Andrew Dickens: Parents are responsible for avoiding 'credit crunching'

The government has confirmed major changes to New Zealand’s secondary school qualification system, officially replacing NCEA with a new subject-based model.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford announced the shift in Orewa, saying the current NCEA system is too complex and doesn’t clearly show how well students have mastered their subjects.

From 2029, Year 12 students will begin the New Zealand Certificate of Education, followed by the New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education for Year 13 in 2030. Level 1 will be removed in 2028.

Under the new structure, students will take at least five subjects, and must pass a minimum of three to earn the qualification. Every subject will include internal assessments and an exam, and results will be reported using a six-point grading scale from A+ to E. Certificates will list each subject and the grade achieved, with endorsement awards for top performers.

Year 11 students will face new compulsory subjects — science, English or te reo rangatira, and mathematics — and all students will need to pass the new literacy and numeracy Foundational Award.

The curriculum will also expand to include new subjects such as Civics, Politics and Philosophy, Advanced Mathematics, and Journalism and Media, alongside industry-developed subjects like building and construction and primary industries.

Stanford says the changes are designed to move students away from “credit crunching” and toward genuine learning progress.

Current Year 9 students will be the first full cohort to move through the new system.

So all the statistics point to NCEA failing but like all tools it's because of the people who used the system not exclusively because of the system

A common reaction amongst older New Zealander is how tis resembles the School C, UE system we grew up with so it was less of a revolution and more of a return to basics that were well understood

The easy criticism for older folk was the marking system.  For some reason parents and employers did not understand the Excellence, Merit and Acheived rankings when obviously Excellence means an A, Merit a b and Acheived a C.  The A to E system is one that parents grew up with but in the cold light of day is just as abstract as the NCEA rankings.

The real problem lay in the rorting of the credits with students choosing easy to pass subjects and avoiding anything that seemed challenging.  But the real responsibility for the credit crunching surely lies with the parents as well

And the strength of NCEA was recognising that there is not one education for all.  That some people don't cope with maths or English or Science and the system recognised what talents they had.

My youngest and I had a big to do over his Year 13 subject choice.  He detested maths and wanted to study photography.  I said you have to have maths.  he argued that he had as much maths as any average student would need for real life.  He won.  And now he is a successful photographer doing his own taxes and playing Sharesies particularly well. So he was right.  But I'm just lucky he's such a rounded individual

But while the new system re-emphasises 3 basic pillars of knowledge in English Maths and Science a lot of those BS credit crunching subjects remain.

Other arguments are amongst those who say exams are artificial and how do you sit an exam on Food Technology which is the new fangled name for cooking. Or photography which still exists.

The question exists is this a brave new world or will the old problems still remain.

Luxon also used the event to comment on global instability, national security, and recent speculation about a potential National–Labour coalition, dismissing the idea outright.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Kerry Wood of Mornings podcast from
News Talks at B.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
But we're going to start off with education because there's
a lot on the table there. Started on Saturday, we'll
continue today with maths funding apparently being it out. So
the government has conferred major changes to New Zealand secondary
school qualification system, officially replacing NCEEA with a new subject
based model. The Prime Minister christpher Luxon and Education Minister

(00:34):
Erica Stamford announced the shift in OREB, saying the current
NCEEA system is too complex and doesn't clearly show how
well students have mastered their subjects. So from twenty twenty nine,
year twelve students will begin the New Zealand Certificate of Education,
followed by the New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education or

(00:57):
nz at ACE that's for year thirteen and twenty thirty.
Level one will be removed completely in twenty twenty eight.
Of the new structure, students will take at least five
subjects and must pass a minimum of three to earn
the qualification the NCISEE or the NZACE. Every subject will

(01:19):
include internal assessments and every subject will include an exam
and results will be reported using a six point grading
scale that we all know this is a plus down
to E. Certificates will list each subject and grade achieved,
and there will be endorsement awards for top performers. A
year eleven students will face new compulsory subjects science, English,

