Quality assurance criteria for the listing
of unit standards on the Directory of
Assessment Standards
CONTENTS
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 3
Principles .............................................................................................................. 4
General requirements ........................................................................................... 5
Specific quality criteria for unit standards ......................................................... 6
1
Titles .............................................................................................................. 6
2
Classification ................................................................................................. 7
3
Levels ............................................................................................................ 7
4
Credits ........................................................................................................... 7
5
Grades ........................................................................................................... 7
6
Purpose statements ....................................................................................... 8
7
Explanatory notes .......................................................................................... 8
8
Outcome statements ..................................................................................... 9
9
Evidence requirements ................................................................................ 10
10 Range statements ....................................................................................... 10
11 Entry information ......................................................................................... 11
12 Consent and Moderation Requirements ...................................................... 11
13 Planned review date .................................................................................... 11
14 Expiry date................................................................................................... 11
Making changes to unit standards .................................................................... 12
Review of unit standards ...................................................................................... 13
Revision of unit standards .................................................................................... 13
Rollover of unit standards ..................................................................................... 14
Change of expiry date for expiring unit standards................................................. 14
Reinstatement of expired unit standards .............................................................. 14
Quality assurance criteria for the listing of unit standards on the Directory of Assessment Standards Page 2 of 14
Quality assurance criteria for the listing of unit standards
on the Directory of Assessment Standards
Te manu ka kai i te miro, nōna te ngahere
Te manu ka kai i te mātauranga, nōna te ao.
The bird that partakes of the berry, his is the forest
The bird that partakes of the knowledge, his is the world.
Introduction
Purpose of this document
This document outlines the criteria that will be used in the quality assurance of unit
standards prior to listing them on the Directory of Assessment Standards (DAS).
Separate criteria and guidelines are documented for achievement standards and for
cover sheets for Australian units of competency.
These criteria take effect from 1 August 2010.
Purpose of the Directory of Assessment Standards
The Directory of Assessment Standards lists all quality assured unit and
achievement standards, known collectively as ‘assessment standards’. The
assessment standards listed on the DAS can contribute to nationally recognised
qualifications. Nationally recognised qualifications are listed on the New Zealand
Qualifications Framework (NZQF).
The use of unit standards in nationally recognised qualifications helps to ensure that:
 clear outcomes are recognised
 nationally consistent standards apply to recognised outcomes
 existing knowledge and skills are recognised and credited on the candidate’s
Record of Achievement.
The DAS is supported by a three-pronged quality system:
 Quality assurance of standards – assessment standards are quality assured
before being listed on the DAS.
 Consent to assess against standards (prior to 1 July 2010 this was referred to
as NQF accreditation) – organisations demonstrate that they are able to develop
or access assessment resources, undertake internal moderation, engage in the
Standard Setting Body’s (SSB’s) national external moderation system, and report
results in a timely manner.
 National external moderation of assessment – the SSB which develops
standards runs a moderation system that ensures national consistency of
assessment decisions against standards.
Classification
Standards listed on the DAS are classified in a system that is made up of three tiers:
fields, subfields, and domains. The DAS can be explored or searched from
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/explore/index.do.
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What are unit standards?
Unit standards specify learning and/or performance outcomes (what the candidate
can do) and the required standard of knowledge and/or performance (how well the
candidate can do it). Outcomes can include knowledge, skills, behaviours, attitudes,
and values. Unit standards provide the basis for the design of assessment. Their
intended audience includes educators, trainers, assessors, candidates, and
moderators.
Unit standards specify the critical assessment evidence that is required to support a
confident assessor judgement.
Unit standards and education and training programmes
Unit standards cannot prescribe the delivery of education and training programmes
but, in describing required performance, can inform the design of such programmes.
Unit standards may, however, include guidance about education and training
programmes where such guidance is likely to assist in the interpretation of the unit
standard and lead to more effective education and training practices.
Capability and competence
Some unit standards recognise capability – the individual’s readiness to enter a trade
or profession, to assume an entry level role in the workplace, or to undertake more
advanced study. Others recognise competence – the candidate has provided
compelling evidence that they can perform the outcome, and the assessor is highly
confident that the candidate can repeat the performance. Capability is often
developed in a provider-based learning environment, whereas competence usually
needs to be developed through practice in real or realistic settings.
