NCEA improvements positive

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Changes to the NCEA announced today will give greater confidence to employers and help ensure the qualification has the public credibility it deserves, Business NZ chief executive Phil O’Reilly says.

“Some improvements to the NCEA are particularly positive. Increasing external moderation and publishing reports about schools’ assessment practices will give parents, students and employers greater assurance that assessments are fair and represent real achievement,” says Mr O’Reilly.

“The move to give greater recognition to high achievers by introducing ‘merit’ and ‘excellence’ certificates is also pleasing. It will be important, however, that bright students who use unit standards will be able to get the same recognition as those using achievement standards.”

One change he says prompts doubt is the inclusion of failure marks on students’ records.

“An employer will never see a CV which lists a person’s failures, so why put it on an academic record?”

Mr O’Reilly says the most laudable aspect of today’s announcements is the way in which the Ministry of Education and NZQA took into account public opinion, research and expert advice in making changes to the NCEA.

“NCEA has been the subject of intense debate over the past few years, and it’s important for students’ and New Zealand’s future that we get its design and operation right.

“The changes announced today are sensible and sound, and both the Ministry and NZQA should be commended for their efforts.”