NCEA Scrapped

Regular visitors to my blog will know I am very critical of New Zealand's secondary education system of awarding qualifications. Known as NCEA, it is very flawed and ended up being a dog's breakfast of feelgood claptrap mixed with unicorn kisses and rainbow hugs.

Well, it is being scrapped, and not before time. This should have happened 20 years ago.

But, the devil is in the details as they say, and what replaces it really matters. What I expect will happen, is the system will be dumbed down even more. That's so that the government will be able to trumpet how they've restored things, while hiding they've actually got worse still. Basically, things have got so bad, that the system had to be scrapped as too many students were failing even basic literacy and numeracy assessments.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/568958/ncea-changes-some-aspects-like-a-step-backwards-in-time-principal

The government's plans to replace the NCEA system are on a tight timeline and will require a lot of support, say teachers.

After more than 20 years as New Zealand's official secondary-school qualification, the government has pulled the pin on the NCEA.

The National Certificate of Educational Achievement will be gone by 2030, replaced by a basic literacy and numeracy award at Year 11, and the Certificate of Education and Advanced Certificate of Education at Years 11 and 12.

'Achieved', 'not achieved', 'merit' and 'excellence' will be replaced by marks out of 100 and letter grades A, B, C, D and E.

The new certificates would be standards-based, like the NCEA is, meaning every student passes if they demonstrate the required knowledge or skills, but they would have to study at least five complete subjects and pass four of them to get their certificate.

This year's Year 8s would be the first cohort through the new system, starting with the foundation award in 2028, which might look a lot like the current NCEA literacy and numeracy tests.

New Zealand's Falling Standards In Education

Here we go, another move is being made to have New Zealand dumbed down yet again. Now, the suggestion is to scrap the first year of NZ's NCEA; a qualification roughly equivalent to the UK's GCSE's and generally taken by students at the age of sixteen.

The below quote says to me, that teachers are shoving through students by simply making stuff up. In NZ, teachers are no longer subject to rigorous inspection, rather they are 'peer reviewed' which means there is a strong motivation to look good in front of colleagues.

I believe the current proposal to drop NCEA Level 1 is an admission of failure. There are so many students now functionally illiterate that they fail even the lowest level test, or they leave before sitting. So, the Ministry of Education have to scrap it to save face, rather than address the real problem, which is; that teachers no longer teach, and schools are simply places warehousing children to keep them dry while the parents work. Parents are now the ones doing the teaching, teachers grandstand all day long, do nothing and stand around complaining about literally everything.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/534796/ero-calls-for-ncea-level-1-to-be-overhauled-again-or-dropped

Last year, students were almost twice as likely to achieve an excellence grade on an internal assessment than an external assessment," ERO head of assessment Ruth Shinoda said.

The Jab: New Zealand Teachers Coerced

NZ: Education Shake-up

Finally, an admission that Tomorrow's Schools was a disaster. That's the way I read the proposed changes to the way schools in New Zealand are organised.

Read about it here: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12172927

What is proposed is essentially reinventing the wheel, putting in place the framework that existed before Labour destroyed education in NZ. I note the media are avoiding attaching blame. They're such suck-ups.

However, I'm not convinced scrapping Intermediate schools is a good idea. Many Intermediates do an amazing job. Likewise, year 1 through 8 primary schools already exist and they're often fine too. Where things could go badly wrong is having year 1 through 13 at the one school in urban areas. That's fine in Area Schools in the rural areas but it's misguided to allow it in urban areas. There are some schools already set up like this, we are yet to see if they work. I'm not holding my breath.

It comes down to how these changes are implemented. Given Labour's poor record on Education, I remain doubtful.

Teacher Shortage New Zealand

Well it's happened, New Zealand has finally reached the crisis I've been pointing out would arrive sooner rather than later. The solution is not just more pay, though that would help. To address the issue it has to be accepted that everyone is to blame; teachers, school management and the government.