(01:44):
au TERRAO and mathematics, and all students will need to
pass the new Literacy and Numeracy Foundational Award. The curriculum
will also expand to include some new subjects. There will
be civics in there, politics and philosophy, advanced mathematics, and
journalism and media, alongside industry developed subjects like building and

(02:06):
construction and primary industries and Erica Stamford says the changes
are designed to move students away from what she calls
credit crunching and towards genuine learning progress, and the current
year nine students will be the first full cohort to
move through the new system. So what do you think

(02:27):
of it? All the statistics have pointed to ncea failing,
but I've always thought, like all tools, it's because of
the people who use the system, and not exclusively because
of the system itself. So hees it's just a few
things about it. A common reaction amongst older New Zealanders

(02:48):
is how this resembles school CUI, the system we grew
up with, so it is less of a revolution and
more of a return to the past. The easy criticism
for older folk was the marketing system. For some reason,
parents and employers had some problem with the excellence merit
and achieved rankings when I would have thought, obviously excellence

(03:12):
means an A, merit a B and achieved a C.
The A to E system is one that parents grew
up with. But in the cold light of day, isn't
that just as abstract as excellence merit and achieved A
to E. The real problem of the whole system, I
think we may all agree, was the routing of the credits,

(03:33):
what Erica Stanford calls credit crunching, students choosing easy to
pass subjects and avoiding anything that seemed challenging. But surely
the real problem and the real responsibility for all that
credit crunching lay with the parents who allowed their kids
to get away with rotting the system. And there was

(03:57):
a strength in the NCEA. It recognized that there is
not one education for all, that some people just don't
cope with maths, English or science and the old system
Menceea recognized what talents they had as long as the
people reading the report card could actually understand what they

(04:17):
were saying. So, look, I had this with my kids,
and I'm through and out the other side. My youngest
and I had a big to do over his year
thirteen subject choice. He detested maths. He was okay at it,
but he just did not like it. And what he
really loved was photography. And so he had a choice

(04:38):
of doing photography and videography or doing maths. I said, dude,
you got to do maths. The whole world lives on maths.
Maths is the cornerstone of everything. He argued that he
had as much maths as any average person would need
for real life. And then this long running argument which

(05:00):
I think all parents and kids should have. Do they
have it? I don't know, you tell me. At the
end that whole argument, he won, right, And like I say,
he is now a successful photographer, doing his own taxes,
doing some maths, doing the maths that you need in
everyday life. He's actually playing Chaeres. He's really really well.

(05:23):
So he was right, and so maybe I'm just lucky
because he was a rounded individual. But that's where the
NCA system suited him. It also suited my oldest boy,
who was dyslexic and frankly, exams were a complete nightmare
for him. In fact, writing is a complete nightmare for him.
We sent him to a school that allowed him to

(05:43):
do it on a computer and with reader writers. That
boy ended out with a double degree. So if you'd
relied only on exams, would he have passed?

Speaker 1 (05:54):
No?

Speaker 2 (05:54):
I don't think he would have. This new system reemphasizes
the three basic pillars of knowledge, English, maths, and science.
Is that a good thing?

Speaker 1 (06:04):
Is that?

Speaker 2 (06:05):
Should it be more? Should they need more than just three?
Should they need five? That they all pass? But that's
up to you. What do you think? O?

Speaker 1 (06:12):
Wea eight?

Speaker 2 (06:12):
One hundred and eighty ten eighty. But here's the point.
A lot of those bes credit crunching subjects remain. The
rauting can still continue, but not in the three pillars Ingris, maths,
and science. As I mentioned already, there is argument amongst
those who say exams are artificial. So how do you
sit an exam on food technology which is the new

(06:35):
fangled name for cooking or photography like my boy would
have to do? Do you just get asked questions about
if stops? Is that enough to make a three hour exam?
So my question for you is this a brave new
world or will those old problems still remain.

Speaker 1 (06:56):
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