Another wave of Covid-19 could be on its way with a new Omicron subvariant seeing case numbers back on the rise. Video / NZ Herald / Ben Cummins
High school students grappling with their third year of the pandemic will have to wait at least till next term to hear if they'll get extra help to achieve NCEA.
But the Government accepts students are facing ongoing disruption and is looking closely at possible interventions.
Following lockdowns in 2020and 2021, extra measures were put in place to help students who were struggling to gain the qualification.
The thresholds to get University Entrance and merit or excellence certificate endorsements were lowered, and students could earn bonus learning recognition credits, depending how badly their region was hit by Covid.
Last year's end-of-year exams were delayed, and upper North Island students were made eligible for Unexpected Event Grades amid a months-long lockdown.
That meant teachers could assess them based on evidence gathered throughout the year - a lifeline for many students who were able skip exams altogether.
But this year's disruption has differed from previous years, the NZ Qualifications Authority said in May, so "schools shouldn't assume that the same response from NZQA and the Ministry [of Education] will occur".
However while there haven't been lockdowns this year, there were widespread school closures and rostered learning from home during Omicron's peak in autumn.
Now winter bugs are hammering students, with one in five off school each day and a quarter of teachers off sick or isolating at some schools.
New Zealand is now entering another Covid wave, which means more disruption for schools - although there are still no plans to return to the red traffic light setting.
Principals say while earlier lockdowns put many schools in the same boat, this year every school faces unique challenges.
Greg Pierce, head of the Auckland Secondary Schools' Principals' Association, expected schools wouldn't hear until September whether measures like extra credits would be on offer.
Orewa College principal Greg Pierce says some schools have been disproportionately affected by staff illness. Photo / Jason Oxenham
But the Orewa College principal said he would like a decision sooner - it would give staff and students "peace of mind" about NCEA and help students stay motivated if they knew the qualification was achievable.
Pierce said NZQA had stressed that Unexpected Event Grades were still an option, though it wanted schools to apply them more consistently. But until recently schools had been told it was unlikely there would be a reduction in assessment requirements.
NZQA had recently sought submissions from schools on the issue and there had been a "real range of feedback".
"No two schools are the same. Certain areas have been more disproportionately affected with staffing and illness than others - even in my own area, schools vary quite a lot within the community ... It's a very messy field right across Auckland."
Secondary Principals' Association president Vaughan Couillault said Education Minister Chris Hipkins was seeking regular updates on how NCEA progress was tracking, with one due at the end of this term and another early in Term 3. NZQA was also "acutely aware" of the issue.
A professional advisory group which reported to the minister would meet in August, with "qualification relief" on the agenda, he said.
Papatoetoe High School principal Vaughan Couillault says it's not practical to introduce "qualification relief" too early in the year. Photo / Dean Purcell
"It's about timing - is it necessary, and if it is necessary, what timing or what conditions need to be in place for things to turn on?"
Meanwhile schools like his own, Papatoetoe High, had been using NCEA's flexibility this year to cut the number of credits students needed to pass courses, which was absorbing some of the disruption.
The Herald asked Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti whether she was actively considering learning recognition credits, widespread Unexpected Event Grades or any other measures, and when any decision would be communicated.
Tinetti said the Ministry of Education and NZQA were "mindful that Covid-19 is having an extended impact on teaching, learning and assessment this year" but it was quite different to previous years.
Associate Minister of Education Jan Tinetti says Covid is having an "extended impact on teaching, learning and assessment" this year. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
"The Ministry and NZQA are looking at a range of potential measures to support teaching, learning and assessment, including the interventions which have been used in previous years."
With "significant and variable Covid-19 disruption ongoing", both agencies were in regular contact with schools and were working with sector representatives, she said.
"The Ministry of Education (in consultation with NZQA) will test potential support options with sector representatives before making recommendations to me."
