Principals of lower-income schools call for end to NCEA tests

More than half the teens from low-income schools failed the reading and writing tests last year. And nearly three-quarters of teens from these schools failed the numeracy test.

None of those students can get an NCEA qualification until they pass the tests or complete up to 20 extra credits in literacy and numeracy – an option that is available only until the end of 2027.

There could be a generation of school-leavers with no qualifications, and most of these will be Māori or Pacific, the principals warn.

Simon Craggs from Papakura High School said that 50 principals from schools with an equity index number of 500 or greater – indicating their students face many socio-economic barriers to learning – wanted the tests to stop.

“We believe that there’s an equity crisis approaching in education, or is already here actually. If you look at the results from 2024, you’ll see that the results particularly at level 1 for students in the lowest socio-economic band have dropped off a cliff,” he said.

Mr Craggs said that the fall in achievement was due to the literacy and numeracy requirements and the schools wanted an end to the online tests.

Simon Fuller, the principal of Mākoura College in Masterton, said the problem was probably the number one issue for most high-equity index schools.

He said the schools were facing a 70 per cent failure rate once the common assessment activities became the only route to achieving the literacy and numeracy requirements.

“It’s not that they can’t necessarily read, write and do maths, they just can’t do it in that form of exam. And you know, realistically how many exams do you sit when you’re a functional member of society? It’s very few.”

Jim Hay-Mackenzie from Flaxmere College said students assessed by the school as having the necessary level of literacy and numeracy still failed the online tests, because of the pressure involved.

The principals group passed on its recommendations to the Secondary Principals Association and the PPTA’s Secondary Principals Council, which were expected to raise them at an NCEA advisory group convened by the Education Ministry.

Education Minister Erica Stanford last year expressed concern about students failing the benchmark, and announced $2.5 million to provide extra help for about 10,000 teens.

FULL STORY

New NCEA tests failing students in low income schools – principals | RNZ News (By John Gerritsen/Radio New Zealand)