1. COURSE REQUIREMENTS
It is the School’s policy that the majority of students preparing for NCEA Level 1 or 2 will undertake a course of study in six subjects. For Level 3, students are expected to take five subjects. Any entry requirements for specific subjects are outlined in the School curriculum booklet.
Students seeking an exception to this policy or these requirements must seek approval through the DP (Academics) of Whitby Collegiate.
In accordance with the School’s policy it is expected that every student will:
- complete all requirements for each course in which she or he is enrolled,
- fulfill all reasonable homework and assignment requirements,
- attend classes regularly, as set out in the school policy on attendance.
2. COURSE OUTLINE AND ASSESSMENT PROGRAMME
At the beginning of Term 1, all subject teachers will provide students with the following information using Google Classroom:
- an outline of the course for the year,
- an overview of learning areas to be covered and an approximate time frame,
- a term planner detailing:
- specifications of all NCEA standards to be assessed during the year,
- how internal assessment will be carried out and due dates,
- any further assessment opportunities that will be offered,
- how and when practice assessment towards external standards will occur,
3. INTERNAL ASSESSMENT
Due Dates
Due dates for internal assessment are advised well in advance and, in fairness to all students, must be observed. Students are expected to manage their time effectively. It is not acceptable to miss other classes to complete or prepare for internal assessment. On the date that a ‘take home’ internal assessment assignment is due, it is to be handed in promptly, via Google Classroom or directly to the teacher as arranged. Work submitted after that time will have failed to meet the deadline and students will have to make a special case to the DP (Academics) to have their work considered.
4. MISSED AND LATE ASSESSMENTS
Circumstances may occur which are beyond the student’s control, when s/he is unable to be present for an internal assessment or has not been able to complete internal assessment by the due date. Legitimate absences include illness, family distress (e.g. bereavement), and school-approved trips. Information is outlined below on how such situations are dealt.
Illness
Where a student is ill on the date an assignment is due, it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the assignment is either submitted digitally, or delivered to the School on that day. Students or their caregivers should phone the School and advise when the assignment will arrive at the office.
When a student is unable to present him/herself for internal assessment because of illness and requests assessment on another date, a medical certificate may be requested, stating that the doctor has examined the student and that in his/her opinion the student was “sufficiently unwell to present him/herself on (specify date) for assessment.”
When illness has prevented a student from meeting a deadline or preparing for assessment, a medical certificate may be requested, stating that the doctor has examined the student and that in their opinion the student was “sufficiently unwell in the (number) days immediately prior to (date) to meet the requirements of his/her internal assessment task.”
Family Distress
A phone call from a parent to the DP (Academics) or Executive Principal of Whitby Collegiate to explain the problem is required. Such information will be confidential.
School Trips
If a student knows that s/he is going to be out of school on a field trip, sports trip, or other school approved outing when an assessment is due, s/he should notify the teacher in advance. The work should be handed in before his/her departure.
Non-completion
Students who take self-interest leave (for example, a family holiday) or who fail to complete a task for internal assessment without evidence of a legitimate absence, are not eligible to be awarded a grade for the missed standard and will be given a Not Achieved for the assessment if they have not officially withdrawn from it before starting the assessment.
Catching Up on Missed Assessment
On her/his return to School following a verified, legitimate absence, a student will be given, where possible and practicable, any test which s/he may have missed or an extension to complete assignment work by an agreed date. In situations other than illness, an extension may be granted at the discretion of the DP (Academics). However, such extensions are only granted in exceptional circumstances.
Extensions
If an extension is required students will need to complete the form Request for an Extension and give it to the DP (Academics) at least one week before the due date of the assessment. A copy of this form is on the school website, or available from the DP (Academics).
All assessment that occurs outside the set dates must be negotiated through the DP (Academics). In some instances, it may be impractical for students with legitimate absences to be assessed for a particular standard.
