Explainer: What's replacing NCEA and how to have your say
school qualifications on Monday morning,
including the end of the NCEA system that has been in place for more than 20 years.
The government plans to replace it with a new educational qualification system Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said will give graduates "the skills to succeed in the modern global economy". The qualifications will still retain a standards-based assessment as NCEA does.
NCEA Level 1, which typically takes place in Year 11, will be abolished. Students in Year 11 will be required to take English and Mathematics and sit a new 'Foundational Skills Award' test that documents achievement in literacy and numeracy, or te reo matatini and pāngarau.
It is not yet clear if the new Foundation Certificate for Year 11 will simply be the current online literacy and numeracy tests.
Two new qualifications replace NCEA Level 2 and Level 3. Year 12 and 13 students will now qualify with the New Zealand Certificate of Education (NZCE) and the New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education (NZACE) respectively.
Students will be required to take five subjects and pass at least four to attain each certificate in Years 12 and 13.
A to E pass fail grades will return instead of "excellent, merit, achieved and not achieved" rankings, and the government says plans include "working with industry to develop better vocational pathways so students are getting the skills relevant to certain career pathways".
The new qualification will be underpinned by a new national curriculum for Years 9-13 that will clearly outline what students need to learn in each subject and when, providing more consistency.
"This is about making sure our national qualification opens doors for every young person, whether they're heading into a trade, university, or straight into work. Parents can be assured their kids will get the best possible opportunity to thrive," Education Minister Erica Stanford said.
An example of what a student's record of achievement could look like under the New Zealand Certificate of Education and New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education.
Photo:
Supplied / Ministry of Education
NCEA - which stands for National Certificate of Educational Achievement - has until now been the main secondary school qualification. It was introduced between 2002 and 2004, replacing School Certificate, University Entrance, Sixth Form Certificate and Bursary qualifications.
The changes will be phased in over the next five years, starting in 2026.
The proposal is open for public consultation until 15 September before final decisions are made.
Feedback would then be analysed, and in November Cabinet would consider the final policy commendations.
The government says students who are currently Year 9 in 2025 will continue to receive secondary school learning under the old curriculum and will be assessed under NCEA Levels 1, 2, and 3.
Students who are currently Year 8 in 2025 will begin to receive new curriculum learning from 2026 and will be assessed under the new award and qualifications.
Photo:
Supplied / Ministry of Education
"It is important that changes to the curriculum and the qualifications are aligned - so that students are being taught and assessed under either the current curriculum and NCEA, or the new curriculum and qualifications," the discussion document says.
So, for a period of time during the transition teachers will be grading across two different frameworks.
"The evidence shows NCEA is not consistent and can be hard to navigate," Luxon said. "It doesn't always deliver what students and employers need."
"While NCEA was designed to be flexible, for many students that flexibility has encouraged a focus on simply attaining the qualification," Stanford said. "This has come at the cost of developing the critical skills and knowledge they need for clear pathways into future study, training or employment."
There have been many reports about
students suffering anxiety over NCEA exams
.
Last year,
barely half the teenagers
who tried to pass the critical NCEA literacy and numeracy benchmark via online tests succeeded.
The Education Review Office
has called for changes to NCEA Level 1
or to drop it altogether.
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