Media statement
For immediate release
Tuesday, 18 July 2006

NCEA system must be fair to all students

The NCEA internal assessment system is giving some students more opportunities to pass than others, United Future education spokesperson Judy Turner has revealed.

"Many schools are encouraging their students to re-submit work that they failed initially, and are gaining the credits after a second try," says Mrs Turner.

"This is fine if all students have this opportunity, but some schools do not allow their students this second chance to 'achieve' credits, and this puts them at a distinct disadvantage."

This inherently unfair situation follows other reports from teachers and principals who say that some schools are manipulating NCEA internal assessment to push up their pass rates.

"There has been much improvement in the NCEA system, but there are still changes that need to be sorted to ensure we can provide the robust qualification system that our students deserve," says Mrs Turner.

"The system must treat all students fairly, but at present the rules are not being universally applied.

"I support second chances and initiatives to encourage our students to succeed, but this has to apply to all students at all schools or none at all.

"Students should not be disadvantaged nor have different assessment rules applied to them based purely on what school they happen to attend," says Mrs Turner.

ENDS

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