Further Assessment Opportunities
It is up to each department to decide whether it is practical and/or manageable to offer further assessment opportunities and resubmissions. In many cases it is only possible to offer one opportunity. Subject outlines will make it clear how evidence is collected and what further opportunities are available. However, a range of strategies suited to an individual subject may be used to collect further evidence of student achievement.
A further assessment opportunity is offered to the whole class, giving all students the opportunity to improve their grade. The teacher will also do some more teaching to help students prepare for this new opportunity.
Resubmissions
These may only be offered to students who are at Not Achieved and could make minor alterations to their work to increase their grade to Achieved. The maximum grade possible after a resubmission is Achieved. The teacher cannot give any further teaching. A resubmission is carried out under supervision.
Electronic Mishaps
Students need to be aware that electronic mishaps are not a legitimate excuse for missed deadlines. Back-up copies, Google Docs, print-outs of work in progress, and email are ways by which a student can ensure that there is sufficient evidence of their progress towards assessment.
Special Conditions
Assistance is available for students who need special conditions for internal and external assessment, and who have been identified as meeting the necessary criteria. If you believe you are eligible for special assessment conditions, and these have not been discussed, please talk to the DP (Academics) or the SENCo.
5. BREACHES OF RULES
If a student is found to have compromised the credibility of an assessment, including class tests, internal assessments, and Derived Grade examinations, they have breached the rules. Possible breaches could include not following instructions given, influencing, assisting, hindering other students or disrupting the assessment. Copying another student’s work or material straight from the internet or books is covered under Authenticity.
If a teacher suspects a Breach of Rules has occurred, it will be reported to the DP (Academics). The student will be interviewed to find out their side of the story. If the DP (Academics) is satisfied a breach did occur the student will be given a Not Achieved grade. Parents will be informed of any instances of this and students have the right to appeal to the Executive Principal if they feel the decision has been unfair.
Authenticity
Each student is encouraged to read around the topic s/he is preparing for assessment, discuss ideas and seek advice. This is a valuable part of the learning process. However, a student’s own work is based on her/ his own experiences, research and reading; it changes the words, forms, and ideas of other people in some significant way. By handing in a piece of work for assessment a student is claiming that the work is her/his own.
Parents and caregivers must be sure not to assist their children in the completion of internal assessments, which must be the student’s own work. A student who submits work for assessment that s/he has not written or produced himself/herself is guilty of plagiarism. This is a serious offense in any academic or publishing environment.
OpenAI’s policies explicitly forbid the use of ChatGPT for fraudulent activity, including plagiarism and academic dishonesty. The use of Chat GPT or other AI chatbots is not permitted at Whitby Collegiate for the purposes of assessment.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism means presenting someone else’s work (words, ideas, or information) as your own; it is a kind of theft.
How to Avoid Plagiarism:
- Include an appropriate bibliography. Work that directly quotes or copies the ideas, words or forms of another person must be properly acknowledged and attributed to that person.
- If in doubt, check with a teacher, before the task is completed, whether an intended form of assistance is appropriate for a particular assessment task.
- State the contribution of all group members when more than one person is involved in group assessments.
- Don’t copy off the internet or a friend (even if you put it in your own words). This includes work from previous years’ assessments.
- Keep plans, drafts, worksheets or logbooks used when items of work are produced over an extended period (i.e. longer than two weeks).
- Avoid taking passages from multiple sources and piecing them together, and turning the work in as your own.
- Do not use any AI Chatbot like ChatGPT, Character.ai, or Snapchat’s My AI when preparing your assessment.
- Be aware that Grammarly is a form of AI and should be avoided.
- In exams or under test conditions, it is essential that a student’s work can be verified as his/her own.
If the authenticity of a student’s work is called into question, the matter will be referred to the DP (Academics). The issue will be discussed with the student to see if a resolution is possible; this is dependent on the form the plagiarism takes. In most circumstances, it is probable that a Not Achieved grade will be awarded. Parents will be informed of this and the evidence shared with them.
