Secondary Schooling
NCEA
NCEA allows students to build up credits over time towards a qualification. Students who do not gain a qualification in one year retain the credits they have gained and can add them to subsequent years.
UnitedFuture supports the use of NCEA while acknowledging areas of improvement still needed. The feedback we have received from educational professionals is that it covers a wider range of subjects and competencies than other qualifications, gives a better indication of a student’s ability to succeed at university and is now the preferred system of NZ employers. It is accepted by tertiary institutions in NZ and internationally.
The setting and moderation of standards happens in an open and transparent way (students get back their marked papers). The results can tell anyone interested exactly what a student can do. Bright students do extremely well, while less able students have what they can do recognized.
UnitedFuture offers some specific, constructive solutions to the problems besetting NCEA.
It is UnitedFuture policy to:
- Introduce a minimum number of standards for each subject that must be externally assessed.
- Engage in a public education campaign to ensure that parents, students and employers understand the NCEA system
- Look at initiatives to address the problem of boys continuing to fall behind girls in achievement and completion rates for NCEA
- Establish consistent policies on internal and external reassessment opportunities.
- Ensure that the time allotted to complete externally assessed exams is appropriate to the number of standards that students are sitting.
- Review the appropriateness of the three levels of achievement to consider a more graduated grading system.
Other Issues
UnitedFuture supports the raising of the school leaving age but only if it is accompanied by a range of options for students to use their years 12 and 13 for more career focused learning options like trade training and as long as students capable of moving on to tertiary opportunities during those years are not blocked from doing so.