Latest news with #NZQA
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Watch: Christopher Luxon and Erica Stanford face questions at Auckland school
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford are due to speak to media during a visit at an East Auckland school. The pair are at Botany Downs Secondary College on Thursday afternoon. It comes after Stanford said the Qualifications Authority used AI for marking NCEA literacy and numeracy corequisite exams and would use it more widely by the time the Certificate of Education replaced NCEA level 2 in 2029. "If we didn't have AI, this is something that probably wouldn't be possible without a massive injection for NZQA. "But we do have AI, it is coming, and it is getting better and better every year, we are already world-leading in the way that we use it." Under the proposal, NCEA level 1 would be replaced with foundation literacy and numeracy tests. Levels 2 and 3 would be replaced with a New Zealand Certificate of Education and an Advanced Certificate. Students would be required to take five subjects and pass at least four to get each certificate. Marking would be out of 100 and grades would and range from A to E. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Government should match enthusiasm for AI with investment in teachers
[xh Teachers using AI to mark student work 'dangerous' - principals' group Auckland Secondary Principals Association and member of the AI Forum, Claire Amos. Photo: Supplied The Auckland Secondary Principals Association warns the government needs to match its enthusiasm for artificial intelligence with training and funding for teachers. It said suggestions teachers could use AI to mark most student work were "dangerous". Earlier this week, the government said AI marking was critical for its planned replacement of the NCEA and the Education Ministry told schools they "must have a policy" on acceptable use of generative AI such as ChatGPT. On Tuesday Education Minister Erica Stanford said the Qualifications Authority used AI for marking NCEA literacy and numeracy corequisite exams and would use it more widely by the time the Certificate of Education replaced NCEA level 2 in 2029. She said New Zealand was a world-leader and she expected teachers would use the technology to reduce their workloads as the replacement for NCEA was introduced. "If we didn't have AI, this is something that probably wouldn't be possible without a massive injection for NZQA. "But we do have AI, it is coming, and it is getting better and better every year, we are already world-leading in the way that we use it." The same day, the Education Ministry sent schools updated advice on AI . It said schools that offered NCEA must have a policy on the acceptable use of generative AI. "Schools with consent to assess listed standards are required to have an authenticity policy to support assessment practice. This policy must include the acceptable use of GenAI," it said. "The principle of authenticity means that students are required to demonstrate their own knowledge, understanding, and skills in NCEA assessment events. Any evidence submitted for assessment must be their own work." Auckland Secondary Principals Association and member of the AI Forum, Claire Amos, said it was confusing for educators that the ministry was urging caution over AI, but the minster said it would be crucial for replacing NCEA. Amos said the ministry's guidance was very high-level and fell well short of the centralised training, advice and resources that teachers needed. "There's no point having words on a page if we're not upskilling school leaders and we're not upskilling teachers to navigate their way through both the opportunities that AI offers and the great benefits that AI can offer but also understanding the risks," she said. Amos said other countries were much more advanced than New Zealand in terms of school use of AI. Estonia, for example, was investing in teacher training and in AI platforms specifically for schools so student privacy was protected, she said. Amos said AI should not replace classroom teachers when it came to marking student work. "There's huge risks if we start thinking AI is the answer to assessing all student work," she said. "We should be using the technologies and tools to support teachers to make good judgements, we could be using AI in the moderation process and addressing those concerns people have around internal assessment in schools but we are walking a dangerous line if we think we are going to mark all of our student work using AI. That is hugely disempowering for students, hugely disempowering for teachers as well." Amos said the rising use of AI could exacerbate the digital divide between rich and poor schools and between those that were advanced technology users and those that were not. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
04-08-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Response To NCEA Changes
Universities New Zealand broadly supports the direction of the changes signalled to the NCEA qualification announced this morning but looks forward to seeing more detail. Chief Executive Chris Whelan says: 'We have previously raised concerns that the flexibility of NCEA has led to a focus on simply gaining credits rather than developing deep knowledge and critical thinking needed for students to succeed at a university level. This proposal appears to address those concerns. 'However, while the proposal will introduce subjects to replace the mix of credits and achievement standards that have made NCEA so hard to understand, we don't yet know what those subjects will be, or how they will relate to letting students know they are ready for entry into university studies.' The current requirements for University Entrance, which is administered by the NZQA, are: • NCEA Level 3 • A minimum of 14 credits at Level 3 in each of three approved subjects • A literacy requirement of 10 credits at Level 2 or above (5 in reading and 5 in writing) • A numeracy requirement of 10 credits at Level 1 or above 'We have previously highlighted the importance of University Entrance's three subject requirement at Level 3 as an indicator of a student's breadth and depth of learning in academic subjects, which matters in the transition to university. The proposed system increases that minimum to four subjects to pass, but it is not yet clear what subjects these will be in, which will be one of the things we consider. 'University Entrance is a robust indicator of a student's readiness for degree-level standards, and we would expect that to continue under a new system. 'We are pleased that the new system is being phased in over a longer time period, which will allow those decisions to be made with careful thought. 'We look forward to working with the Ministry of Education and Government to ensure the transition to a new system is smooth and sets up university students of 2031 and beyond for success in their chosen academic field.'