Principles
The following general principles are intended to ensure that unit standards are fit for
purpose in relation to all stakeholders.
Unit standards are:
 free from any unnecessary or unreasonable barriers to achievement on the basis
of gender, ethnicity, or cultural background
 consistent with the principles of te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi1.
Each unit standard:
 represents a significant outcome worthy of recognition in its own right
 recognises a significant outcome for which the need can be demonstrated
 specifies clear and achievable outcomes.
1 More information about the principles of te Tiriti can be accessed here:
http://www.waitangi-tribunal.govt.nz/treaty/principles.asp
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General requirements
A unit standard will be listed on the DAS when the following general requirements
have been met.
Assessment
There are no unnecessary or unreasonable restrictions on the pace or mode of
assessment.
The outcomes and associated evidence requirements are manageable, coherent,
assessable, and consistent with valid assessment practice.
Portability
The unit standard does not duplicate the significant outcome of any other unit
standard.
The unit standard does not restrict assessment of generic and transferable outcomes
to specific contexts.
Quality of language
The unit standard is of publishable quality.
Unit standards use clear and accessible language that is appropriate for all intended
users.
Coverage
The content of the unit standard is within the SSB’s area of responsibility. For ITOs,
unit standards must relate to the ITO’s gazetted coverage. For other SSBs, unit
standards must relate to the SSB’s strategic goals.
Consultation and endorsement
The unit standard has been endorsed as being fit for purpose by the sector for which
it is intended. Consultation must take place with current and intended users. This
may include professional and trade organisations, employers, unions, organisations
with consent to assess against the unit standard, and trainees. Feedback from
moderation must be considered for reviewed and revised unit standards.
Collaborative development
SSBs are encouraged to work together in developing unit standards that will meet
the needs of several industries and/or sectors. This increases the portability of the
unit standards across qualifications and training programmes. Such unit standards
can be characterised as ‘industry generic’.
Where applications are developed collaboratively, the resulting unit standards will
not fall neatly within a single ITO’s coverage. Evidence will therefore need to be
provided that workable arrangements have been made for appropriate participation
in the process for granting consent to assess against unit standards and for national
external moderation of the unit standards.
Collaborative arrangements normally need to be supported by a Memorandum of
Understanding, or an equivalent document, and by the Tertiary Education
Commission.
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If the unit standards recognise broad generic outcomes (ie they could be used by all
industries and sectors), then NZQA National Qualifications Services is normally the
SSB.
Review
SSBs must periodically review unit standards to ensure that they continue to be fit for
purpose. The frequency of review will be driven by factors such as the SSB’s
strategic plan, level and type of industry change, legislative requirements, and
moderation feedback.
Te reo Māori
Unit standards can be written in English or te reo Māori. If, in order to maximise
access to these unit standards, they are submitted in English and te reo, the two
versions of the unit standard will be regarded as one unit standard and have the
same ID number.
Māori content indicator
The DAS section of the NZQA website provides a symbol (matau) for items that
contain Māori content. The matau is assigned to all field Māori items.
SSBs are able to request that their unit standards are tagged with a matau, provided
that the content is consistent with the principles of field Māori. That is, that the unit
standard identifies positive outcomes that clearly contribute to:
 Māori wellbeing
 Māori educational performance
 the recognition of Māori skills and knowledge.
Specific quality criteria for unit standards
1
Titles
The title of a unit standard indicates the significant outcomes that the unit standard
recognises.
Titles must:
 describe significant outcomes that are worthy of recognition
 describe meaningful outcomes attributable to an individual
 be unique (ie no two listed unit standards may have the same title)
 make sense when preceded by ‘the candidate is able to’
 specify conditions and/or context consistent with the unit standard’s classification
 not normally include options; and if options are offered, confirmation must be
supplied that all candidates credited with the unit standard are considered equally
competent or have achieved comparable outcomes
 not be more than 120 characters, including punctuation and spaces
 be written as a single unique sentence with the verb in the active voice.
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2
Classification
Unit standards must be classified in a listed domain. The content of a unit standard
must be consistent with the domain in which it is placed.
3
Levels
Unit standards must be assigned one of the levels of the NZQF. 'More information
about level descriptors is available on page 26 of this document:
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/assets/Studying-in-NZ/New-Zealand-QualificationFramework/requirements-nzqf_2.pdf.
