Review process for NQF standards and qualifications

How to find out if a standard or qualification has been reviewed
How to find out if a unit standard has been replaced
The difference between review and revision

Unit Standards

Review of unit standards
Review categories for unit standards
Rollover of unit standards
Revision of unit standards
Revision and Rollover
Expiry dates on unit standards

How to find out if a unit standard has been reviewed

There are two sources of information on the NZQA website regarding additions or changes to the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). They are published monthly.

Framework Developments	Lists all of the new and reviewed unit standards and qualifications registered on the NQF. It is published at the same time as new standards and qualifications are registered and available to be searched for and downloaded from the NZQA website.
Review Summaries	A monthly compilation of Review Reports for standards and qualifications registered on the NQF. Review Reports cover: the rationale for the review the changes made as a result of the review extensions in the scope of provider accreditation registered qualifications that reviewed standards are a part of information about transition to new versions of standards or qualifications.

The Review Reports may be searched by date or key word. Please contact Framework Registration for further information about the date or nature of a particular review.

How to find out if a unit standard has been replaced

The documents for standards that have been designated Category C and D as a result of review (see Review categories below) do not appear on the NZQA website.

Category C reviews have been replaced by new unit standards. The new unit standards have new ID numbers and the replaced unit standards are designated expiring. To find out if the expiring unit standard you are looking for has been replaced by a new unit standard you can search the NQF using the Unit Standard Replacement Information function.

Category D reviews are designated expiring and have not been replaced.

The difference between review and revision

A review involves full industry and stakeholder consultation. If minor changes are required prior to a full review, the process is called revision.

A review is a planned process that involves consultation with all stakeholder groups and results in new versions of standards and qualifications that are deemed fit for purpose. The reviewed standards and qualifications are normally re-registered on the NQF for a period of five years.

A revision is a generic term used for any changes made to standards or qualifications in the period between reviews. A revised standard or qualification is published as a new version, but retains its original registration date.

Unit Standards

Review of unit standards

New standards are normally registered for a period of approximately three years in the first instance. Reviewed unit standards are normally registered for five years.

When unit standards reach their planned review date (this is the 'final date for comment') on the unit standard), a decision is made by the SSB about whether the standards should undergo a full review or be 'rolled-over' for a period of time to take account of the SSBs review schedule.

A review will ensure that the current version of the standard meets current registration criteria, is fit for purpose for another five years, and takes account of up-dated requirements in the industry, professional or academic area to which they relate. The review also corrects any shortcomings in the standards identified through assessment and moderation.

A review involves full industry and stakeholder consultation. Any person or organisation may contribute to the review by sending feedback to the SSB.

Review categories

In the review process unit standards will be placed in one of four categories:

Category A No change	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 Overall outcome remains the same	Changes are made that do not affect the assessment parameters of the unit standard. The outcomes and required evidence are substantially unchanged, and the standard setter 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 Major changes	Significant changes have been made to the unit standard such that there are material changes to what is being certificated. The standard setter views people with credit for the new and old version as being different in terms of competence. A new identification number is assigned to the replacement unit standard(s). The replacement unit standard will include a reference to the title and ID of the replaced unit standard under 'replacement information' on the unit standard.
Category D Unit standard will expire and not be replaced	The unit standard is being allowed to expire and is not being replaced. The expiry year of categories C and D unit standards must be specified in the Review Report. Normally the expiry date is two years from the date the review is completed.

Rollover of unit standards

If standards are due for review and there has been insufficient information to inform a review, they are 'rolled over'. This means they issued as a new version and their period of registration is extended. Content and unit standard ID remains the same.

Before rollover the standards are checked to ensure that all references including legislation and prerequisites are current. If any changes to ensure currency are required they are also revised (see below).

Revision of unit standards

Standards may be revised if they require amendments prior to a full review. A revision might involve corrections; updating legislation or references to other unit standards; or making minor changes to improve assessability. Depending on the changes, consultation with some stakeholders will have occurred, but not the full consultation required for a review.

Revised standards are issued as new versions. Unit standard ID remains the same.

Revision and Rollover

If standards require amendments prior to a full review and also require an extension of their period of registration, the process is called revision and rollover.

Expiry dates on unit standards

The dates on the first page of the unit standard document should be interpreted as follows:

The 'final date for comment' is the planned review date.
The 'expiry date' is the anticipated date by which the review should be completed, rather than an actual expiry date.

All of the unit standards that can be accessed and downloaded from the NZQA website are registered and current. If unit standards are designated expiring as a result of review (Category C and D reviews) the documents are no longer available on this website, but can be assessed against until the date of expiry given in the Review Report. The date of expiry in the review report is normally a minimum of two years from the date the review was completed.

For information on the use of replaced unit standards and qualifications see Versions-FAQs.

Qualifications

Review of qualifications

A review is a planned process that is undertaken periodically to ensure that qualifications are still fit for purpose. Full consultation with industry and provider stakeholders must inform the review. The review may result in changes to the structure and content of the qualifications or in the registration of replacement qualifications.

A review report is published on the NZQA website covering the consultation process and review outcomes.

Review categories

From January 2007, all reviewed qualifications will be placed in one of four categories:

Category A New version	Changes are made to SSB name, contact details, or purpose statement
	No change is made to title, rules, or components of the qualification
	The qualification will be published as a new version with the same NQF ID
	No transition arrangements are required
Category B New version	Changes are made to title, rules, or components
	The new version of the qualification recognises a similar skill set to that recognised by the previous version
	The SSB is confident that people awarded the new or previous version are comparable in terms of competence
	The qualification will be published as a new version with the same NQF ID
	Transition arrangements are required if candidates must gain additional/different credits for the new version
Category C Replacement qualification	Significant changes are made to the qualification in terms of components, structure, type, or level
	The SSB views people with the replacement qualification as being significantly different in terms of competence from those with the replaced qualification
	The replacement qualification will be published with new NQF ID
	Transition arrangements are required
	Transition may be limited to phase-out dates
Category D Qualification to expire	Qualification is no longer required by industry
	The qualification is designated as expiring and a last date for meeting the qualification requirements is set
	There is no replacement qualification

Revision of qualifications

Qualifications may be revised to take account of new factors or omissions; changes to legislation; or a review of standards contained in the qualification. Revised qualifications are published as opposed to re-registered on the NQF. They are, however, issued as new versions.

Qualification transition arrangements

Transition arrangements are for candidates who have an incomplete qualification when a new qualification, or a new version of a qualification, is registered.

The transition arrangements for a replaced qualification or replaced version of a qualification vary in complexity depending on the nature of the review. Transition arrangements include some or all of the following:

A list of changes to structure and content;
Credit exemptions for replaced unit standards;
A contact for information;
A mechanism for appeals;
The last date for assessments to take place for the replaced qualification or replaced version of the qualification.

The last date for assessments to take place allows time for people to complete what they have begun. The 'Last Date for Assessment' is included in the NQF Registration Information table in the qualification document.

Transition Arrangements are set out in the qualification document and in the review report.

Page updated: 21 November 2006