Teacher only days to ease NCEA standards

Avondale College student Zac Longman with a set of NCEA papers that were sent to him but belong to another student. 26 January 2010 New Zealand Herald Photograph by Dean Purcell.

Two teacher-only days have been put aside to help secondary schools with implementing new NCEA standards.

Education Minister Anne Tolley said one day would take place by the end of next month and the other in the fourth term, with schools to decide the exact dates.

"Teachers began working on the phasing-in of the new curriculum-aligned standards in early 2010, and this extra support will be valuable," Mrs Tolley said.

"I've discussed this issue with the PPTA, and NZQA has been working with the union and the Secondary Principals' Association to ensure that schools are in the best possible position to deliver the changes."

The teacher-only days were optional, and Christchurch schools could opt not to take them.

NZQA and the Ministry of Education were putting together a package to assist with preparation, including course planning advice and templates, as well as information on managing assessment and moderation.

- NZPA