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4
The level assigned to the unit standard must provide a best match between the
level descriptors and the outcomes and evidence requirements of the unit
standard.
The level must be derived from the content of the unit standard, and not the other
way round.
Credits
One credit represents a notional 10 hours of learning, practice, and assessment time
with respect to the outcomes and contexts of the unit standard.
Credits allocated to unit standards must reflect the notional learning time it is
expected to take candidates to meet the outcomes and assemble performance
evidence. Notional learning time includes time spent in structured tuition and selfpaced learning and practice; time taken to gather and provide evidence for
assessment purposes; and time taken to be assessed in all of the outcomes and
contexts.
Credits allocated must:
 be whole numbers and no more than 120
 be consistent with unit standards of comparable outcomes and similar contexts.
5
Grades
One grade is available for every unit standard: Achieved. Unit standards may also, if
appropriate, include Merit, or Merit and Excellence grades. Merit and Excellence
grades should only be specified when there is a clearly articulated rationale for
recognising differentiated performance, and where the introduction of the grades will
not have a negative impact on the usage of the unit standard.
Māori names for grades
Where unit standards are written in te reo Māori the grades will show as Paetae
(achieved), Kaiaka (Merit), and Kairangi (Excellence).
Step-up between grades
The criteria for Merit and Excellence must clearly differentiate between grades.
Successful candidates need to demonstrate a better (higher quality) performance of
the same outcome in order to achieve the higher grades.
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Higher grades apply to a higher quality of performance, or to better ways of
achieving the same performance level, or to a greater depth of understanding of the
more complex concepts reflected in the title.
Assessment resources
Where grades are included, SSBs must provide examples of assessment resources
with indicative assessment schedules to illustrate how the step-up between grades
can be assessed.
Characteristics of grades
The requirements for each grade should be articulated in as much detail as possible.
The grading criteria must provide a clear, detailed, and rich description of the nature
of candidate performance expected at each grade.
Grades must not:
 introduce any new outcomes
 relate to performance at a higher or lower NZQF level than that of the unit
standard.
Grades must:
 apply to either a higher performance level (not NZQF level), or to better ways of
achieving the same performance level, or to a greater depth of understanding of
the more complex concepts reflected in the title
 be expressed in such a way that it does not devalue the unit standard when it is
awarded with an Achieved grade
 be written in such a way that the performance at a higher grade encompasses the
evidence required at lower grades.
Consultation to support the introduction of grades
Before approving the inclusion of grades in existing unit standards, NZQA must be
confident that they will not present a disincentive for the use of the unit standards, or
lead to a proliferation of unit standards that recognise similar outcomes.
SSBs must provide evidence of stakeholder support for the inclusion of grades in
existing unit standards.
6
Purpose statements
Purpose statements must:
 express the outcomes of the unit standard in terms of whatever knowledge, skills,
behaviours, attitudes, and values the unit standard recognises
 allow meaningful comparison with other unit standards.
They may also state the target group for the unit standard.
7
Explanatory notes
Explanatory notes are used for conveying any information that is directly relevant to
the assessment or performance of the unit standard. They can be used to indicate
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any special assessment requirements or conditions, or information that assists in the
interpretation of the unit standard and/or increases the likelihood of consistent
assessment.
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The purpose of each explanatory note must be clear.
References to publications which are directly relevant to the unit standard must
be accessible to candidates, assessors, and organisations with consent to
assess against it. Normally, material in references should be in the public
domain. If restricted materials are referenced, the SSB must provide a valid
rationale for the restriction.
References must be cited fully using a recognised convention. The information
should include as a minimum: author, title, publisher, place of publication, and
date of publication.
Where Acts, codes, or regulations are included they must be directly relevant to
the performance of the outcomes of the unit standard and formal names and date
of enactment must be shown.
Definitions or translations of terms must be included where the term is being used
outside of normal usage or where definitions assist in clarifying the unit standard.
Explanatory notes may also include guidance for education and training intended to
assist educators and trainers in their interpretation of the unit standard. This
guidance should support good education and training practice and assessment.
Guidance may also be included about licensing requirements such as the need to
undertake approved courses, specific requirements within the Consent and
Moderation Requirements (CMRs), guidance about pathways, or the type of
environment in which the learning may occur.
