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Teachers want to cut the number of tests in high school exams because they say the system is too demanding for students trying to get the first level.
The high school teachers union is recommending dropping the requirement for NCEA Level 1 from 80 credits to 60.
The NCEA has come under considerable criticism since it was introduced in 2002 - including allegations it was dumbing down the system - but that has quietened since a range of reforms were unveiled last year.
But a new paper by the Post Primary Teachers Association's executive said the changes were part of a "political panic", of varied value and more were needed.
It said the way the system allows students to carry over 20 credits claimed in the previous year to add to 60 gained to get NCEA Levels 2 and 3 "does not make a lot of sense to teachers, students or the public".
It said the country was out of step with the United States and Canada in starting to assess students for qualifications so early.
"In terms of the quantity of assessment, New Zealand is unusual internationally in having qualifications assessment at each of the three final years of schooling," said the discussion document, released ahead of the union's annual conference this month.
Too much testing came at the expense of students developing a sense of enjoying learning for its own sake.
Business New Zealand education adviser Nicholas Green said last night that cutting the credits students needed to get could run the risk of cutting the amount they learned.
"You need a minimum amount of stuff you have to learn, particularly at Level 1, because that's where those core skills of literacy and numeracy are so important," said Mr Green. "I would wonder whether at 60 [credits], you were getting beneath a critical mass."
He said Level 1 was an important time because it was the exit point of school for some of the "vulnerable".
Statistics on how many more students would meet the standard if the credits cut went ahead were not available last night.
But data on the more than 56,000 students who left school last year suggested it could be several thousand. Seven per cent - or almost 4000 - left school last year with NCEA Level 1 as their highest qualification, while a further 8 per cent - or about 4500 - were half-way to achieving it.
Education Minister Chris Carter said there was no obvious need to change the NCEA Level 1 requirements as the proportion of Year 11 students getting it had grown every year for the past four years. But he planned to discuss the topic at the conference.
Secondary Principals Association president Peter Gall said the idea had to be considered in the context of a wider review of standards under way.
The review partly sought to ensure parity for the amount of effort needed to get achievement and unit standards, so ultimately would likely influence students' workloads.
University of Auckland school partnership office director Ken Rapson said the university was not concerned students would be less prepared for tertiary study under the proposal.
Mr Rapson said it used the university entrance document to assess applicants and "any changes to the award of level certificates won't change the position for universities".
The document also laid out teachers' anxiety over the speed at which the new curriculum was to be rolled out - indicating the time frame was "extremely tight".
