National Certificate of Educational Achievement 1003419 212991975 2008-05-17T06:13:46Z Taifarious1 5546471 /* Controversy and media */ added school The '''National Certificate of Educational Achievement''' ('''NCEA''') is the official secondary school [[qualification]] in [[New Zealand]]. It is normally offered to senior high school students&mdash;Year 11 through to Year 13. NCEA uses criterion or standard-based [[assessment]]. NCEA assessment is administered both at the school level (internal assessment), and at a national level (external assessment, usually examinations). It has three levels, each generally studied in each of the three final school years; each is registered on the National Qualifications Framework at levels 1 through 3 respectively. ==History== NCEA replaced the previous [[secondary school]] [[qualification]]s in a phased change from 2002 to 2004. The key difference between NCEA and the previous qualification framework is that NCEA implements a standard- or criterion-based system of [[assessment]], whereas the previous qualifications were norm based. That is, to pass in NCEA, the student must demonstrate a certain level of knowledge (the criterion or standard), whereas, for example, to pass a [[School Certificate (New Zealand)|School Certificate]] course, the student had to gain a higher grade than at least half of those sitting that course. The qualifications at the time were the [[School Certificate (New Zealand)|School Certificate]], [[Sixth Form Certificate]] and the [[New Zealand University Bursary|University Bursaries]]. The Universities Entrance Board ran Bursary and Sixth Form Certificate, and the Ministry of Education ran School Certificate, until 1991 when they were managed by the [[New Zealand Qualifications Authority]]. ===Controversy and media=== <!-- Adding to this section? Please try to write in the past tense, not the perfect tense. --> NCEA's phase-in met controversy in the public and media. For some schools, this controversy delayed the introduction of the second level by one year. In these schools the Transitional Sixth Form Certificate was offered for one year in its place. The second and third levels of NCEA were then introduced simultaneously in 2004. Some schools, most notably [[Auckland Grammar School]], [[Westlake Boys High School]] and [[Macleans College]], decided to offer the [[International General Certificate of Secondary Education]] (IGCSE) and the [[Advanced Level (UK)|A-level]] [[General Certificate of Education]] from CIE ([[Cambridge International Examinations]]) instead of or alongside NCEA, for some or all of their students. Some schools did this in fear the new qualification would not be recognized overseas, others did this as critics of NCEA. The IGCSE and IGCE A-level are colloquially known as the "Cambridge exams" in New Zealand since the most prominent examination board is the [[University of Cambridge]] [[UCLES|Local Examinations Syndicate]] (UCLES). Some schools chose the [[International Baccalaureate]], further increasing the controversy. On the other hand, some schools, including [[Pakuranga College]] which was until recently headed by a prominent proponent of NCEA (Bali Haque), were fully behind NCEA and supported it. There was, therefore, a significant media battle about the introduction of this qualification. A number of schools have expressed that they would initially implement NCEA but might change to the IGCSE and GCE A-levels. Other people in the education sector, including education experts and universities, were also involved in this debate. Like schools, university professors and education experts were split over NCEA's credibility. As time passed the debate involved opposition politicians as well. It became clear that there were faults in the system, it being a new system that had not been used in any other country before, though it had been tested in some schools. The Ministry of Education defended NCEA from the criticisms that were made of it. Many changes to the system were made in its first years, including the introduction of the [[New Zealand Scholarship]] and the awarding of [[holistic grading|holistic grades]] (see below). In 2004, after large criticisms of inter-subject and inter-year variability in results, a government inquiry into both NCEA and [[NZ Scholarship]] was initiated which resulted in further refinements. The report on NCEA by the State Services Commission was critical of NZQA's performance, and recommended "safety nets" to avoid excessive variation without a suitable explanation&mdash;a measure felt by some to be a step back to norm-referencing. It also recommended that examination papers be returned later to allow more time for marking. During this time, the chief executive and board chairman of NZQA both resigned. After some weeding, the number of faults that remain in the system is a matter of wide-ranging opinion. The NCEA remains a point of debate in education, and it continues to undergo criticism and refinement while its outgoing students are watched with great interest. ===New Zealand University Entrance=== Until 1986, University Entrance was awarded by examination or by "accreditation". Some schools were not allowed to accredit University Entrance. From 1986 to 2003, University Entrance was awarded to students whose scores were not enough for an A or B Bursary but good enough for University Entrance in the [[Bursary]] exams. From 2004, under NCEA, University Entrance is based on the results achieved at NCEA Level 3 (see below for details). Entrance Scholarships have been replaced by [[New Zealand Scholarship]], a different but closely related award. ==Specifications== A student gains the NCEA when she/he achieves a specified number of credits from standards on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), as follows: *[[NCEA Level 1]] is gained by achieving 80 credits at any level of the NQF, of which eight credits must demonstrate numeracy and eight credits must demonstrate literacy. *NCEA Level 2 is gained by achieving 80 credits, of which 60 must be at Level 2 or higher and the remainder from any level. (There is no literacy or numeracy requirement.) *NCEA Level 3 is gained by achieving 80 credits, of which 60 must be at Level 3 or higher and the remainder at Level 2 or higher. Level 1 is generally studied by students in their eleventh year of schooling, and Levels 2 and 3 at years 12 and 13 respectively. NCEA Level 3 is the national school leavers' qualification. