10. ANNE TOLLEY (National—East Coast) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
Does he have confidence in the National Certificate of Educational Achievement; if so, why?
Hon CHRIS CARTER (Minister of Education) Link to this
Yes; the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) has been recognised by domestic and international educationalists, business, and parents as a modern, well-researched assessment system that is preparing young New Zealanders well for the 21st century.
What is his message to students and parents of students who have been sitting this modern and well-researched NCEA, when, after 4 full years, nearly a third of all internal assessments are still being incorrectly marked in that the marking is either too lenient or too strict?
Any figures given by that member in the House have to be taken as suspect because so often her figures have been wrong. All I can say is that NCEA has been welcomed by educationalists, parents, and business as a modern education assessment tool. We have educationalists arriving from the United States and from all of the European Union countries to look at our system. I understand that the UK is moving towards a similar system. NCEA is working, and it is getting better.
Hon Marian HobbsFrankly, too many to list comprehensively. But let me tell the House, and, particularly, the member Anne Tolley, about three particular initiatives in this year’s Budget. First of all, we introduced certificate endorsement last year—it comes into effect this year—which, initial research shows, is motivating students very well. From this year we will randomly sample 10 percent of internally assessed student work for external moderation by subject experts, so that we can be sure that schools are applying consistent, fair, and transparent national standards. Finally, we have made available national assessment reports for parents, so that they can check how their child’s school is performing in delivering assessment to the national standard. It is no wonder that the Business New Zealand Chief Executive, Phil O’Reilly, who is not known as a Labour supporter, said that NCEA is a very good system that gives employers news they can use, by showing the areas a student does well in.
Dail JonesWhy, then, after so many years of NCEA, does the teaching of computing still lack a curriculum and its own purpose-designed achievement standards, as stated by the New Zealand Computer Society, and why, so many years after the introduction of NCEA, is there an absence of meaningful computer standards, as stated by the Post Primary Teachers Association President, Robin Duff,; what does the Minister intend to do to resolve this basic problem with the teaching of computing?
I am really glad the member asked that question. I was expecting Anne Tolley to ask it, because she put out a particularly silly press statement yesterday on this very subject. We have a technology curriculum, which has assessment standards in it. Computer studies are part of that assessment. We are working closely with the New Zealand Computer Society to finalise sector-wide agreement on those standards. Before standards are brought in, they have to have the agreement of all stakeholders, people have to be comfortable with them, and, most of all, they have to be accurate and valid. Technology standards are already in place. Computing standards will be in place very shortly.
When nearly one-third of internal assessment is incorrectly marked, what assurance will the Minister give to students that their marker got it right, given that many were told that they had failed their internal assessment, and missed out on a university course because of that failure?
I receive reports every week from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, the organisation that runs NCEA. I have never ever heard that figure before. I am wondering whether the member simply made it up. I remind the House of the parts of the Budget I have outlined relating to NCEA, including the employment of more assessors who can take samples from every school—the sort of bureaucrat, I suppose, Mr Key would suggest should be slashed so that he can have his tax cuts. The NCEA system is world-class. People come from around the world to look at our assessment system. We are making the system more efficient every year, including dealing with the issues that the member raises. She has a right to raise them, but I ask her to please get her facts right.
What has now changed, when for 4 years the Government has persisted with teacher-picked sampling despite vocal opposition to it, and when now, in the fifth year, it has finally decided to have true random sampling to ensure that internal assessment is being correctly marked?
I will tell members in this House what has changed. New Zealand has a Government that believes in education. It has a Government that has invested an extra $5 billion in education. It has a Government that has employed over 6,000 extra teachers above any increase required by roll growth. It has a Government that has built 42 new schools. It has a Government that continues to make NCEA a world-class assessment system.
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I am not sure that the Minister actually addressed the question. I asked a specific question—what had changed. There has been one teacher-picked sampling in 4 years, and now, in the fifth year, the Government has decided to do random sampling. My question was quite specific in that it asked what had changed. What we got from the Minister was a great tirade about how much money he has put into the education system.
Madam SPEAKERI understand the member. The Minister’s answer was very general. He did lightly touch on the issue in the question at the end. Maybe the Minister would like to give us a fuller explanation.
I am sorry, Madam Speaker, but I am so proud of what our Government has done for the young people of New Zealand with our extra $5 billon for education. NCEA was introduced in 2002. Like any system, it has been refined over time. We learn as we go, and I assure this House and the students and parents of New Zealand that NCEA is a world-class assessment system. People come from all over the world to look at how successful it has been. Of course, like any system, we can make it better, and we continue to be committed to doing so.
Why should parents have confidence that this Minister can fix the system by finally introducing true random sampling, when his Government has made guinea pigs of their children for 4 years by endorsing teacher-picked sampling, which has seen a third of internal assessment being marked either too high or too low?
The member continues to bandy around statistics that I, the Minister of Education, have never heard before. I am briefed every week by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, I have visited over 90 schools since I got the job, and that statistic has never been given to me. I can only quote Business New Zealand’s Chief Executive, Phil O’Reilly, who said that NCEA is a very good system that gives employers news they can use, by showing the areas a student does well in. This system is valued and appreciated by educationalists, parents, schools, and business. The member should be helping to promote education, not tearing it down.
To be helpful to the Minister, I seek leave to table a report that the New Zealand Qualifications Authority presented to the Education and Science Committee 2 weeks ago that contains the figures and deals with the issues I have raised in my questions.
Gerry BrownleeI raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. There was a very interesting little exchange there. As Mrs Tolley was seeking leave to table the document, the Minister of Education audibly said across the House that he looks forward to reading it. I know that he can get the document from other sources, and, no doubt, his staff are scrambling for it now, but Mr Mallard probably did not understand what was going on on the front bench—