
are in courses that don’t have any external assessment do have the opportunity to be
individually entered into external assessment opportunities if they wish.

Due to the small number of students who are engaged with NCEA, the school is able
to offer individualised programmes in their senior courses. They are able to design
programmes that best meet the diverse needs of students who are more challenged
by traditional academic subjects.

Course planning At the start of term three, each student meets with the careers
advisor to set their educational goals, aspirations and pathway plans for the following
year. Students will select the courses they wish to study. The PN oversees this
process to ensure course selections are appropriate for each student. Once these
plans are completed, the school conducts whanau hui during term three to meet with
both the student and their parents or caregivers to discuss their course selections.
Each TIC provides an overview of the courses they offer. The PN conducts an NCEA
presentation for all parents and caregivers.

The PN constantly monitors these plans to ensure students are tracking toward their
goals. If need be these can be amended, or in some cases, timeframes can be
adjusted to allow students with specific learning needs the opportunity to succeed.

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May 2012

Senior management acknowledges this approach, where learning is the main focus,
has created an environment of success. Students are reported to be more focused.
In particular, the school’s overall achievement rates have greatly improved.

Gathering evidence of achievement Since the last MNA visit, the school has
taken a pro-active approach to strengthening its assessment capacity to ensure
students can achieve to their potential. The school has developed innovative ways
teachers can assess their learners. In some cases assessment takes place when
the student is ready, rather than being driven by due dates.

Students are well informed prior to any assessment event taking place. Teachers
provide students with copies of the standards to be assessed and copies of
exemplars to help students unpack the standard to establish what the achievement
expectations are. As a result, students have a very good understanding of what is
expected.

The school has developed different approaches to assessment. During the teaching
and learning, teachers gather evidence to support a judgement for standards they
offer, such as integrating assessment practices with their teaching and learning. The
evidence generated in this process is used for assessment purposes.

All TICs visited have integrated the portfolio approach for some of the standards they
offer by using a variety of evidence such as checklist systems, photos of completed
projects, reading logs or journals, draft pieces of work, quizzes, end of topic tests and
other relevant evidence accumulated during the teaching and learning phase.
Students can also negotiate with teachers over which work will be submitted for
assessment or whether the current evidence requires further work. As a result,
senior management expressed satisfaction with how staff are integrating the holistic
approach to assessment, as students can demonstrate competency in many ways
other than a single assessment event. All TICs commented that these approaches to
assessment have given students an opportunity to demonstrate success in a mode
that is conducive to their needs.

The PN advised the SRM that they are trialling an E-Portfolio system called “Blended
Learning” for managing the collection of evidence for assessment purposes in their
year 7 and 8 classes. The findings from this trial will inform both senior management
and the board about possible policy and practice change, with the hope of rolling this
out across the school in the future.

Authenticity TICs understand their obligation to assist students to present
authentic work for assessment and to manage the authenticity challenges for
assessment in their curriculum areas. TICs use regular milestone deadlines for
assessments that span a longer period of time and they also check draft work.

Student work is stored in a secure place while assessment is in process, and this is a
valid mechanism for managing authenticity. In most cases, assessment is conducted
on site under teacher supervision.

Literacy and numeracy The school offers the new Work and Study Skills unit
standards for targeted students. The PN monitors this to ensure all students have
the best possible chance of the meeting literacy and numeracy requirements for
NCEA Level 1. If a student is not meeting expectations, the PN meets with both the
student and their parents, or caregivers, to put strategies in place to enable them to
achieve a positive outcome.

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May 2012

Identified action
No actions were identified as needed to improve the effective management of
assessment for national qualifications.

Moderation (CAAS Guidelines 2.6, 3v)
How effectively does the school manage internal and external moderation?

Internal moderation processes TICs team up in pairs to critique their assessment
material prior to use. To ensure all TICs comply with the school’s requirements,
critiquing must be completed one term before assessment takes place. All TICs must
submit a completed copy of the school’s Internal Moderation Coversheet to the PN
confirming the critiquing process has been completed.

