Covirus 19 coronavirus: NCEA exams delayed after school closes

End of the year exams will begin 10 days later than planned this year due to the disruption caused by Covid-19.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced that the start of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) exams will be postponed from November 6 to 16.

The last exam will now be December 9 instead of December 2.

The presentation date of the subjects that require students to present a portfolio, such as Design and Visual Communication, will be delayed from October 28 to November 12.

A requirement for New Zealand Grading Authority (NZQA) verification of Level 1 and 2 visual arts portfolios will be waived, meaning that students will have more time to complete their portfolios and teachers will have more time to mark.

“Student well-being is a priority, and these changes recognize that disruption of learning and assessment can affect students’ ability to achieve NCEA,” said Hipkins.

“The Ministry of Education and NZQA will also work with my NCEA Professional Advisory Group to consider how to address equity issues stemming from the disruption.

“We need to ensure that students who achieve the level of the graduate profile outlined in the NCEA will receive their grade this year without being adversely affected by the disruption of their teaching and learning caused by Covid-19.”

It has not responded, or at least not yet, to calls from some principals to reduce the required credits for NCEA this year because schools have been closed since March 25, except for online learning.

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“It is important to strike the right balance,” he said.

“Any further changes will need to be carefully considered, so the credibility and reputation of the qualification remain and allow those who drop out of school after this year to continue tertiary education, vocational education, or employment.

“This will require rigorous analysis, which can be done quickly, to ensure industry confidence in the decisions that are made.”

However, Hipkins told reporters that NZQA was still consulting with New Zealand Universities on whether there should be changes to university entrance requirements this year, in light of the impact of Covid-19, and is still considering others. adjustments to NCEA.

“There are some other factors that we will consider, including whether there should be changes to college entrance requirements and things like credit, but we must be very careful,” he said.

“I don’t want to see a cohort of school leavers rank lower than another cohort. But I do recognize that there may need to be some flexibility to ensure that children are not disadvantaged.”

I was “having a conversation with the universities about how we can give them the best confidence that school leavers are ready for university study in an environment where traditional university entrance measures may not be achieved by everyone in the world. way they normally would. “

“I have not promised to make a change in that space, but I have said that I would be open to having a conversation,” he said.

He noted that universities agreed to a “special credit inclusion” process for Christchurch students affected by the earthquakes in 2011 who failed to reach their NCEA level 3 and / or college entrance.

“It is along those lines that we are having conversations with them again now,” he said.

“I don’t think it will be a long process, we will do it very quickly, but it must be comprehensive at the same time, so it will take a week or two.”

The president of the Association of Secondary Directors, Deidre Shea, welcomed both late exams and work on a special credit inclusion process.

“It will take a lot of stress off of the students and the teachers and the families, knowing that that end point has moved a little bit,” he said.

“The minister is right in making sure that he has all the facts at his disposal to make the right decision [on special credits]. It’s great that I really pointed it out clearly today. “

Hipkins said the ministry had been working to provide a variety of learning resources and technology services to support high school students in the midst of the disruption.

“This includes distributing Internet-enabled devices and hard copies of NCEA’s learning resources, and facilitating Internet connectivity for students without access to digital technologies at home,” he said.

NZQA has also provided detailed guidance to support schools as they adapt to provide valid distance learning, learning, and assessment in the midst of disruption.

• Level 2 rules: covid19.govt.nz.