What went wrong? The main problem is with the way teaching is structured; teachers are paid more the less classroom teaching they do. Correct this imbalance and you're halfway there. Then you pay more for teachers who teach and not so much for teachers who manage, and open up management positions to a wider pool of candidates, allowing other management professionals a pathway into those jobs.

And finally, take Teach First NZ across the whole country. Make it possible for suitably qualified individuals to cross into teaching without needing to spend a year at teachers' college.

NCEA Review

I see from the latest announcement that NCEA is going in the opposite direction to the one I suggest. The proposal is to do away with exams at the Year 11 (5th Form) level. Oh dear, that would be bad. I agree with the Auckland Grammar head when he says "We are going to be going into a deep, dark place..."

This is not going to end well folks.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12059594

New Zealand Education Crisis

The new Labour government of New Zealand is owned by teachers, nurses and social workers. That said, teachers in NZ have been having a lot to say; they want more money.

Fine, give them more money. But along with that extra pay do the following to avert the crisis and have NZ rising in the rankings again. Failure to do these things will mean collapse of the education system. That's right, collapse, and by that I mean widespread illiteracy and innumeracy or worse, a failure to know how to think.

The first step would be to merge the Education Council, Ministry of Education and the Education Review Office into one agency under the one roof. And give it teeth.

Then when that's done, make all teachers subject to objective and peer assessment. This would be done by ensuring that new teachers pass exams. Then while teaching they must conduct research and publish those papers. These results would determine rates of pay. Think this is too tough? What about accountants and lawyers? They're subject to professional examinations and when on the job they must function in certain ways to get the money. If teaching is a profession, why are they not subject to similar rigour?

Then pay more to teachers who stay in the classroom, and less to those who leave the classroom to administer. The flaw in the NZ system is it provides strong incentives for teachers to not do any teaching. To advance within teaching, teachers must get out of the classroom. Stop that happening.

Then scrap all school boards of trustees. Instead have schools run in groups managed by asset managers on a regional level, the board for which may be elected, but having each and every school with its own elected board of trustees is a nonsense. In effect it hands the day to day operation of schools to teachers. Teachers teach, they're not facilities managers.

Then lastly, bring back the three hour exam for most subjects. Replace the current NCEA system. I'd describe NCEA as delivering curriculum in a modular fashion. The problem with modular snippets is the student does not learn a subject end-to-end. Why have a student assessed on, say, 25% of the subject at hand before half way through the course? Until the student knows how all the parts fit together, they cannot be reliably assessed. The current assessment model disadvantages slow learners, those that may take all year to know a subject. What NCEA does is deliver failure early, and hence a large number switch off. It's the current NCEA system that promotes failure. This is hard to understand and denied by NCEA promoting apologists but this is the reality and the government has got to realise that NCEA does not work.

Oh and just in case you missed it, what I'm saying needs to be done is a re-creation of the Department of Education, Boards of Education and School Certificate. That was before Labour wrecked education with its Tomorrows Schools of the late 1980's, early 1990's, followed by more reform which effectively threw the baby out with the bathwater. From then on it was all downhill.

Labour Announce Education Shake-up

Okay so New Zealand has a new coalition government, led by Labour. It was needed, a change of government that is, and NZ clearly voted for change despite what National say when bleating about their defeat. A lot of good to talk about in the change; we'll get investment in construction, regional development, primary industry as that's where a lot of Labour voters are. All good.

But the not-so-good we can see starting to happen already. Labour, this may come as a shock so I hope you're sitting down when you read this, are owned by teachers. That's right, teachers in schools own the party that now runs the country.

So they're going to make changes. This could be good or it could be really bad and I'm picking really bad as it's the fox being put in charge of the hen house. Teachers are a lazy bunch you see. If they weren't lazy then they wouldn't be teachers, they'd be doing something that involved hard work (stop right there, I used to be teacher, don't tell me it's hard work, just don't, I stopped teaching to do something that was difficult). Teachers are necessary, very necessary but they're not rocket scientists. If they were rocket scientists then they'd be building rockets but they're not, so they're not.