Scoop
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
PPTA Rejects Government's Collective Agreement Offer
Secondary teachers are looking for a collective agreement settlement that reflects teachers' value, skills, and the pressures of the cost of living, says Chris Abercrombie, PPTA Te Wehengarua president. 'The Government's initial offer in no way addresses the core issues of teacher recruitment and retention and unmet student need, and has been rejected by our national executive.' The offer included a pay rise of 1% per year for three years, and a $2,500 annual payment, with no time allowance, for principal's nominees - teachers responsible for ensuring the school meets all NZQA requirements for assessment and reporting. Chris Abercrombie said the Government did not make any offers on PPTA's other claims that included pastoral care allowances, professional learning and development funding and an increase to the value of management units and allowances. 'To receive an initial offer such as this is insulting and frustrating. The feedback I'm already getting from teachers is that they feel very under valued. They are doing amazing work in the midst of relentless curriculum and assessment change, and are managing increasingly complex needs of students.' Chris Abercrombie said PPTA Te Wehengarua members would be consulted over the next week or so about exactly how they want to respond to this disappointing offer.
RNZ News
14-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
More students passing maths and reading, fewer in writing
Photo: 123RF Pass rates improved in crucial NCEA maths and reading tests held in May, but there was a slight slip in the number of teenagers passing the writing test. Students cannot receive any NCEA qualifications until they achieve the literacy and numeracy corequisite by passing all three online tests, or - until the end of 2027 - completing 20 alternative credits . The tests are offered twice a year, with the next round scheduled for the first two weeks of September. Education Minister Erica Stanford said the success rate for reading in the May tests was 61 percent, up from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) reported figure of 59 percent for the same testing period last year. Stanford said the maths pass rate was 57 percent, a jump from the 46 percent NZQA reported for last year's May round of tests. She said 55 percent passed the writing test. Last year it was 56 percent. The pass rates would almost certainly increase after students attempted in the September round of tests the tests they failed in May. Last year , overall achievement rates after both rounds of testing were about 10 percentage points higher than the May pass rates. Erica Stanford speaking at a press conference on Wednesday. Photo: Samuel Rillstone / RNZ Stanford said the May results showed more than two-thirds of Year 10 students attempting the tests were successful. In addition, most Year 12s who sat the tests in May passed. "More than half of this year's Year 12 students who did not meet the co-requisite while in Year 11 last year have now achieved it - and around a third of these students will now be awarded NCEA level 1. This takes the pass rate for NCEA level 1 in 2024 from 71.5 percent to 79.6 percent." Stanford said results for students from low-decile schools improved a lot in numeracy and reading - 34 percent passed the numeracy assessment compared to 20 percent at the same time last year. In reading, 41 percent passed, compared to 34 percent last "The government's $2.2 million investment in 2024 to provide targeted support to students in 141 lower decile schools has resulted in more students achieving assessments," she said. "While these results are positive, there are still too many students who don't have the fundamental literacy and numeracy skills they need to thrive. That's why this government is unapologetically reforming the education system to prioritise improving student outcomes. "As our back-to-basics approach beds in, more children will be better equipped when taking these assessments in the future." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
