May 2021 EmaiLink 3

Key dates

Date	Event
10 May	Exam Centre Manager nominations open online
28 May	Return signed Exam Centre Memoranda of Understanding for Tēina/Tuākana kura and schools
1 June	Data file submission due
3 June	Digital Technologies & Hangarau Matihiko Common Assessment Tasks (DCAT) and MCAT Level 1, 91027–Departments start to confirm entries. NZQA advertises for external markers. Online applications open
7 June	Queen’s Birthday
16 June	Final date to submit Exam Centre Memorandum of Agreement online
18 June	Exam Centre Manager nominations close online
23 June	Candidate NSN cards sent to schools
1 July	Data file submissions due SAC entitlements to external standards from now
9 July	Term 2 ends

General administration and data

1 May Data File Submission

Please review the error messages from your data file submission and make the necessary amendments to your system, then generate and submit a new file.

Your NZQA Data Liaison and Records Officer will monitor this and email you about any errors as they occur. Please refer to the SMS User Guide and Web Entries User Guide below, but also through your provider login under Data File Submission for guidance on how to resolve the error.

Submission of Data Files and Review of Error and Warning Messages: User guide for SMS Schools [PDF, 829 KB]

Review of Error and Warning Messages: User guide for Web Entries Schools [PDF, 576 KB]

Keep Contact Details Current

We need to be able to contact the right people, so please keep the contact details of your school up to date. Guidelines explaining how to do this were included in EmaiLink #7 of 2018.  A copy can be found through your Provider Login at General Security/EmaiLink/October 2018.

Update of NZQA Access Guide

Information on the levels of access you can give staff to your Provider Login page has been updated and is available on our website. 

Data submission to NZQA (external link)

Please ensure that your SENCO details are updated so that they can receive the regular SAC Updates and also consider adding your Learning Support Coordinator as a SAC contact.

NZQA School Access Quick Reference Guide [PDF, 131 KB]

Students Using a School Address

Please ensure that when students use a School address, that they use the correct postal address for your school.

Digital practice exams

Entering Students for Digital Practice Exams

Submitting digital external entries to NZQA will mean we automatically provision you for both the practice exam subjects (English, Classical Studies, Media Studies, Te Reo Māori, Classics, Ag. Hort, and Te Reo Rangatira) and end of year exams.

To help us ensure your school is properly provisioned for digital practice exams we will contact you to confirm your intent and ask for:

• a key contact to be the school administrator for the digital practice exams
• the list of subjects and levels you plan to offer
• an indication of the dates you have timetabled for these exams

Make sure you submit digital entries to NZQA by:

• 1 July for digital practice exams in August
• 1 August for digital practice exams scheduled in September and October

Digital practice information can be found on our website. Check out the next EmaiLink for details about how and when the training and support material will be provided for you to deliver practice exams.

NZQA digital practice exams 2022 (external link)

Student Log-in for All Digital Exams

Students will use their NZQA student log-in details to access all digital exams this year including practice, end of year, RAS and Te Ao Haka pilots, and DCAT exams. Make sure that before these exams, they create an account if they don’t already have one, and check their username and password.

Login Options (external link)

If students have any problems creating or using their login, they should call the NZQA Contact Centre on 0800 697 296.

Digital Technologies Common Assessment Tasks (DCATs)

This year we are planning to use the NCEA Online platform for students to answer and submit their work for the Level 1, 2 and 3 Digital Technology Common Assessments Tasks. The way you administer these assessments will be like the digital practice exams. While the details will be provided later in Term 2, if you are inexperienced with digital exams and want to think about the things you need to plan for, please contact your School Relationship Manager.

Key changes to end of year digital language exams

All 2021 end of year digital language exams will include an audio file for the listening component of the exam. Students will be able to choose when they answer the listening standard and will need headphones
A circular with further detail about this will be published later in Term 2
NCEA Online 2020 Student Survey and School Participation Information

Schools which participated in NCEA Online in 2020 can get the summarised responses for their school (in cases where there were more than 20 student survey responses)
The report provides separate data for Māori and Pacific students at school, region and national level where applicable
Contact your School Relationship Manager to request this report
The NCEA Online 2020 Evaluation reports will be published on our website in June

Examination Calculator Use

Information on the NZQA website calculator page will be amended today to read:

The scientific and graphing calculators listed below are approved for the following NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship examination subjects: Accounting, Agricultural and Horticultural Science, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Economics, Geography, Mathematics, Calculus, Statistics, Physics, Science.

Calculators are not permitted in other NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship examinations.

Approved Calculator List (external link)

Consultation opportunities

Review of Vocational Education (RoVE)

NZQA is launching a formal consultation on simplifying New Zealand qualifications and other credentials. The proposals seek to:

ensure that vocational qualifications support learner mobility and consistent skills for employers, whilst retaining flexibility for regional needs

simplify the credentials landscape so that it is easier for learners and employers to navigate

enable Workforce Development Councils to develop micro-credentials for providers to deliver.

For more information and to check out the proposals, go to our consultation resources page. The consultation documents, along with videos and other resources are also available on this page:

Consultation Resources (external link)

Consultation finishes on 16 June 2021.

If you have any questions about this consultation, please contact VQconsult@nzqa.govt.nz.

Engagement on Draft Principles of Assessment and Aromatawai

NZQA is refreshing the assessment statement and principles that articulate, for all secondary and tertiary providers and assessors, NZQA’s position on high quality assessment.

Stakeholder feedback on draft Principles of Assessment and Aromatawai is being sought. More information, draft principles and survey questions can be found on the consultation page.

Engagement on draft Principles of Assessment and Aromatawai

Feedback can be sent by Friday 28 May 2021 to: assessmentandaromatawai@nzqa.govt.nz

Information for staff

Level 1 Media Studies Sample Assessment

Standard 90991 (external link)