Schools and students in New Zealand are facing another change, only a year after the last.
The NZ government is preparing to completely overhaul the country’s qualifications system, revising the content and requirements of its current New Zealand Certificate of Education (NCEA) levels.
Changes in marking
The Education Minister, Erica Stanford, said she wanted to prepare students for the future by not measuring them against each other, but by marking them against a standard for achievement.
Linked to this, she also announced a simplification in marking, which will be out of 100 – and, where grades are employed, they will use the simple A to E system that everyone can understand.
Getting the foundations right
Proposals for the new qualification also include a curriculum that better sets out the requirements for each subject and developing improved vocational routes for students to enter practical careers.
A particular stumbling block in recent years seems to have been NCA Level 1, which students sit in Year 11. This was initially revamped in 2024 but critics say that its difficulty varies too much between subjects and schools, and there are discrepancies between internal and external assessments.
The current proposal for Level 1 is for students to sit English and maths in Year 11 to gain a foundation award in numeracy and literacy. Getting this right is critical, as it’s the sole qualification that some school leavers attain – around 11 per cent in 2023.