As the school is small, there is an expectation that all departments must have
external links with colleagues from other schools, a subject advisor, or a person who
is a subject expert, for purposes of grade verification. If need be, the PN will help
facilitate moderation processes in departments that do not have an external link to
ensure no TIC is left in isolation. The school also uses the NZQA Optional Selected
Evidence process for purpose of grade verification and professional feedback. The
PN advised the SRM that she and her colleagues who use this process, have found
this of great value to help build greater understanding of assessing at the national
standard. Once the verification process has been completed, a copy of the school’s
Internal Moderation Coversheet must be given to the PN to confirm that the
department is meeting the school’s quality assurance requirements.

TICs have well established external links with colleagues from the Canterbury Area
Schools Association for the purposes of grade verification and curriculum support
and advice. This creates a mechanism where good practice with teaching and
assessment can be developed, benchmarked and shared within the school.

TICs interviewed effectively applied the school’s internal quality assurance system.
The SRM sighted completed Internal Moderation Coversheets from all departments
visited.

School’s self-review TICs must provide a copy of their course outlines to the PN in
the term four, identifying the standards they will offer the following year. Once the PN
receives all course outlines, she creates a school-wide internal moderation plan.
This plan helps the PN to manage internal moderation. It identifies all internal
standards offered, due dates of assessment, the critiquing team and the completion
of grade verification. The PN also uses the NZQA External moderation tracking
sheet to identify the standards that have been selected for external moderation to
complement the school’s quality assurance system. Hard copies of these are given
to all TICs. These plans are well publicised in the staffroom.

The PN also advised the SRM that no results are sent to NZQA until the verification
process complete. This system ensures only results that have been subject to the
school’s internal moderation process are forwarded to NZQA for processing.

The SRM acknowledges that the school’s quality assurance system has created a
culture of openness and transparency. TICs are fully aware of what they need to do
to meet the school’s quality assurance requirements. As mentioned earlier, both
internal and external moderation plans are on the staffroom wall for all to see. It acts
as a friendly remind to all TICs.

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May 2012

External moderation monitoring and follow up In order to manage and monitor
the school’s external moderation performance, the PN reviews all reports, and
summarises the findings in a report. All TICs meet with the PN to review their
external moderation performance. A copy of the PN’s own summary report and the
moderation report is given to the TIC. If any issues are raised, the PN requires the
TIC to develop an action plan to define how they will address the issues in their
moderation report.

If a department has consistently poor or questionable reports, a process is put in
place to assist it to make the required improvements. These may include mentoring
the department, using the NZQA Optional Teacher Selected Evidence or developing
links with colleagues through the Canterbury Area Schools Association to help with
grade verification and curriculum support.

Historical moderation outcomes The school’s most recent external moderation
round was 1 April 2011. Twenty-eight standards were selected for external
moderation. Materials for 25 standards were deemed to be at the national standard
and materials for three standards required modification. Modifications centered on
the need to elaborate on assessment schedules, including developing evidence and
judgment statements and/or updating to new versions.

Since 2009, all assessment materials have been received by NZQA. This gives
assurance to senior management and the board that the school’s storage of student
work for moderation is robust, and it means comprehensive feedback on a
department’s ability to assess at the national standard has been received.

The results of external moderation from 2009-2011 indicated a high level of
agreement between assessor judgments and the moderator. This gives added
assurance to both senior management and the board that the school’s assessment
practices are meeting the national standard.

The school’s own self-review system acknowledged that its internal moderation
practices are effectively applied. Teaching staff have well documented evidence to
demonstrate their effectiveness and they are thoroughly prepared for moderation. All
staff are able to meet deadlines and provide student work. As a result the school has
robust evidence and their external moderation results over the last three years have
been excellent.

Identified action
No actions were identified as needed to improve the management of internal and
external moderation.

Data (CAAS Guidelines 2.6, 2.7)
How effectively does the school manage and make use of assessment-related data?

Accuracy of assessment-related data The school uses a school management
system (SMS) to manage their entries and results. The PN works closely with all
TICs to ensure accurate entries for externally assessed standards and results for
internally assessed standards.

Timely checks are made using both school-based data and reports from the NZQA
website. TICs receive additional assistance from the PN at curriculum meetings to
ensure their mark books are set up accurately and in a timely fashion.

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May 2012

The PN uses the key dates as a milestone checking system to ensure all entries and
results are aligned with NZQA expectations. However, the PN has full control of each
mark book within the school. Only the PN can confirm all results and entries prior to
sending these to NZQA for processing. As part of the school’s reconciliation
process, the PN checks entries and results using both the school’s SMS and the
reporting facilities on the NZQA website. Once results have been finalised, TICs and
students sign results off. Students are also encouraged to check all results via the
learner log in facilities on the NZQA website.