8
Outcome statements
Outcome statements describe what a candidate who has achieved the unit standard
knows and can do. The outcomes must relate to observable behaviours.
In order to be credited with the unit standard, the candidate must achieve all of the
outcomes described in the outcome statements.
The outcome statements together make up the significant outcome in the title.
A unit standard may consist of one or more than one outcome statement.
Outcome statements must:
 represent outcomes that can be demonstrated and consistently assessed against
 expand on, and be consistent with, the title, forming a coherent set of outcomes
related to the outcome described by the title
 relate to the level of the unit standard
 not normally include options, and if options are offered, confirmation must be
supplied that all candidates credited with the unit standard are considered equally
competent or have comparable skill sets.
In a unit standard with a single outcome statement, the outcome statement and the
title are normally the same.
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In unit standards with several outcome statements, one outcome statement can be
the same as the title as long as that outcome statement represents the significant
outcome of the unit standard. Outcome statements must have the verb in the active
voice, followed by a noun.
9
Evidence requirements
Collectively, the evidence requirements specify the quality of the critical evidence
required to meet the outcomes. They may also provide an indication of how many
pieces of evidence are required to support a judgement that the candidate can
repeat the performance of the outcomes to the required standard.
Evidence requirements should provide answers to the following questions:
 How well does the outcome need to be performed?
 What critical evidence does a candidate need to present to demonstrate
achievement?
 What does an assessor reasonably need to see to be confident that the outcome
has been met?
Evidence requirements must:
 give informative guidance to assessors and candidates as to what evidence is
required
 provide sufficient detail for valid and consistent assessments to be made
 collectively indicate the standard or quality of evidence required.
Evidence requirements must not:
 be assessment tasks or instructions to assessors about the way to conduct
assessment
 simply be restatements of the outcome
 introduce new evidence requirements which are not consistent with or implied by
the outcome statement
 provide the ‘answers’.
There is no requirement that evidence requirements are limited to single sentences.
10
Range statements
Range statements are optional. They can be used to:
 clarify evidence requirements
 provide a common frame of reference to ensure that all candidates are assessed
within the same parameters
 clarify assessment conditions.
Range statements can include mandatory items or examples. The purpose of the
range statement – eg critical assessment evidence or illustrative examples – must be
clear. Range statements must clearly distinguish the items that need to be
considered and must not be process steps or tasks.
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Range statements can apply to:
 all outcomes in the unit standard
 a specific outcome statement
 a specific evidence requirement.
11
Entry information
Entry information can relate to critical prerequisites or to recommended skills and
knowledge.
Critical prerequisites must relate to health, safety, and legislative requirements.
Recommended entry information (for education and training programmes) may
include guidance about pathways.
Assessors are responsible for ensuring that any requirements specified in this
section, and in the Explanatory notes, have been met.
Unit standards that are critical prerequisites should normally be at the same level or
lower than the unit standards for which they are prerequisites.
Entry information must not include:
 Time-based requirements – instead, the skills and knowledge gained through
experience should be specified.
 Co-requisite unit standards – if two or more unit standards must be assessed
together they should be merged into one unit standard.
12
Consent and Moderation Requirements
All listed and expiring unit standards must be covered by a listed Consent and
Moderation Requirements (CMRs).
13
Planned review date
All listed unit standards must include a planned review date. The planned review
date should take account of the need for the unit standard to continue to be fit for
purpose and be realistic in terms of the SSB’s scheduled workload.
14
Expiry date
When a unit standard is designated expiring, the SSB must specify an expiry date.
The expiry date signals the change in the status of the unit standard from expiring to
expired. All assessments against the unit standard must take place before or on the
expiry date.
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The proposed expiry date for C and D category reviewed unit standards must allow
sufficient time for:

qualification developers and organisations with consent to assess against the
unit standard to update qualifications and programmes and develop new or
revised assessment materials

candidates to complete current programmes or transition to new ones.
This date must take into account the extent of uptake, the nature of provision, and
any safety or legislative issues through consultation with impacted organisations.
Making changes to unit standards
Change reports
Whenever changes are made to a unit standard, a change report is published on the
NZQA website and is available at:
http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/updates/summaries.do. A change report may
also be published when a new unit standard is listed on the DAS.
