On Tuesday evening last week we hosted a parent and caregiver session about the new NCEA corequisites. If you could not attend please see below for a summary.

As you may be aware NCEA changes have been confirmed with NCEA Level 1 being implemented in 2024. This means that next year Year 11/NCEA Level 1 students will be required to gain 60 credits across their subjects AND have gained the new Literacy and Numeracy corequisites worth 20 credits. In order to gain NCEA Level 2 and 3, students must have gained Literacy and Numeracy already.

Why are the corequisites being introduced?
Literacy and numeracy are key skills that all individuals require to operate successfully in society. This includes the ability to understand and access things such as completing a job application form, reading news articles, getting a driver's license, doing the household budget and similar. Both literacy and numeracy are taught, and used, across all learning areas from Year 1 through to Year 13. While integral to English and Mathematics they do not reflect the much broader, deeper and richer subjects of English and Mathematics. 
By introducing the Literacy and Numeracy corequisites it is a recognition that the individual has foundational skills to participate successfully in society.

What are the corequisites?
The corequisites consist of three separate assessments worth a total of 20 credits. 

 - Reading (5 credits)
 - Writing (5 credits)
 - Numeracy (10 credits)
The assessments are based at Level 5 of the New Zealand curriculum which corresponds to Year 10 for most students. Once a student has gained a co-requisite they are not required to be assessed for that skill again.

How will the corequisites be assessed?
There are three separate assessments for Reading, Writing and Numeracy. These assessments are in 'exam conditions', which our Year 9 and 10 students have been practising this year.
Each assessment is online so students are expected to bring their device and, for Numeracy, a separate calculator. No phones will be able to be used.
There are two assessment opportunities each year, in Terms Two and Four. This term the assessments will take place on Tuesday-Thursday, 13-15 June - one assessment each day.
There is no time limit for the assessments, though the guideline is that most students will take 60 minutes to complete one assessment.
The assessments are marked nationally and results are then sent back to the school at a later date.

Who will be assessed using corequisites this year?

The assessment is aimed at Year 10.
Most Year 10 students and some Year 9 students will sit the Numeracy assessment in June. As Oxford Area School was a pilot school in 2022, approximately a third of our Year 10 students have already gained Numeracy. They will not be required to do this assessment again.
Most Year 10 students will attempt either the Reading or Writing assessment or both. A few Year 9 students will sit either one or both of these as well.

Parents and caregivers will receive an email shortly if their son/daughter is sitting one or more of the corequisites in June. Please ensure the school has your current email address if you have changed it recently.

In Term 4, there will be another opportunity for students who have not gained, or did not sit, one or more of the corequisites.
A small number of Year 11 and above students may sit one or more of the corequisites if these support their 2023 NCEA goals.

Further information
A copy of the presentation slides is attached for your information. It includes a few examples of the type of questions that will be in the assessments. Students sitting the Numeracy assessment will have access to previous questions within their Mathematics classes as well.