What will happen is more control being put in the hands of teachers, and what you'll get is even less teaching. The new age of the illiterate and innumerate is about the dawn on the good people of NZ and they don't even know it. I'm just glad my children dodged this bullet.

I've written about this before, you can check some of my posts out here:

http://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2014/06/reform-of-nz-education.html

http://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2014/06/ncea.html

http://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2016/05/more-nz-education-and-bryan-bruce.html

Guns in Schools

Nanny State again in New Zealand, now guns in schools are a no go.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/93425398/education-minister-to-shut-down-guns-in-schools-after-army-gave-rifles-to-children

I really enjoyed my time using guns at school. I learnt a lot about them and that comes in handy today. Having the army turn up is even better.

If you agree I suggest you write to the Minister of Education, Nikki Kaye telling her so, no stamp required if posted within New Zealand. Tell National to pull their heads in and stop being so pathetic.

NZ School Funding: Predictive Risk Modelling

New Zealand society is about to change forever, it will mean an end to the 'give everyone a fair go' Kiwi concept and a new darker future where Kiwis will be ranked according to their familial surroundings and social status. What I'm talking about is Predictive Risk Modelling and linking that to funding of NZ schools. >>Link explaining the issue here<<

Why is this a bad idea? It stigmatises. Consider a child with no criminal record, doing okay at school, well behaved, gets along with others. But she comes from a broken home, father is in jail and a brother in jail as well. Mother was raped in the past, sister the victim of sex abuse. That child who is doing okay will be tagged a risk. Extra funding is made available to any school that takes her. The child carries a code that attracts funding and extra attention. But why?  She is not a victim apart from being in a difficult family, and has committed no crime.

The incompetent Prime Minister of NZ, Simon English is behind this. He hates the poor and wants to see all disadvantaged persecuted. NZ is on a very slippery slope, one where some will be tagged for life, while others receive a free pass. It is a very dangerous precedent.

Stop obsessing over whether NZ has surpluses and instead work toward fully funding all schools in NZ, so parents don't have to put their hands in their pockets. That'd solve the issue. Educate, educate and then educate some more. Stop with this find someone to blame nonsense and rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Teach First NZ

The path into teaching in New Zealand can be a difficult one if you've graduated yet gone on to work in another industry. Changing direction can be next to impossible as a Graduate Diploma is needed and that means more expense and leaving work; you give up your salary to train for a year.

However there is now another way to becoming fully qualified and that is to enrol in the Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching (Secondary) from the University of Auckland. This course is run over two years in conjunction with Teach First NZ which is a not-for-profit organisation helping end educational inequality.

The good part of this is the trainee gets paid a full-time salary while being trained. After an initial eight week intensive, the trainee goes to work in a school and teaches 60% of a full load. That leaves the rest of the time to do the course work and to be tutored.

The catch is this offer is only extended to candidates who are qualified to teach one or more of the following: English, Mathematics/Statistics, Chemistry, Physics, Te Reo Māori, General Science or IT. Those accepted for the course must be prepared to teach disadvantaged pupils in lower decile schools. These are in Auckland and Northland and no other areas of New Zealand as yet.

Links: https://www.teachnz.govt.nz/thinking-of-teaching/qualifications-information-for-2017/view/87

http://teachfirstnz.org/programme/who-we-look-for

If you're looking to make the switch and wondered how, this is the best option IMO. Don't be put off by the prospect of teaching in poorer areas, the rewards as a teacher are greater and the teachers are usually very committed so you get a more collegial environment. There are challenges but if you make it through, you'd be a great teacher.

When it comes down to what salary level you'd be on, that is a function of two things; the level of educational qualification and what educationally relevant experience you've already received. You don't necessarily start at the bottom of the scale as a graduate; a PhD starts at the top, Masters next down, Bachelors is in the middle somewhere. The big benefit of this scheme is you get paid while training, unlike other graduates who usually take on student loans while attaining the entry qualification (usually the Graduate Diploma in Teaching).