Change reports are required for the following processes:
 Review
 Revision
 Rollover
 Change of SSB Responsibility
 Reinstatement of ‘expired’ unit standards
 Change of Expiry Date for ‘expiring’ unit standards.
The reports have a wide audience. The audience includes staff of the SSB,
assessors, moderators, organisations with consent to assess against unit standards,
other SSBs, professional bodies, candidates and their employers and families, and
staff of Quality Assurance Bodies and the Tertiary Education Commission.
Change reports:
 outline the consultation and endorsement processes
 include the rationale for changes made to unit standards
 provide a summary of the main changes made
 identify the expiry date of expiring unit standards (Category C and Category D
reviews)
 identify and mitigate any impact on existing organisations with consent to assess
against unit standards
 identify any impact on CMRs
 identify any impact on listed qualifications and may suggest mitigation for the
impact including guidance on transition. This allows other SSBs to see what
changes they need to make to their qualifications
 provide a list of details of the old and new versions of the unit standards to
highlight replacement relationships and any changes to classification, title, level,
and credit values.
Mitigating the impact of unit standard changes on qualifications
Once the impact of a change has been determined, the SSB is responsible for
contacting developers of affected qualifications to ensure that transition timelines are
manageable.
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Managing superseded versions of unit standards
When a version of a unit standard is replaced, the SSB may specify a last date for
assessment against the superseded version.
The last date for assessment should allow time for organisations with consent to
assess against the unit standard to assess current candidates and amend teaching
and training programmes. For expiring unit standards, the last date for assessment
of all the superseded versions must be no later than the expiry date of the unit
standard.
Review of unit standards
New versions of unit standards that have been reviewed must meet the same quality
criteria as new unit standards. In addition, the review must take account of feedback
from users of the unit standards about any issues arising in the context of
assessment and/or moderation.
In the review process unit standards will be placed in one of four categories:
Category A
No change is made to the content or classification of the unit standard.
The unit standard will be published as a new version and display new
registration and planned review dates.
Category B
Some changes are made, but the outcomes and required evidence are
substantially unchanged, and the SSB is confident that people credited
with the new or old version are comparable in terms of competence.
The unit standard will be published as a new version and display new
registration and planned review dates.
Category C
Significant changes have been made to the unit standard that change
the outcomes being recognised. The SSB views people with credit for
the new and old version as being different in terms of competence.
A new ID number will be assigned to the replacement unit standard(s)
by Framework Registration.
The replacement unit standard will include a reference to the ID
number of the replaced unit standard under the heading ‘Replacement
information’.
Category D
The unit standard is designated as expiring and is not being replaced.
Revision of unit standards
Unit standards can be revised when they require amendments prior to review. The
main difference between a review and revision is that a review aims to ensure that a
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unit standard is fit for purpose until its next planned review, whereas a revision
normally focuses on fixing a known defect in the unit standard.
The extent of consultation required to support a revision will depend on the extent of
the proposed changes and on the potential impact of those changes on
organisations with consent to assess against the unit standard, and on listed
qualifications.
A revision might involve:
 corrections to wording
 updating legislation or prerequisites
 making minor changes to improve assessability.
A new version of a unit standard will only be listed on the DAS when all references to
publications, legislation, and references to other unit standards are current and
correct. The new version of the unit standard must continue to meet the
requirements set out in these criteria.
Rollover of unit standards
If the SSB has planned to review some unit standards but there has not been
sufficient information to inform a review, the unit standards can be rolled over to
extend their planned review date. Normally, unit standards may not be rolled over
more than once before they are reviewed.
Change of expiry date for expiring unit standards
The expiry date for a unit standard may be changed if it is determined that the
assigned expiry date does not allow enough time for qualification candidates to
complete the requirements of their programmes.
Reinstatement of expired unit standards
An expired unit standard may be reinstated if the SSB determines that there is a
continuing need for the unit standard. In this case, a sound rationale supported by
evidence of consultation must be provided to Service Delivery.
If the need for the unit standards is short-term (for example to enable candidates to
complete the requirements of a qualification) they can be reinstated with a status of
expiring. The new expiry date for the unit standard must allow sufficient time for
candidates to complete associated qualifications.
If the need for the unit standards is long-term, they can be reinstated with a status of
listed. As part of this reinstatement the SSB must provide evidence that they
continue to be fit for purpose.
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