Purpose

This Framework establishes the national regulatory system for the certification, quality assurance, approval, verification and continuing monitoring of Assessment Service Providers and externally developed assessment instruments intended for use in Pre-tertiary Schools.

It seeks to ensure that assessment services and instruments are curriculum-aligned, valid, reliable, fair, inclusive, secure, age-appropriate and technically sound.

Authority and Regulatory Principles

This Framework shall be administered within NaCCA's statutory mandate and read together with applicable enactments, approved curricula, assessment standards, directives and other authorised instruments.

Two-Tier Regulatory System

Guiding Principles: Legality, fairness, transparency, independence, proportionality, confidentiality, accountability and evidence-based decision-making.

Scope and Application

The Framework applies to:

• Assessment consortiums
• Educational assessment companies
• Publishers providing assessment materials
• Educational institutions providing common assessments
• Professional associations
• Consultants and individuals developing assessments commercially
• Any other entity supplying assessment items, mock examinations or standardised assessment tasks to Basic Schools

Provider Certification

Every Assessment Service Provider seeking to operate within the scope of this Framework shall apply for NaCASP Certification and demonstrate:

• Valid legal/business registration and regulatory compliance
• Appropriate governance and accountability arrangements
• Qualified curriculum, subject and assessment personnel
• Documented internal quality-assurance and moderation systems and test security
• Appropriate privacy, data-protection and records-management arrangements
• Operational capacity and continuity arrangements
• Capacity to maintain continuing compliance with NaCCA requirements

Certification shall be: scope-specific, time-bound, non-transferable and subject to surveillance, renewal, suspension or withdrawal.

Assessment Submission Requirements

Each assessment instrument submitted for approval shall include:

• The final assessment instrument
• The prescribed application form
• An Assessment Blueprint/Table of Specifications
• Curriculum-alignment information
• Marking scheme or scoring rubric
• Administration instructions and duration
• Supporting stimulus or reference material, where applicable
• Evidence of internal quality assurance and moderation
• Security classification and version information
• Any additional evidence prescribed by NaCCA

Assessment Blueprint and Curriculum Alignment

Every assessment submission shall be accompanied by an Assessment Blueprint/Table of Specifications demonstrating alignment between the approved curriculum and the assessment design.

The Blueprint shall include:

• Subject and grade
• Curriculum strands and sub-strands
• Learning indicators assessed
• Cognitive demand
• Item type and distribution
• Weighting and marks
• Duration of assessment
• Curriculum reference/version
• Applicable content standards or learning outcomes
• Distribution of marks across curriculum requirements
• Evidence of alignment between intended learning outcomes, cognitive demand and item/task design

Assessment Quality Standards

All assessment materials submitted for approval shall demonstrate:

• Alignment with the approved national curriculum
• Appropriate coverage of learning indicators
• Suitable cognitive demand
• Content and construct validity
• Reliability
• Fairness and inclusivity
• Age and grade appropriateness
• Linguistic and technical accuracy
• Absence of inappropriate cultural, gender, religious or socioeconomic bias
• Appropriate scoring guides and marking schemes
• Compliance with applicable NaCCA assessment standards

Technical Vetting, Moderation and Quality Assurance

Each assessment submission shall proceed through:

• Technical vetting evaluates the assessment against the approved quality criteria
• Moderation independently verifies the evidence, technical judgement, scores, findings and proposed decision
• Final verification confirms implementation of all mandatory corrections before approval becomes effective

Scoring, Critical Deficiencies and Regulatory Decisions

9.1 Rating Scale

9.2 Critical Deficiency

An aggregate score shall not override a Critical Deficiency. An applicant or assessment instrument with an unresolved Critical Deficiency shall not receive final certification or approval, irrespective of the overall weighted score.

9.3 Regulatory Decisions

Approval Identification and Verification

Every approved assessment instrument shall be assigned a unique NaCCA Assessment Approval Number and, where implemented, a secure digital or QR verification reference.

Schools shall verify the current certification status of the provider and the approval status of the specific assessment before procurement or administration.

National Register

NaCCA shall maintain an authoritative National Register containing:

1. Certified Assessment Service Providers
2. Approved Assessment Instruments

The Register shall identify, as applicable: Name | Regulatory Number | Approved Scope | Current Status | Validity Period

Only the current status recorded or verified through an authorised NaCCA system shall be relied upon for regulatory purposes.

Responsibilities of NaCASPs and Schools

12.1 NaCASP Responsibilities

A NaCASP shall:

• Maintain continuing compliance with its certification conditions
• Submit each assessment for specific approval
• Preserve assessment security and version control
• Distribute only the approved assessment version
• Notify NaCCA of material changes or incidents
• Cooperate with audits, monitoring and corrective action
• Refrain from representing NaCASP certification as approval of an individual assessment

12.2 School Responsibilities

Heads of Pre-tertiary Schools shall:

• Procure assessment instruments only from currently certified NaCASPs
• Use only specifically approved assessment instruments
• Verify certification and approval before administration
• Retain appropriate verification records

Continuing Compliance and Quality Surveillance

NaCCA may undertake:

• Risk-based provider audits
• Scheduled or unannounced compliance reviews
• Random sampling of approved assessments
• Complaint-triggered reviews
• Post-administration quality reviews
• Review of item and performance evidence, where applicable
• Certification renewal reviews

NaCASPs shall maintain documented controls for:

• Authorised access to assessment materials
• Version control
• Secure storage, transmission and distribution
• Incident reporting and breach response
• Confidentiality undertakings
• Conflict-of-interest disclosure
• Protection against premature disclosure or unauthorised modification

Security, Ethics and Professional Conduct

Certified providers shall maintain strict standards of:

• Confidentiality
• Assessment security
• Intellectual property compliance
• Data protection
• Professional integrity
• Conflict-of-interest management
• Prevention of premature disclosure or unauthorised modification of approved assessment materials

Material Changes and Reassessment

Approval applies only to the assessment instrument and version expressly authorised by NaCCA.

Material changes may include:

• Changes to curriculum content or coverage
• Changes to learning indicators
• Changes to assessment blueprint/table of specification
• Changes to items or tasks
• Changes to cognitive demand
• Changes to scoring or marking scheme
• Changes to administration conditions
• Changes to security arrangements
• Another feature capable of affecting the validity or integrity of the approved assessment

Process: Notification → Verification → Partial Reassessment → Full Reassessment

Non-Compliance and Enforcement

Regulatory action shall be lawful, evidence-based, proportionate and procedurally fair.

Enforcement Ladder

Serious or Material Breaches

• Operating without valid NaCCA certification
• Supplying, procuring or administering an unapproved assessment
• Materially altering an approved assessment without authorisation
• Falsifying or misusing NaCCA certification, approval or verification identifiers
• Compromising assessment confidentiality, security or integrity
• Misrepresenting NaCASP certification as approval of an individual assessment
• Providing false or materially misleading regulatory information
• Repeated or deliberate failure to comply with a corrective directive