Dr Michael Johnston: NZ Initiative Senior Fellow on whether changes need to be made to NCEA

One expert is joining the calls to overhaul NCEA after the Government indicated changes were on the way.

A damning report's highlighted major problems with the qualification's credibility, with some schools already withdrawing from Level One.

NZ Initiative Senior Fellow Dr Michael Johnston says NCEA's had a 20-year run and it's time to rethink it.

"I think a lot of teachers and schools have probably had a gutsful of it, to be honest. It imposes a very heavy workload on teachers... there's a lot that schools have to do."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, as we've discussed the government's not ruling out bimming
NCEEA altogether. The Education Minister has received a report It
says that schools and students are gaming the credit system.
It needs substantial change. Here's Auckland Grammer Headmaster Tim O'Connor.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
I think you change it to an examination based system.
We make it pretty simple.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
Here's the thought.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
We assess it against the National Curriculum, because currently NCAA
doesn't do that.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
Doctor Michael Johnston is a senior fellow at the New
Zealand Initiative and with us.

Speaker 4 (00:30):
Hey Michael, hey, how are you doing.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
I'm very well, thank you. Do you think we've been
it all together?

Speaker 3 (00:36):
I wouldn't be opposed if that's the way it goes.
I think that NCAA has had a twenty year run
and it's really failed to deliver on its promise and
it is time to rethink.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Do you think if we been it all together, which
I think is a great idea, what do we replace
it with.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
That's a really good question. I mean I probably before
with Tom O'Connor a little bit in that I wouldn't
want us to go back to solely a time limited
exam at the end of the year, but I do
think that we should probably have one result per subject
rather than multiple standards, So we might have several assessments
playing into that, one of which would be a time
limited exam at the end of the year, and maybe

(01:16):
some other assessments along the way to assess those things
that are hard to assess in an exam, like what well,
I mean, say you're doing a science experiment and you
want to assess how students can conduct a science experiment
in the laboratory that you Oh, so the kind of
practical side of things.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
I guess is this controversial? Because this to me, Michael,
in the first year that it was brought in, my
little brother was doing it, and I remember very clearly thinking, geez,
I dodged able at not having to do this this
thing as a joke. Is it controversial? If some of
us have known for twenty plus years that.

Speaker 4 (01:53):
It's nonsense, is it controversial? I mean, ensure Rich, I'm
sure that we some who oppose it, but I think
a lot of teachers and schools have probably had a
guts full of it, to be honest. Yeah, it imposes
a very heavy workload on teachers with a lot of
internal assessment marking and all kinds of logistical overheads and

(02:15):
being moderated, and.

Speaker 3 (02:17):
There's a lot that schools have to do. And you know,
as Tim O'Connor said, I completely agree with them on this.
You know, let's base it on a new knowledge rich
curriculum that gives a real steer as to what needs
to be assessed because at the moment, really the achievement
standards for NCAA do all the heavy lifting in terms
of curriculum and the senior secondary and that's not how

(02:38):
it should be. We need a solid curriculum behind whatever
we do.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
Michael, would we design our own one again or would
we just simply go for ib or Cambridge?

Speaker 3 (02:47):
Well, I would think that we want to have our own.
I think you know, all the other developed countries in
the world have their own qualification systems and if we've
got our own New Zealand curriculum it really is a
solid curriculum, which you know, I believe that Minister Stanford
will deliver, then we should base our assessment system on that.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
Michael, thanks for your time. It's Michael Johnston New Zealand Initiative.
For more from hither Duplessy Allen Drive.

Speaker 3 (03:14):
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