In case you missed it, the Government has recently confirmed its final NCEA change package.

Schools have been advised that the changes are intended to: strengthen our national qualification; address over-assessment and fragmented learning; promote culturally responsive teaching and learning; and improve accessibility, the support available to teachers, and the information available to students and whānau.

A copy of the Ministry of Education’s announcement is available here: Ministry website.

There are changes to the subjects that the Ministry proposes to support at NCEA Level 1. This is consistent with the policy objective - for NCEA Level 1 to become a broader, foundational qualification that allows students to keep their pathway options open, while Levels 2 and 3 promote greater specialisation.

The Ministry has asked me to encourage you all to give feedback. Public engagement on the subject list for NCEA Level 1 has commenced for a period of two months (closing on 20 April 2020).

More information is available on the Ministry’s website along with the provisional subject list for NCEA Level 1: https://consultation.education.govt.nz/ncea/ras-provisional-subject-list. The Cabinet paper and Ministry advice have also been made public (see under the February tab). You can find the list in the engagement questionnaire, or for your ease of reference it is also accessible from this link to the Cabinet paper (go to pages 19 and 20).

Bruce Kearney - Principal