Patrick Gale: Rangitoto College Principal on overhaul of NCEA

The head of the country's largest school says the stress of exams readies students for the future. 

The Government is proposing to scrap NCEA for a literacy and numeracy test in Year 11 and certificates in Year 12 and 13. 

Consultation on the ideas are open to the public until mid-next month. 

Rangitoto College Principal Patrick Gale told Ryan Bridge it is important for students to be under some level of pressure. 

He says strong academic achievements means a person will have less stress and anxiety in adulthood. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
NCAA is out as the government promise Level one gone
year elevens will now do literacy and numeracy tests instead
Level two and three. That's being replaced with a new
qualification where students will need to pass four out of
the five subjects each year and say goodbye to achieved
merit and excellence not achieved. We're going old school again,

(00:21):
back to ab CD and E grades and a percentage
to boot. Blanting your talk to college is one of
the many schools that dropped NCAA Level one. Principal Patrick
Gales with me now, Hi Patrick.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Good morning, How are you good?

Speaker 1 (00:34):
Thank you so well? First question is this going to
make people who've got an NCAA qualification? Does it sort
of devalue their.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
All? I think what we applied to propose here is
an ongoing resirement. I think if we stand still in education,
we go backwards. So it's important we step forward whilst
continuing to value the qualifications that are you know, the
plus twenty years of students have got and have achieved
and have done very well with.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
You have already decided to ditch you in ca level one?
Will you then do this new what standard that the
Government's talking about Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
Absolutely, So the Foundation Award essentially replaces what is already
in place in terms of what we call the cias
or the co equisit literaty in uniscity we's done further
down in the school. We'll bring that intentis into year
eleven and then we'll continue to do years twelve and
thirteen as we already do.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
For a year eleven student, if you're in the first cohort,
what will be different for you about your school year?

Speaker 2 (01:32):
I think the most important thing to remember is that
the assessment system is just the result of a really
well taught curriculum. So we've got curriculum reform coming into
New Zealand starting next year in the secondary school, and
the quality of teaching and learning that takes place there,
we're hoping to see was significantly improved. Now we've got
a curriculum's going to guide us effectively and that will
allow students to have far better outcomes.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
So the curriculum reform actually more important than the system itself.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
In CAA, the curriculum determines what you do in the
classroom and what students learned. That's been a little bit
absent in the past due to a lack of details. Now,
with a much more knowledge or EICH curriculum coming into place,
we hope to teach some have funnel guidance into what
how teach so that students can learn more effectively.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
Anything wrong with giving a percentage when someone you know
seventy percent eighty percent past.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, I think it's a little bit hidden. What's effectively
happened is that each assessment poventry will be out of
twenty five. Some might be out of fifty depending upon
how the internal external split lands. So when you add
up the total market in the subject, it will be
come on to one hundred. And I think that makes
it easier for the community and employers particularly to understand what.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
About this idea? And we've heard from a couple of
teachers and certainly the Green Party over the last twenty
four hours in of your assessments are very stressful for
students and we should do everything to protect students from
stress and anxiety. Do you subscribe to that view?

Speaker 2 (02:55):
My point of view is that actually our students well
being is determined by their academic achievements. We know if
they get good academic results, we sent them well up
for future life. They will achieve well in life, and
I would assume that will reduce anxiety and stress in
the future. So at some point students need to face
a situation whereby they're going to be under a bit of pressure.
That's part of life. We already have external exams in place.
That's not changing. It's just some schols have chosen not

(03:17):
to engage.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
In those, Patrick, appreciate your time this morning, Patrick Goward,
I'm going to talk to a college principle.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
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