Review holds up exam results

The release of secondary school exam results will be delayed for up to three weeks as a team of expert analysts work to avoid the inconsistencies that blighted last year's NCEA.

And the results certificates will include "not achieved" grades to create a "more honest statement of the year's endeavour".

The changes announced yesterday followed a State Services Commission review sparked by last year's shambolic assessment system.

Its report revealed that "safety nets" were missing from the system and that had created variable results "outside of public and professional tolerances".

The Qualifications Authority (NZQA) will base its release date on "principles of accuracy and fairness". Any unexpected results will lead to papers being re-marked before students, schools and parents are sent the grades.

Universities have given their own assurances that delayed results will not create "insurmountable problems" for them and school-leavers.

Principals Federation national president Pat Newman said a delay could be good for the exam system.

"If it ensures accuracy and competence in the results then three weeks is a good thing."

He said there was nothing that stipulated that results needed to be out by a certain date.

The first report into Scholarships was hugely critical of the NZQA and prompted the resignations of chairman Graeme Fraser and chief executive Karen Van Rooyen.

The latest report similarly blames the NZQA for much of what went wrong, saying the authority tried to do too much too quickly.

Many of the report's recommendations are for specific governance and management within NZQA. But it also suggests some alterations to assessment practice to ensure enough students pass exams at NCEA levels one to three.

NZQA acting chief executive Karen Sewell said "not achieved" grades would be reported in external results and moderation would be strengthened.

She also offered assurances that this year's exams would "take place efficiently and properly and that the results will be fair and reasonable".

The report backed standards-based assessment, saying it was improving education outcomes for students.

Education Minister Trevor Mallard welcomed that and said most schools believed NCEA was improving learning, and problems were being fixed.

But National Party education spokesman Bill English said Mr Mallard should resign over the problems.

Other difficulties outlined in the report included implementation of changes while stripping away safety nets, poor communication to schools and parents, lack of stable leadership and lack of coherent management structure and monitoring.

The report found that unstable leadership - with eight NZQA chief executives in as many years - and poor communication created a lack of consistency in marks.