School Cert. Internal Assessment Survey Good News

School Certificate Internal Assessment Survey Is Good News
Thursday 14 June 2001

MEDIA RELEASE

NZQA SAYS SCHOOL CERTIFICATE INTERNAL ASSESSMENT SURVEY IS GOOD NEWS FOR NCEA

The Qualifications Authority says its survey of internal assessment for School Certificate shows that schools are well set to assess for NCEA.

The survey showed that the internally assessed results from 22% of schools were within the narrow tolerances set by the Authority and did not have to be scaled. Internally assessed marks are scaled against end of year examination results.

Communications Manager Bill Lennox said:

“It is simplistic to read a negative message into this report. The figures show that about 70% of schools are assessing to a similar standard to the exam itself. It is common knowledge that there is a margin of error with any one-off examination, normally between 7% and 10%. The survey showed that about 70% of schools are predicting their students’ results within that margin of error.”

“Regarding next year’s NCEA, this is actually a pleasing success rate. Remember that schools are assessing students for School Certificate without the benefit of ongoing guidance or moderation. All they have is their understanding of national standards as shown in previous exams. We can cope with that lack of certainty because we can scale school marks.”

For the NCEA the whole situation changes. There are explicit national standards, samples of assessment activities and marking schedules for schools to use samples of student work and training. Teachers will have a far clearer understanding of national standards than they do now. If 70% can get close without that support, the outlook for the NCEA is very good.”

NCEA has about 40% of internal assessment overall. In some subjects there is as little as 20% internal assessment. Internal assessment is for only those areas of a subject that cannot be adequately assessed in an examination, including speeches, research, laboratory and practical work.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Bill Lennox - Phone 04 802 3008

© Scoop Media