Our National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) has been undergoing some exciting changes since 2020, in response to a detailed review where New Zealanders told the Ministry of Education that this qualification needed to better support the inclusion, success and wellbeing of all students.

Some of our own teachers at Shirley Boys' High School have volunteered to participate this year in a pilot of new achievement standards that have been developed as a result of the review, including internal and external assessments. This means that in some Level 1 classes for Drama, Physics Earth and Space Science and Biology and Chemistry, students will be assessed by new achievement standards in 2022. Our Maths department is also trialing the new Numeracy standards.

Our school is well-supported by the Ministry of Education and NZQA. Our lead teachers attended a workshop in Wellington to meet with other teachers from all over Aotearoa, New Zealand, engaging with new NCEA subject material and working together to plan programmes for the year. The support we and our students will receive throughout the year means no one will be disadvantaged by engaging in the pilot but will instead benefit from being a lead school in the Review of Achievement Standards.

If you have any questions or concerns about this pilot, do not hesitate to get in touch with Louise Richards (Assistant Principal). 

For more information about the NCEA review and upcoming changes, visit https://ncea.education.govt.nz/