"It’s all unfolding upon the foundations of an industrial dispute between the government and teachers that contributed to one of the largest worker strikes in this country since 1979. In short, there is an awful lot going on in this country’s schools. So, in case you blinked, here’s a rundown of the recent education changes worth having on your radar."
The reasons that NCEA was introduced, remain valid. A move backwards to pushing for large numbers of students to leave school with no credentials is completely unnecessary damage to the lives of those rangitahi.
I just signed - will you join me?
https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/save-ncea-strengthen-don-t-replace-it?bucket=blast3674&source=web_share_api&utm_campaign=blast3674&utm_source=web_share_api&share=59e163e4-a3c7-4307-a1db-af28687c254b
There has been little genuine consultation with schools, whānau, or iwi about what is a major change to what and how we assess. Any changes of this scale needs to be informed by the diverse communities that our education system serves. NCEA is not perfect - but it has proven strengths, flexibility, and the ability to serve all learners across diverse pathways, whether academic, vocational, or community-based. Instead of scrapping it, we call on the Government to work alongside educators,...
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/571277/principals-urge-halt-to-ncea-change-plans ⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ It said the decision was made with limited sector input and lack of transparency.
"Principals involved in consultation have been subjected to restrictive non-disclosure agreements," the letter said, referring to a group of 14 principals that initially advised the government on the proposal. #nzpol #ncea #education
"We can't have this namby-pamby stand in education where we don't like winners and losers, we just like winners."
#BarrySoper, 2025
https://www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/mediawatch?share=199b86ae-c200-4075-ab0c-f5dec7f2b80f
Why not? Why would we choose to structurally frame people struggling at school as "losers"? Why choose to make education a zero-sum game, when there's no evidence that moving away from that toxic framing does any harm?
"In contrast, the proposed changes treat difference as an exception that one must seek exemptions for, not normative. Doing so contributes to feelings of isolation and exclusion, and create additional barriers to learning. The proposal has no clear commitment to inclusion, no visibility of disability, and no reassurance that assessments will be designed with neurodivergent and disabled students in mind."
https://drbex.substack.com/p/theres-a-lot-for-crimson-education
"In reality, we don’t have two and a half years to deliberate and prepare for this change. We have less than a few months from the period for feedback closes in September until 2028’s year 11s begin their journey through high school. You cannot in good faith argue that this is “careful phasing” when you are giving teachers so little time to prepare and implement this new set of qualifications. "
"A fully detailed five-year implementation plan, complete with start dates, compulsory subjects, qualification names, and grading systems, has already been released. This is not consultation; this is a done deal dressed up as dialogue."
by Rebecca ThomasStory We Are Being SoldAs the Government’s announcement about the future of NCEA lands, we need to pause and think carefully about the story we are being sold.We are told NCEA is broken. We are told it lacks “rigour,” that it is failing to prepare our young people for competitive universities and the “real world". • NCEA Level 1 is gone. It will be replaced by compulsory English and Mathematics at Year 11, and a high-stakes foundation literacy and numeracy test that becomes the
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