The National Education Achievement Certificate ( NCEA ) is an official high school qualification in New Zealand. It was gradual between 2002 and 2004, replacing three older secondary school qualifications. New Zealand Qualification Authority administers NCEA.
Video National Certificate of Educational Achievement
History
NCEA Level 1 replaced the School Certificate in 2002, Level 2 replaced the Sixth Certificate Form in 2003 and Level 3 was replaced by Bursary in 2004. Sixth Certificate The transitional form offered by schools in 2003 and 2004. The initial academic rate was set at about 35% Low Level 1 NCEA from passing School Certificate (50%) so that more students can get some kind of qualification. Over time, academic standards at each level have been raised about 5%. Almost all the much easier Unit Standards have been removed. Those who remain do not lead to tertiary level programs at the University because they are of a lower standard than normal credit. Over time, there is an increase in the number of checks and supervision of teacher marking. Teachers who rated or miscalculated students are warned and red-marked if there is no improvement but students are allowed to keep unsolicited credit.
Maps National Certificate of Educational Achievement
System
The NCEA system has three levels - one, two, and three - according to their respective levels in the National Qualification Framework. Each level is generally studied in each of the last three years of secondary school, with NCEA levels one in Class 11, two NCEA levels in Class 12, and NCEA levels of three in Class 13, although it is not uncommon for students to study in various level areas.
To pass each level, students must obtain a certain amount of credit at that level or above. Credits are awarded through students who pass the standard units or achievement standards. Each school subject consists of several standards - for example Mathematics at the first level consists of 13 achievement standards, including separate standards for numbers, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, and probability.
Unit and achievement standards represent two types of standards used in NCEA. Both use criteria-based marking, which means students must meet the criteria specified for each grade level to achieve at that level. However, the unit's standards are 'competency-based' while achievement standards come from the New Zealand Curriculum. Most standard units use the achieved/unreachable system, while achievement standards use four-grade scales: Not Achieved (N), Achieved (A), Merit (M) and Excellence (E). Furthermore, each standard is assigned a specified credit score. For example, Standard 91394 (Analyzing classical world ideas and values) is worth four credits while Standard 91587 (Applying a simultaneous equation system in solving problems) is worth 3 credits. All graduation marks for the standard receive the same credit amount, so one candidate can achieve 4 credits in US 91394 when the other reaches 4 credits in US 91394 with excellence. Because criteria-based assessment, achievement in standards is independent.
Individual assessment is done both internally and externally. Internal assessments are assessed at the school level throughout the school year. External assessments are assessed at the national level, usually, but not exclusively, with exams held at the end of the school year in November and December.
The amount of credit required to pass each level is as follows. Credits can be reused for multiple certificates:
- NCEA Level One - 80 credits at level 1 or higher, 10 of which must be literate and 10 must count.
- NCEA Level Two - a total of 80 credits, of which 60 credits must be at level 2 or higher. Students must also have reached 10 literation and 10 credit count at level 1 or higher.
- NCEA Level Three - a total of 80 credits, of which 60 credits must be at level 3 or higher and 20 credits must be at level 2 or higher. Students must also have reached 10 literation and 10 credit count at level 1 or higher.
Candidates who achieve a large number of Merit and Excellence standards may have certificates supported by Excellence or Excellence. To obtain a degree certificate with Merit support, a student must graduate level with at least 50 Merit credits and Advantages assessed at that level or higher. Likewise, to obtain a level certificate with Excellence support, a student must pass the level with at least 50 Excellence credits rated at that level or higher.
In 2011, courseware support was introduced. To gain courseware support, a candidate must achieve fourteen credits with achievement or excellence in a given year. In addition, three credits must be assessed internally and three external assessments. There are three exceptions for Physical Education, Religious Studies, and Visual Arts Level 3, as all the standards in the subject are entirely entirely internally or externally. Superior reinforcement requires fourteen credits to be achieved with excellence.
A Class Score Assessment (GSM) was also introduced in 2011, along with a reconstructed first level standard. Like rearrangement, GSM has been phased out so that only an external single level is indicated by GSM in 2011. Under GSM each question gets up to 8 alerts, with two marks per each value (NAME). N0 is also there for "no response, no evidence". The Score value for each question is summed and the overall score for the standard is determined from that total, based on the score determined by NZQA. However, the candidate will ultimately still receive one of four signs (NAME) whether the standard (such as 91098) is of eight or 32 (eg, 90948). The rationale behind the change is threefold: it will clarify values ââfor candidates, motivate them to improve and improve consistency in marking. In 2013, GSM staged entries are complete.
According to NZQA, NCEA is the only middle school qualification in the world where marked exam papers are returned to students. Once the exam papers are returned, students can apply for specific papers for review in case of marking or administrative errors (eg paper has not been fully marked, signs have been added incorrectly, examination papers indicate different results from their results notices), or they may apply for papers certain to be commented on ("reconsidered") if they feel they have not been properly assessed. To prevent students from cheating, each blank writing space is crossed off by markers before the paper is returned, and students can not request review or review on any paper they have written with pencil or use correction fluid.
Extensive online resources for standards can be found on the NZQA website.
University Entrance
For NCEA candidates the prerequisites for University Entrance awards are changed in 2014 for the university year starting 2015. Candidates must be current:
- Reach Three NCEA Levels
- Earn Fourteen credits in each of three Approved Courses
- Meets Literacy and Counting standards based on Level Two and Level One credits in many standards and subjects.
Not all subjects are approved for university admission and, as such, NZQA publishes a list of approved subjects and standards. Credits not obtained in approved subjects can not be counted for University Entry.
Each university sets their own admission standards for a particular degree program, but NCEA students must still meet the University Entry standards set by the NCEA. The only exception to this applies to discretionary entrances, subject to their own terms. Non-NCEA students are recognized by the university on the basis of their qualifications.
NCEA is also internationally accepted, but overseas institutions and countries set their own requirements and NZQA can turn NCEA into a comparable performance measure on a case-by-case basis.
The University Entrance Prize has been criticized on the grounds that it is 'convoluted', not enough to get into New Zealand universities and be seen as inadequate by universities at home and abroad.
Controversy and media
In January 2013, hundreds of students could access their grades the day before they were released, after they were accidentally posted online.
In June 2014, NZQA released a press statement saying that nearly 25% of the internal assessment of 2013 was wrongly marked. Students can still use the wrong credit given to get NCEA. Each year NZQA takes a random sample of internal assessments for rigorous checks. In some schools, almost all credit earned comes from internal assessments. Physical Education, Religious Education and Visual Arts Level 3 are truly assessed internally. In addition, lower decile schools tend to use more internal assessments and have greater gaps between internal and external levels of achievement when compared to higher school deciles. NZQA says this is a more error than usual because new standards have been introduced during the ongoing redesign and teachers have not yet adjusted their markings.
In July 2015, James Cote and Michael Johnston suggested that class inflation was behind the rise in NCEA student graduation rates. This suggestion is further expressed in an article published in April 2017.
References
External links
- The NCEA website
Source of the article : Wikipedia