6. EXTERNAL ASSESSMENTS
Derived grades
Where a student is unable to sit an external examination or her/ his performance is adversely affected because of illness or other personal misfortune, s/he may be eligible for a derived grade. In this case the school is asked to provide evidence of the student’s achievement based on practice assessment, usually from school or DG examinations, towards the standard. Where students have not completed those practice standards, a derived grade may not be possible.
Emergency grades
In the event of an emergency preventing students from completing their NCEA external examinations, the school will send practice results completed through the year to NZQA. This is likely to be from the Derived Grade examinations.
Conduct in Derived Grade Examinations at Whitby Collegiate
During the year, the teachers at Whitby Collegiate will ensure that students are familiar with the regulations that govern NCEA external assessment and all class tests and school examinations are conducted under NZQA conditions. This will ensure that students are familiar with the appropriate procedures. Any breach during class tests and/or the school Derived Grade examinations will result in a Not Achieved grade being awarded. This could be detrimental if a student needs to apply for a derived grade or if emergency grades are required for their final grade.
Conduct in NCEA External Examinations
Students who breach NZQA regulations during NCEA external assessment are liable to have their results declared invalid. These rules are clearly set out in the candidate information given to students before they sit these examinations and are reinforced by the Principal’s Nominee (DP (Academics)) in a briefing prior to the start of these examinations.
7. KEEPING RECORDS AND CHECKING RESULTS
During the year, students should keep an eye on all assessment grades using the KAMAR portal or by using their NZQA Student login. In addition, students have the opportunity to check and verify the computer printout of all internally assessed standards several times during the year. Results are also available at any time on the Kamar Student and Parent Portal. Students will need to verify their results on NZQA using their student login. Any queries regarding grades need to be addressed with the Principal’s Nominee (DP (Academics)) as soon as they are noticed.
Confidentiality
Student results are confidential to the student concerned. Sometimes work will be kept by the teacher to be used as an example for other teachers and students. If work is selected for this purpose the student will be asked to sign a permission form for this.
8. APPEALS
Students should sign to confirm their acceptance of each internal assessment result. If a student disputes any part of the assessment or the grade, it is his/her right to:
- discuss it with the teacher and query the assessment or the grade at the time the work is returned.
- query the grade with the AP (Academics) or DP (Academics) if s/he is still not satisfied.
- request that the work be re-assessed by completing an Appeal form, found on the school website, or from the DP (Academics).
Appeals should be lodged with the DP (Academics) within a week of the work being returned to the student.
9. REPORTING/FEEDBACK ON STUDENT PROGRESS
Students and their parents receive regular reports, both verbal and written, during the course of the year. Parent/Teacher Interviews are at the end of Term 1 and Term 3 and are an opportunity for parents and students to discuss progress in each subject and to set goals for further improvement. As well as Live Reporting during the year, parents/caregivers will also receive a formal school report giving results for internal assessment and practice results for external standards.
Students and parents are welcome to discuss their goals or any concerns about their academic progress with the DP (Academics).
NZQA website: www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea. On this website students may view:
- assessment specifications for all standards
- previous years’ examination papers for external standards and exemplars
- the current NCEA examination timetable.
Students will be given their NSN (National Student Number) prior to their first set of external examinations. This is their number for all subsequent NCEA assessments. Students will use their NSN to log into the NZQA website and check their entry details, access their examination results in mid-January, and their Record of Learning. It is important that students can log into the NZQA website for digital examinations.
10. RETURN OF EXAMINATION BOOKLETS
All answer booklets will be returned to students by mail and/or electronically at the end of January. Instructions are included about sending any booklets in for reconsideration and/or review, the date this needs to be done by and how much it costs. If you are unsure whether you should do this then speak with your teachers for their advice. If examination booklets are not returned, or any are missing, then students must let the DP (Academics) know as soon as possible. Students should let the DP (Academics) know when they are applying for a reconsideration or review.