Erica Stanford: Education Minister on only 70% of students passing NCEA Level 1

There's determination from the Education Minister to continue focusing on literacy and numeracy in schools. 

New data shows 70% of Level 1 students passed NCEA last year, down from 82% the previous year. 

It's partly due to the new 20-credit foundational literacy and numeracy requirement. 

Erica Stanford told Tim Beveridge there was a cohort of students who were getting enough credits but couldn't pass the requirements throughout the year. 

She says it's why more investment was announced to target young people in 169 schools in term four. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
But now this year's INCEEA results make for worrying reading
for anyone concerned with our kids ability to read and write.
In CEA levels two and three have remained steady, with
seventy three passing level two and sixty eight passing level three,
but there's been a big drop in kids achieving NCEEA
level one from eighty two percent to seventy percent in
the space of a year. Much of it is down

(00:38):
to kids not achieving their literacy and numerousary requirements, and
the Education Minister, Erica Stanford is with me, Erica, good morning,
Good morning. So that twelve percent drop for NCA level one,
it's huge. What do you put it down.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
To, Well, it's a couple of things. But firstly, just
before we get into it, can I say to those
young people who might be listening to their families that
congratulations on the results that you've got a couple of
days ago. It's a culmination of a lot of hard
work on the student's part, in support from their teachers
and parents and guardians. So want to start by saying that. Look,

(01:14):
we knew last year all the way through last year
when we could start to see the results rolling in
from those compulsory co requisite evans, and only around sixty
percent of kids were able to get to get those
and so they were going to be a cohort of
young people who are going to get enough credits in NCA,

(01:36):
but weren't going to get across the line because they
couldn't meet those foundational literacy and numerous the assessments. So
we knew it was coming, which is why last year
we announced a huge amount of investment at the end
in term four to start targeting those young people and
about one hundred and sixty nine schools really focusing it

(01:56):
on them to give them targeted support to help them
get across the line. And look, it may well be
and it will be that this year they will reattempt
the literacy and numerous the assessments in May and November
and we will help them to get across the line,
and that will mean that they will get their end CEA.
But it is disappointing, but what it does confirm is
what we have been saying for a long time. We

(02:17):
have a very serious problem with literacy and numeracy ability
in this country, which is why we have now so
relentlessly focused on making sure that we have a big
focus on reading, writing and mass right through from primary
up into secondary.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
Is that a case of needing cultural change within the
ministry as well? How has this persisted for so long
where we've got these results, Well, I think it's been hidden.

Speaker 3 (02:45):
We've never properly assessed literacy and numeracy at NCEA, and
you can see the level two and three results have
remained much the same. However, when you put in a
and it is a very relatively basic literacy and numeracy
requirement which is set at a much lower level of
the curriculum, which it's set at the intermediate start of

(03:08):
of you know, young people can't get across the line.
So we have been graduating kids of the n CEA
have not rep requirements for literacy numeracy. So what these
results show us is actually the reality is the young
people don't have the skills that they need to be
successful in life, and so we need much more investment.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
Are you concerned with the impression people get of NCEEA
because of these results, when in fact we don't have
the same problems with level two and three. Do we
but the images that nca for many people, they say,
oh it sucks.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
We do have the same problem with A level two
and three. It's just hidden because this year is the
first year it's compulsory to pass the literacy and numeracy requirement,
but only at level one. So those young people who
are doing NCAA Level two my daughter and three do
not have to get the literacy and Numeracy corequisite in

(04:04):
order to pass, which is why level two and three
have stayed the same. So I tell you, and I'll
predict right here next year at the end of next
year when we have a number when it's compulsory for
the level two that goes level two next year and
three the following year, we will see a drop and
results from the years two. It's just hidden. You know,
we're graduating people were hen CEA who don't have the

(04:24):
TRICI numeracy and that's why there's so much That's why
we've gone back to base. It's at primary school with
our structured literacy, structured mathematics, all of the five hundred
thousand maths books that have been delivered this week into school,
all of the professional developments of teachers, you know. But
the issue for me, listen, I'm later focused on is yes,
that will help our primary school kids and health parents,

(04:45):
mediate school cins. But what we have is for us
as a kids who are already at high school who
will not see the benefit of that, which is why
last year Week announced our intervention for high school kids
to help get them across the line, and will no
doubt have to expand that next year once we really
delve into these results in level one and target every
individual child, because we don't want to leave any of

(05:06):
these kids behind.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
Excellent Erica, thanks so much for your time. That is
Erica Stanford, the Education Minister.

Speaker 1 (05:12):
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