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) administers these qualifications. A standard is a module of work in which competence is demonstrated for the standard (and associated credits) are awarded. Standards in conventional school subjects, which are assessed against three passing grades (achievement, achievement with merit and achievement with excellence), are known as ''achievement standards''. ''Unit standards'' were designed for vocational fields and are either achieved or not achieved. Each credit is intended to represent ten hours of learning; a 120-credit course in one year is considered to be full-time equivalent. Standards at Levels 1 to 3 are generally worth between two and eight credits. ===Subjects=== While the taking of prescribed subject courses is neither mandatory nor recognised by the certificate, academic subjects generally have matrices of recommended achievement standards for that subject. A subject matrix generally consists of 24 credits. Schools are not required to use or teach to these achievement standard combinations; school often design courses of achievement standards, unit standards, or a mixture of both, for vocational courses or courses for the less able. NZQA also uses a list of approved subjects to award university entrance. An approved subject is a group of achievement and unit standards that are considered to belong to the same academic subject. ===Grade average=== The grade average was a score between 50 and 100, normally assigned a group of achievement standards from the same subject, used for ranking students or as a rough aggregate measure of performance. Points were awarded for each achievement standard: two points were awarded if it were achieved, three if achieved with merit or four if achieved with excellence. The grade average was the number of points awarded as a percentage of the maximum possible, that is, if all credits were achieved with excellence. For example, a student who achieved eight credits with excellence and 16 as achievement would have had 64 points, so his grade average would have been 67. This measure was removed for the 2006 examinations cycle, leaving no holistic measure of performance for subjects. Students are not required to sit a full 24-credit course and the grade average was calculated based only on the standards that were achieved; that is, failed standards were not considered. The grade average was not intended to be a percentage mark, even if its presentation might imply it. The method was put forward by NZQA, but universities chose to use the raw points count rather than the grade average to rank entrants. This ensures that students who did not take a full course (or fail some standards) do not gain an unfair advantage. ===University entrance=== Eligibility for university entrance is awarded to students who gain 42 credits at Level 3 in no more than four subjects, of which 14 must come from each of two approved subjects, as well as 8 literacy credits at Level 2, of which 4 credits must be in reading standards and 4 credits must be in writing standards, and 14 numeracy credits at Level 1. For some tertiary courses which have a limited entry quota, students are ranked by their merit and excellence grades over their best 80 credits. For each credit gained, points are awarded as in the grade average above. Note that points are given per credit, not by standard, so a five-credit standard achieved with merit would get fifteen points. The students above the cut-off point for the course in question are admitted. This method is used over the grade average to ensure that students who did not take a full subject course (or fail some standards) do not gain an unfair advantage. ==Assessment== ===Achievement levels=== Each standard can be achieved at one of three levels: * ''Achievement'' (A) - meaning the candidate met the criteria of the standard to a level which demonstrates adequate understanding of the material tested. * ''Achievement with merit'' (M) - meaning the candidate has met the criteria of the standard which demonstrates substantial knowledge of the material tested. * ''Achievement with excellence'' (E) - this mark means that the candidate has demonstrated in depth understanding of the material tested. Each assessment contains activities or questions that test each level of achievement, and a candidate must achieve a certain proficiency in each progressive level of achievement before gaining credit for the next level of achievement: for example, a candidate who fails to gain the required amount of Achievement questions correct is not eligible for an Achievement with Merit or Excellence grade, regardless of the amount of Merit or Excellence questions they answered correctly. The same is true of Achievement with Merit questions. A failure to gain an achievement grade is reported as ''not achieved'' (NA or N). In externally assessed standards, a blank paper is reported as ''standard not attempted'' (SNA). ===Marking mechanism=== NCEA uses a strict [[assessment#Criterion-referenced and norm-referenced assessments|criterion-referenced]] marking system. In essay or task-based examinations, the criteria for each grade are made so that the marker looks at the work holistically and decides which level of performance has been achieved. For example, in a level 3 English paper, the depth of the candidate's critical analysis of the studied works and the level of fluency shown are considered. In question-based examinations, item-testing is used: