Assessment

Students will be issued with a course outline and an assessment schedule each year. This may indicate (as closely as possible) the dates for each assessment event. Prior to each assessment event, teachers will indicate to the students the nature of what is required of them in that assessment, and the final dates will be published.

Students should familiarise themselves with the NZQA website - www.nzqa.govt.nz. Here you can find old exams, internal exemplars, samples of internal tasks, copies of the unit and achievement standards and check your results that are updated each month.  You will need to know your National Student Number (NSN) to login.  Your tutor teacher can help you find this.

Recording Results

Students can request to know their grades as recorded by the teacher on KAMAR. They can also use the student portal on KAMAR to see these results.

Some internally assessed standards will be externally moderated. This is done to ensure fairness at a national level. Your grade may change because of this process.

Appeals

Students have the right to appeal a grade, a late work, missed assessment decision or differing assessment conditions, where they have reasonable grounds for doing so. Follow the sequence below:

1. Approach your teacher and clarify the concerns within 10 school days.
2. If the student is not satisfied with the above approach, they must appeal to the HOF (Head of Faculty) in writing. The HOF must keep this on file, along with any resolution.  The HOF will notify students in writing regarding the outcome of the appeal.
3. If the student is still not satisfied, they must appeal to the Principal’s Nominee. This shall again be in writing. The Principal’s Nominee and Senior Management will consult with the classroom teacher and the HOF. The Principal’s Nominee’s decision will be final, and the student will be notified in writing. 

Reassessment

Reassessment opportunities are at the discretion of individual subject faculties. If a reassessment opportunity is available, a maximum of one reassessment will be offered. The reassessment will be a new task. The reassessment does not have to be in class time.

Late Work and Missed Assessments

For missed assessments or deadlines, NOT ACHIEVED will be awarded.   The exceptions are:

• Sickness or personal emergency—present the work or be prepared to sit the test within the first two days back. For absences of 1 to 3 days a signed note from parents will also be required on the first day back. For absences of more than 3 days, a medical certificate or other substantial evidence will be required. Students deal with your CLASS TEACHER.
• School trip e.g. Field trip or sports exchange — Hand the work in before you go away. In the case of a test, be prepared to sit this within the first two days back.
• Planned absence e.g. Family holiday — present a note to the Associate Principal applying for permission to take the time off. If approval is given, hand the work in before you go, or be prepared to sit the test within the first two days back.

Compassionate Consideration for Internal Standards

You may apply for compassionate consideration where circumstances beyond your control have affected your ability to complete an assessment to your usual standard e.g. migraine headache, family trauma.

NOTE: it may be preferable to let the teacher know immediately prior to the assessment. An option may then be to sit at a later date.

However, if you have sat the assessment and wish to apply for compassionate consideration then follow the sequence below:

1. The student must apply in writing to the Principal’s Nominee within 24 hours of the due date, and preferably earlier
2. For illness, a medical certificate will be required. For other circumstances, substantial evidence will be required
3. The Principal’s Nominee will meet with the teacher. Evidence will be gathered from student’s previous work, where possible. Students will be notified in writing.

Academic Integrity

At Southland Boys’ High School, we uphold academic integrity as a fundamental principle of education.  Plagiarism, including the unauthorised use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate work for submission, is strictly prohibited.  Students must submit original work and properly cite all sources used in research and assignments.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

• Copying or closely paraphrasing another person’s work without proper citation.
• Submitting work written, in whole or in part, by someone else.
• Using AI-generated content as a final submission without proper acknowledgement.
• Failing to attribute ideas, images, or data obtained from external sources.

Any student found to have engaged in plagiarism, including submitting AI-generated work as their own, will face the following consequences:

• First offence: Automatic failing grade on the assignment and a mandatory meeting with a teacher or Head of Department.  Parents/caregivers will be notified.
• Repeated offences: Further disciplinary action will be considered by the Senior Management team.

Students who have knowingly let another student copy their work will be awarded NOT ACHIEVED for that standard. 

Students who have received a NOT ACHIEVED grade through this process will not be eligible for any reassessment opportunities.

Authenticity

In order to be sure that the assignment you present is your own work, you will be required to comply with any or all of the following:

• Keep a log of progress
• Show your work to the teacher at various checkpoints
• Sign a statement of authenticity
• Answer some oral questions to confirm your understanding
• Keep ongoing work on site

Breaches of the Rules

If a student breaches any of the assessment conditions, then an investigation will be carried out by the Principal’s Nominee. The student will be notified in writing about the outcome of the investigation. If the breach is upheld, then the student will be awarded NOT ACHIEVED for the standard. The assessment conditions are specific to the standard being awarded and will be on the task.

Storing Work

Your teachers will keep your assessments for at least 10 school days after you have been notified of your grade for that assessment and all other classes doing the same standards have completed them. After this time, work will be kept by the subject faculty for moderation purposes or destroyed (for reasons of authenticity).

Important Contacts

Principal’s Nominee:              Mr M Buick

                                               [email protected]

Associate Rector:                   Mr L Dunn

                                               [email protected]