Managing National Assessment Report 2012 Gloriavale Christian Community School

Managing National
  Assessment
    Report

       2012

Gloriavale Christian
Community School

Managing National Assessment Report
Gloriavale Christian Community School

31 August 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 for
       Schools with Consent to Assess 2012 (Assessment Rules); 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 on 29 July 2010
  •    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, Assistant Principal’s Nominee, Principal and the Heads of
Department (HODs) for Agriculture, Engineering, English, Mathematics and Science.
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, Principal’s Nominee and senior
teachers at the end of the visit to highlight strengths and weaknesses, with
suggested strategies for good practice and to agree on recommended actions.

Gloriavale Christian Community School MNA Report   2
August 2012

2010 Managing National Assessment Report (CAAS Guidelines 3v)
Evidence was sought that action items in the previous MNA report have been
effectively addressed.

All items from the last MNA have been actioned.

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 opportunities The school runs two internally assessed
programmes, one for boys and one for girls, based predominantly around unit
standards. The school does not currently engage with external assessment as the
numbers of entries are too small for it to be an examination centre and the school is
not prepared to have students attend another examination centre. The possibility of
the school engaging with the Mathematics Common Assessment Task was
discussed. This is an external assessed standard administered and marked by the
school.

The school identifies that students are motivated to achieve when their courses or
training opportunities are based on real-life projects, which are perceived as being
relevant to their future. The courses offered are, therefore, designed around the
practical skills required within the community and students at 15 or 16 years of age
transition to work within the community. Outside providers such as Porse and Te Aho
o Te Kura Pounamu are used to complement the skills set of the teaching staff and
the school has also extended its consent to assess to enable it to assess practical
skills around farming, engineering and construction. Currently, a staff member is
undertaking training so that the school will be able to further extend its consent to
assess and increase assessment opportunities.

Assessment programmes for courses are based around standards with a practical
nature rather than academic and assessment tasks are modified to be more culturally
inclusive for students and relevant to their life experiences. Community events are
taken into consideration when organising the timing of assessments to ensure that
the students have an opportunity to achieve their best performance. There is also an
emphasis on assessment taking place when students are ready to ensure success
as this then avoids the need for another assessment opportunity.

Monitoring students’ progress The school uses the Gloriavale Christian
Community School, NCEA Progress Report to track each student’s progress monthly
towards completion of qualifications including numeracy and literacy requirements.
The school has used historical data to calculate the parameters of the number of
credits that need to be achieved each month of the year to ensure achievement of
qualifications. Falling below this level is an indication to both students and parents
that the student is at risk of not achieving their goal.

The school expressed concern about the difficulty of students achieving the current
Level 1 literacy and numeracy requirements through the use of achievement
standards. With English and Mathematics courses limited to internal assessment,
there are not enough assessment opportunities that can be offered. In discussion
with the SRM it was identified that some students were achieving literacy
requirements through courses undertaken through Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu. As a

Gloriavale Christian Community School MNA Report   3
August 2012

result the school plans to review its assessment programmes to look at other
assessment opportunities that will enable students to achieve these requirements.

While the school is not currently involved with assessing the Work and Study unit
standards for literacy and numeracy it is undertaking professional development to
investigate the opportunity to assess students using a portfolio approach, which is
being explored at primary levels within the school.

Missed and late assessment The school has appropriate procedures to be
followed if a student misses an assessment opportunity but this is referred to as a
derived grade, a term which is a term reserved for external assessment. It was
agreed that this amendment would be made when documentation was reviewed for
2013. There is an embedded understanding that if a student has had an adequate
assessment opportunity a grade must be awarded.

Identified action
No action was 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 The school requires that all internally assessed
standards are quality assured before reporting results to NZQA. This involves
critiquing the task prior to use against the standard and verification of a sample of
grades by another subject expert. The school expects the Internal Moderation Cover
Sheet to be completed to document that these processes have been carried out.
Where there is no other subject expert within the school, external providers such as
Porse or Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu are the assessors.

Staff interviewed showed completed coversheets and the means by which
verification has taken place including those involved with industry training
organisation standards. They discussed contacts that have been made with other
schools and attendance at workshops as a means of ensuring they have an
understanding of the national standard.

Audit of internal moderation processes The Principal’s Nominee showed the
SRM a summary sheet of moderation for the school. Before results are reported a
record is made of who verifies and when verification has taken place. This acts as an
assurance that the school is complying with the requirements to only report results
that have been internally moderated by the school.

External moderation When assessment material is returned from external
moderation the Principal’s Nominee works with teachers to review any issues that
have arisen, including ensuring external support is sought if necessary, and checks
that all required modifications are made. The school also uses the appeal process to
ensure clarity around the moderators’ reports.

The Principal follows up the moderation reports from industrial training organisations
in a similar manner.

The last external moderation round for the school was October 2011. Material was
submitted for all five standards. The moderators agreed with all grade judgements
Gloriavale Christian Community School MNA Report   4
August 2012

and suggested a minor modification to one assessment task.

Identified action
No action was 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 Principal’s Nominee enters results on
the NZQA web-site and this data is checked after each month’s submission.

Students are encouraged to record the outcome of assessment in their record book.
They do not have access to the internet so the Assistant Principal’s Nominee checks
using their log-ins to ensure the accuracy of the data, order certificates and arrange
result notices to be sent.

Use of assessment-related data There is an embedded practice of self-review in
the school. At the end of each unit, teachers reflect on the assessment outcome in
relationship to the teaching and learning process. The school identified that this
approach had led to improving assessment outcomes for students.

Identified action
No action was 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:
  •    Staff Handbook 2012, Heads of Department
  •    Staff Handbook 2012, Classroom Teachers
  •    NCEA Levels 1-3, Student Record book, for Girls 2012
  •    NCEA Level 1-3, Student Record book, for Boys, 2012.

These documents are reviewed annually and issued to staff and students. All staff
interviewed understand the requirements of assessment. The school agreed to make
the changes to documentation mentioned in this report when next updated.

The nature of the community means that parents talk informally to school staff on a
constant basis. Assessment information is reported to parents monthly on the NCEA
Progress Report and the Principal uses this opportunity to discuss with parents any
relevant concerns that the school may have around a student’s progress.

Identified action
No action was identified as needed to maintain the currency of assessment policy
Gloriavale Christian Community School MNA Report   5
August 2012

and procedures, and communicate them to staff, students and families

Summary

Gloriavale Christian Community School is commended for its on-going commitment
to ensuring the credibility of assessment for national qualifications.

Teachers have developed assessment opportunities that meet the needs of their
students and the special character of the school community and have a good
understanding of the school’s assessment procedures and practice. The school is
working to improve assessment opportunities further by investigating different
methods of gathering evidence to recognise achievement.

Internal and external moderation is effectively managed and the school only reports
results for internal assessment that are subject to the school’s internal moderation
procedure.

The 2012 Managing National Assessment review identified no significant issues that
prevent the school from meeting the requirements of the Consent to Assess Against
Standards on the Directory of Assessment Standards Rules 2011 and its Guidelines.

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

Gloriavale Christian Community School MNA Report   6
August 2012