The school provides regular formalised updates for both students and parents
through signposting, oral feedback at whanau hui during term three, newsletters and
student progress reporting during the academic year.

Analysis of results The school has a two-tier system for analysing student results.
The first tier is an analysis of the previous year’s results; this is undertaken by all
TICs to report on student achievement rates, achievement on individual standards,
internal and external performances, course endorsements, merit and excellence
grades and curriculum strengths and weaknesses in departments. These results are
presented to the PN and the Principal

The second tier is undertaken by the Board of Trustees’ secretary. The secretary
conducts a school-wide analysis of the previous year’s results making comparisons
nationally by gender and ethnicity. These results are measured against the school’s
overall education goals and objectives. These results are presented to staff and then
the Board of Trustees.

The findings from these reviews help to inform the board of the school’s performance
against the overall goals and objectives. The board and senior management can
identify areas of strength, areas that need improvement and make recommendations
that may influence policy and inform practice change.

Since the last MNA review the school acknowledges that their focus on meeting their
student needs with specialised individualised programmes has really made a
difference to assessment outcomes. Senior management and the Board of Trustees
have invested time and effort to meeting student needs. As a result, the school’s
overall student NCEA achievement targets have surpassed all expectations.

Identified action
No actions were identified as needed to improve the management and use of
assessment-related data.

Communication (CAAS Guidelines 2.4i, 2.6, 3v)
How effectively does the school maintain the currency of assessment policy and
procedures, and communicate them to staff, students and families?

Communication of policies and procedures to staff, students and their families
The following documents were provided for this visit:
  •   Akaroa Area School NQF Staff Handbook 2012
  •   Akaroa Area School NQF Student Handbook 2012.
The PN is responsible for the annual review and update of the school’s assessment
documentation. This review is undertaken at the end of the academic year in
preparation for the new year.

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May 2012

Once it has been completed, the PN meets with all teaching staff to discuss any
changes made to the guides. An updated hard copy of these guides is given to all
teaching staff in preparation for the new academic year.

Student information and support The PN meets with all senior students to inform
them of NCEA, university entrance and scholarship requirements. Upon receiving the
student handbook all students and parents or caregivers must sign off an NCEA
Declaration Form confirming they have received their handbook.

During term three the school holds a student and parent NCEA evenings for senior
students. At this evening hui, the PN discuss the school’s assessment policies and
processes. Parents and students have an opportunity to discuss and develop their
career pathways, educational goals and aspirations and subject choices. Attendance
is excellent and feedback from both parents and students has been very positive.

Professional support of teaching staff Teaching staff have attended the NZQA
Moderation Best Practice workshops. Staff who attended these found them of great
value in helping them improve their assessment and moderation practices.

Another initiative includes some departments engaging with the Ministry of Education
Professional Learning and Development led by Canterbury and Otago universities
and Ngai Tahu.

Course outlines and assessment statements To ensure all departments have a
consistent message about assessment, all TICs are provided with a course outline
template. In term three, TICs are required design the programmes for the following
year. Once these have been approved by the PN at the start of each year, TICs
induct students into their courses. Part of this process includes providing an overview
of the course and information about the standards to be assessed, credit value,
modes of assessment and timelines.

Identified action
No actions were identified as needed to maintain the currency of assessment policy
and procedures, and communicate them to staff, students and families.

Summary
Akaroa Area School is to be commended for the good assessment practices that
have been implemented over time. There is a strong commitment on the part of staff
to help and support each other and to ensure consistency of assessment against
national standards. The quality assurance practices are robust and as a result, the
school has the capability and capacity to identify issues and implement changes.
There is a clear intent by senior management to strengthen and improve existing
assessment practices within the school to encourage excellent assessment practice
and the best possible outcomes for students.

The school’s own evaluation of the effectiveness of its systems for managing
assessment for national qualifications revealed no significant issues which prevent it
from meeting NZQA requirements. The school has well established review
mechanisms and it has identified some areas referred to in this report that would
benefit from further attention.

Based on the outcome of this assessment systems check, it is anticipated that the
next Managing National Assessment review will be conducted within four years.

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May 2012