Public engagement on NCEA subjects

Issue: Volume 100, Number 8

Posted: 30 June 2021
Reference #: 1HAMdk

Ākonga, whānau, kaiako, and the wider education sector can have their say on the provisional subject lists for The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

NCEA public engagement

The Ministry of Education is seeking feedback on proposed changes to the subjects available to students under NCEA, as announced by the Minister of Education on Wednesday 16 June. 

The proposals, in both The New Zealand Curriculum (at Levels 2 and 3) and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (across all Levels), are part of a broader programme of changes to strengthen NCEA for all learners in Aotearoa New Zealand. The NCEA Change Programme maintains strong links with the National Curriculum for Schooling refresh, which is happening at the same time.

This work supports the Government’s promise to deliver opportunities for greater specialisation and deeper learning at Levels 2 and 3 together with the more foundational learning already agreed at NCEA Level 1.

Recent changes proposed for NCEA Level 1 were aimed at making the early qualification more ‘foundational’, meaning broad in scope, with the intent to keep options for learners open while they consider future learning and start to develop ideas around study after secondary school, and their aspirations for work.

The Level 2 and 3 changes are closely aligned with the need for specialisation at the later levels. 

The proposals also seek to offer further new mātauranga Māori subjects for students across all senior secondary education settings. This will help to deliver one of the most significant shifts envisioned as part of the NCEA Change Package – ‘Mana ōrite mō te mātauranga Māori’ (parity for Māori knowledge in NCEA).

Some of the proposed new subjects will require further scoping prior to development work commencing and may be developed on longer timelines compared to currently existing subjects. This is because it will require more time to engage with stakeholders about how these will fit within their wider learning areas and wāhanga ako, and provide greater opportunity for their effective development and implementation. 

Proposals also include the intent to reduce the number of achievement standards across the board, to a maximum of four per subject, which will change the way they are supported. Some individual subjects are being expanded into multiple subjects, and others are being combined, so there is plenty for the sector, students, whānau and support communities to consider. 

Whakapuakina ō whakaaro Have your say 

E tonoa ana koe kia whakapuaki i ō whakaaro mō ngā panoni e marohitia ana mō ngā marau NCEA. 

You are invited to have your say about the proposed changes to NCEA subjects.

Visit NCEA.education.govt.nz/have-your-say.(external link)

If you have any questions, you can email ras.review@education.govt.nz. 

BY Education Gazette editors
Education Gazette | Tukutuku Kōrero, reporter@edgazette.govt.nz

Posted: 12:50 pm, 30 June 2021

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