questions are set so that answers can demonstrate the levels required for achievement, merit or excellence. Questions which demonstrate basic understanding are known as "achievement questions". Generally, to get an achievement grade, the majority of achievement questions must be correct. To get merit, a student must answer a certain proportion of merit questions correctly, and to get excellence, they must do so for the excellence questions. The proportion varies between subjects, and in most cases, an incomplete answer to an excellence question can be credited as achievement or merit depending on the answer's quality. Typically there are more achievement opportunities than merit ones, and more merit questions than those of excellence. ===Holistic grades and replacement evidence=== The fault uncovered in this system was that a student could get the merit and excellence questions right but may stumble on the achievement questions &ndash; demonstrating a good understanding of the subject &ndash; but would be marked with a not achieved grade, as s/he had failed to meet the criteria for achievement. Holistic grades were introduced &mdash; so that in such an event where technicalities had prevented the student from succeeding, the marker can use his/her professional judgement to judge if the student had reached a merit level. Replacement evidence is when a correct answer at a higher level used as evidence for a lower level at the expense of the correct higher-level answer, for example an excellence question being turned into a merit question when the student would not have enough merit questions to get merit otherwise. Supplementing by merit and excellence marks can only occur if these marks that come from a marking opportunity which has not already contributed an achievement mark, otherwise this would be 'double dipping' and in practice counting the mark twice. The exact specifications of holistic grades and replacement evidence vary from subject to subject. ==Reception== <!-- Please be selective about what is added here. If you add something, please explain why on the talk page. See talk page for more info. --> NCEA has generally met a mixed reception, both from the public and high-profile individuals. Some claim that it is far better than the old system, others claim that it is far worse; some claim that it just needs attention to be fixed. Listed below are some of the main points that have been expressed for and against NCEA. Please note that there may be duplicate and contradicting points between the two arguments, and none of the following points are endorsed in their factual accuracy or advantage. This list includes arguments for each side only. ===Praise=== <!-- Please be selective about what is added here. If you add something, please explain why on the talk page. See talk page for more info. --> Some{{Fact|date=February 2007}} say that NCEA is a great step upwards from the old system, meeting the needs of students best. Some of their points are outlined below: *'''Assessment is criteria-based''': The old system was norm-based, mandating the failure of a set proportion of students each year. With NCEA this is no longer necessary, and students can understand exactly what is required of them. *'''Flexible and tailored''': The modules of NCEA make it flexible and tailored to all students, so that they can show their individual strengths. They can include what they want to, thus controlling their own learning. *'''Greater analysis of results''': Universities and employers can now analyse a candidate's strengths and weaknesses with results in individual sectors given as opposed to what some considered a vague percentage. *'''Improvement in internal assessment''': Internal assessment is now moderated, unlike before, and tests understanding in practical situations as well. Also, the increase of internal assessment relieves pressure from the final examinations. *'''Levels are relevant to each other''': The three previous secondary qualifications were separate and were not related to each other. NCEA's three levels are all linked under one system. ===Criticism=== <!-- Please be selective about what is added here. If you add something, please explain why on the talk page. See talk page for more info. --> NCEA has had its critics on different levels. Some{{Fact|date=February 2007}} say that NCEA will never achieve acceptance from the public, because it is meaningless. Others say that NCEA needs to be fixed, as NCEA is not heading down the road it was meant to be. The criticism from both views (some of which overlap) are outlined below: *'''Statistical correction''': There is no predetermined proportion of passes or failures. This means that the pass rate is not constant between years or standards. Some extreme cases have triggered remarking of some standards. *'''Modules can be excluded from a subject''': Previously, the number of optional parts of a subject were fewer. Under the NCEA, students have the choice of excluding modules they do not want to enter. *'''Mark bands are inconsistent''': The marking system means that grades are not consistent with percentages, as it depends on which questions were correct. Thus, a student can outscore another but receive a lower grade. *'''Combined academic and vocational standards''': Before academic subjects are introduced, the original standards on the National Qualifications Framework were vocational. The two types cannot contribute to the same qualification as they are not suitable for each other. *'''Poor internal assessment''': The criteria for achievement are often inconcise meaning that teachers have difficulty assessing work. Also, some schools allow varying numbers of resits, but others do not. Moderation is poor as incorrect grades are not actually changed. ==External links== *[http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/ NCEA website] [[Category:Education in New Zealand]] [[Category:School qualifications]] [[Category:High school diploma]]