Dunedin Study: Intervene Before Age Three

Research now being publicised backs up what I've been banging on about for a long time. Get children early enough and you save yourself a lot of money and the children who benefit the most are those most at risk.

We need to stop building more institutions, that is outdated thinking. We need to get children engaged with learning, and look after their circumstances, providing nourishment, shelter, caring, aspirations, and healthcare. By doing that we can turn things around and prevent any future crime wave.

We need to stop this ambulance at the bottom of the cliff thinking. The work is done early, certainly by the time the child starts school. Parents need support, and we need the community to get in behind this effort; not just social workers who have a dubious record themselves. I'm talking neighbours, teachers, church leaders, sport coaches, you name it.

I think this starts at birth and children need to be registered in the system, all children, no exceptions, and get them along to sports or other community events to begin with. The parents also need the jobs to fund their involvement, and this means meaningful pay, not the minimum slave type wage conditions many endure. If you want to see evidence of how this works then go to Porirua. The place is buzzing with life, and I put this down to employment and education.

Educate + Health + Employment + Community = Good things happen.


https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/dec/12/high-social-cost-adults-can-be-identified-from-as-young-as-three-says-study

The study, which followed around 1,000 children from birth, found that at 38 years of age just 22% of the group accounted for 81% of its criminal convictions, 78% of pharmaceutical prescriptions, and 66% of welfare benefits

Beckenham School

I have had three children attend Beckenham School in Christchurch, each of them attending from Year 1 all the way through to Year 8.

Warning: Beckenham School is not a good school any longer.

In the past, across the full range of factors that make a school a place that nurtures learning, Beckenham School at least scored a pass mark by my measure. There were issues at times, such as their teaching of number leaving a lot to be desired, but overall, they got the job done. For instance, my eldest achieved her first A+ at Beckenham School (not the only one she'd ever receive ). Small things like that do make a difference.

Want to know what Beckenham School is like now? They've gone all silly. The best example of this is their using food as a form of control. The children are kept hungry, and are sent out to play at the midday break, including practising sports while they're hungry. They're only allowed to eat just as they re-enter the classroom. If you've ever coached sports you'd know how stupid this idea is. The most commonly heard coaching advice anywhere in the world is, don't come to practise without food in your belly (coal in the boiler). Beckenham School, which does not have a proud sporting record (it's true, one or two, but you know - they're exceptions), is setting new ever lower standards.

My youngest now at Beckenham, I doubt the teachers know who she is. The reports we get are clearly of another child completely. They have her achieving at the minimum level for her year group (trust me, she's bright, she's well above any minimal national standard), and enjoys reading. Actually she doesn't like that at all but Beckenham have no idea do they. She struggles to finish a book (though she reads well - go figure ). She actually likes Mathematics, something she's quite competent at, but Beckenham aren't aware of her ability in that respect. One report had her enjoying playing Netball. That's funny, cos she's never played it, she plays Soccer.

Beckenham is disorganised, and teachers encourage pupils to use the teachers Christian name. It's laughable, you need to establish a teacher/pupil framework, knowing the teachers Christian name is one thing, encouraging pupils to use it is just plain nonsense.

Clearly it has to start at the top, the school is not well led. You start as you mean to carry on, so the trend is ever downward. I feel sorry for any young parent with their first child starting their first year. They've got little idea that their child is going to become cannon fodder.

What do I do? I make up the difference by teaching my child myself, all those things they'll need, particularly language, number and science. But I have to say this is becoming a chore as Beckenham is getting so bad, it is now nearly a full time job. In the past, I'd only need to give my children top ups when the school had failed in an area. Now they're simply not doing their jobs at all as I see it.

Please be careful when considering ERO reports and the like. They're window dressing and rarely address the kinds of issues I'm talking about. All the Education Review Office will pick up is when a school is imploding. What I'm talking about with Beckenham is something akin to sub par, which is a lot harder to address.

Will things improve? Unlikely, if you are looking around, there are other schools in Christchurch and many direct competitors that appear to be doing much better.