We will fix exam issues, minister says

The Government is committed to fixing problems with the school exams system, Education Minister Steve Maharey says.

A survey of Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) members, released yesterday, showed only about a third were happy with the National Certificate of Education Achievement (NCEA).

Another third were unhappy and the rest were best described as "ambivalent".

That spurred claims by National Party education spokesman Bill English that the Government was too busy defending the new qualification rather than ironing out its many bugs.

But Mr Maharey said the Government was not in denial about the NCEA's problems.

It had conducted numerous reviews, with the latest tranche throwing up 250 recommendations that were part-way through implementation.

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority, which administers the qualification, had also committed to acknowledging and fixing problems as soon as they were identified.

Mr Maharey said he was concerned by the survey's results. "There's no comfort for me in that and certainly I'd like to see it improve."

However he said very few teachers wanted to move back to the old system.

The PPTA survey also found members were unhappy with the amount of time and money given to NCEA training for teachers.

The paper's authors also listed a number of design problems with the qualification.

Several issues centred around the 80-credit requirement for each NCEA national certificate.

The 80-credit minimum was de-motivating for students, the authors said. Weak students might be discouraged by a fear of not reaching the 80 credits, while evidence showed stronger students were setting their goal at the minimum of 80 and no more.

"(There is) growing evidence that the 80 credit certificates have led to some 'credit shopping' by students ... where they search for standards that deliver the most credits for the least effort."

Mr English today said those concerns were effectively a vote of no-confidence in the way the Government had dealt with problems arising from the new qualification.

He said the Government was only looking at minor issues, often as a result of political pressure, rather than listening to teachers.

"The focus here has to be getting a system that gives fair and valid assessment for the work that students do and do it in a way where assessment does not drive the system."

National has promised an overhaul of the NCEA if it becomes the Government.

- NZPA