Teachers endorse NCEA pilot programme

Teachers endorse NCEA pilot programme

Secondary teachers will decide early in term four whether to take part in a pilot programme of Level 2 NCEA next year following a decision made at the PPTA Annual Conference in Wellington.

PPTA delegates yesterday endorsed a recommendation that allows schools and subjects and departments within schools to opt in to the pilot programme, or retain Sixth Form Certificate.

At the same time, delegates also voted to delay full implementation of level 2 of the qualification until 2004 and Level 3 until 2006.

PPTA president Jen McCutcheon said conference delegates had brought a diversity of opinion from their regions and worked extremely hard over the three days to reach a position that everyone was confident to move forward from.

"Conference delegates have voted to let teachers in their subjects and departments exercise their professional autonomy to determine whether they are ready for Level 2 NCEA next year.

“Their decision lets schools, and teachers within schools, decide what is the best way forward and that can only be beneficial to their students.”

Mrs McCutcheon said teachers would need to make their decisions after working through an extensive checklist, which asks them whether they feel sufficient training, resourcing, and staffing, and effective internal moderation systems, are available.

Delegates also recommended that the PPTA call on the Ministry of Education to commission an ongoing independent review of the NCEA by assessment experts and continue to demand adequate resourcing of the NCEA at all levels.

Mrs McCutcheon said the conference demonstrated the robust level of debate within PPTA as well as the association's ability to take a leadership role in the NCEA discussion.

"We have gained a great sense of collective strength and momentum from the NCEA debate and the conference as a whole.”

NCEA paper final carried recommendations:

That PPTA continue to demand adequate resourcing for implementation of the NCEA at all levels. That full implementation of Level 2 NCEA be deferred until 2004 and Level 3 until 2006 That the NZPPTA agree to a carefully planned, implemented and monitored pilot programme of Level 2 NCEA in 2003. That this programme would follow the guidelines in the conference paper and would adhere to the following conditions, namely that: The schools/departments volunteer based on consensus; There be at least five days training and release time before the end of the 2002 school year; There be at least two days of release time for training and preparation at the start of the 2003 school year; Other resourcing be no higher than that which would be available in full implementation; The programme be monitored by PPTA monitors (external to a pilot school) reporting regularly to national executive who will lobby NZQA and the MOE to correct and solve problems as they are identified, and collate and report on progress to PPTA members and to conferences 2003 and 2004. Monitoring and lobbying will take place to ensure that a good quality 6th Form Certificate qualification remains available for the next 2 years as NCEA Level 2 is gradually implemented. That a decision by any school or department to take part in the pilot programme be made by consensus following a branch meeting attended by an executive member/regional representative to ensure that members are not subjected to undue pressure from any quarter. That PPTA calls on the Ministry of Education to commission an ongoing independent review of the NCEA by assessment experts.

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