1. NCEA - Have your say Talk to us about the future of NCEA Public Engagement: 27 May – 19 October 2018
Parents, whānau, and the community

2. Why review NCEA? conversation.education.govt.nz/ncea
NCEA was introduced over 15 years ago.
From 2020–2030, more than 500,000 students will gain NCEA.
It’s a really flexible qualification that works for many young people, but we know we can make it better for everyone.
This year, we have a powerful opportunity to explore ways to strengthen NCEA so it works well for all New Zealanders.
The review of NCEA is part of the wider national Education Conversation - Kōrero Mātauranga in Aotearoa New Zealand.
conversation.education.govt.nz/ncea
How is NCEA different from School Certificate and Bursary?
Before NCEA was introduced:
students studied towards School Certificate, Sixth Form Certificate, and Bursary in their final three years of schooling
there was heavy reliance on exams to assess student learning
a scaling system was used, and only a certain percentage of students could pass and move onto the next level.
Today, NCEA is fairer, more flexible, and aims to give a fuller picture of what each young person knows and can do.
The Government wants everyone – children, young people, parents, teachers, employers, iwi, families and whānau – to have a conversation about building not just a better education system, but the world’s best. Because second-best isn’t good enough for our tamariki or for New Zealand.

3. Kia huri tātou ki te arotake
Let’s review…

4. What does NCEA mean for parents, whānau, and communities?
We all want our tamariki to thrive at school and be prepared for life, work, and future study.
Each year, 120,000 young people gain an NCEA.
Most students achieve the three NCEA levels in secondary school. Many students also gain NCEA in other settings.
Help us understand how NCEA can support our students on their learning journey.
We all want our tamariki to thrive at school and find meaningful pathways to work and further education.
NCEA is our national qualification and each year, 120,000 young people gain an NCEA.
Most students achieve the three NCEA levels in secondary school from Years 11 to 13 (usually age 16— 18).
Many students also gain NCEA in other settings, like polytechs, or in workplaces through industry training.
Help us understand how NCEA can support our students on their learning journey.

5. We need your voice!
Over the next few months, we’re aiming to engage with thousands of New Zealanders from diverse backgrounds.
We really want to hear what parents and whānau think about NCEA.
What works well? What’s not so great? What could be better?
[Note to presenter: You might want to allow a moment for people to turn to a neighbour and share their immediate thoughts.]
A recent study showed that even though most parents receive information about NCEA, nearly half of them feel it’s not the right information. We want parents and whanau to feel recognised as partners in this conversation – not feel they've been left out in the cold.
We’ve also heard a range of views from students and parents on the current levels of assessment. Some feel there’s too much and others feel there’s not enough. These are just some of the views raised and we know we need to hear from as many parents, whānau, and members of the community as we can. This support is key to the ongoing success of our young people.

6. Engagement activity so far
The public consultation started on 27 May and runs until 19 October. Been extended for 1 month to allow people more time to have their say.
People all over the country have been sharing their views and experiences of NCEA – the challenges, the successes, what they like, and what we can do better.
As at August 2018:
- Over 1,500 people attending workshops on NCEA
- 5,000 survey responses
- 150 in-depth interviews underway and 53 focus groups underway
- Over 50,000 interactions on social media
- July Co-lab – 150 teachers, principals, students, union and employer and sector reps
As at July/August

7. A set of discussion documents
The Big Opportunities document contains ideas that are intended to provoke, inspire, and encourage the kōrero on NCEA.
The Ākonga Māori document tells the story of the NCEA Review from a Māori perspective.
The purple discussion document sets out the background to the Review.
You can find the set of three discussion documents online:
The big opportunities document sets out a set of ideas intended to spark the national conversation about NCEA.
The Ākonga Māori document tells the story of the NCEA Review from a Māori perspective.
The purple discussion document explains the background to the review, including the principles that guide the whole.

8. He aria nui ... some big opportunities
We need to hear about your experiences with NCEA. What works well now? What’s not working so well?
Nothing in these big opportunities is completely new, but we need to hear your thoughts on whether we should use them to strengthen NCEA.
These are not the only possibilities. Tell us what you think would make NCEA even better!
[Note for presenter. Use the video links and /or audience handouts to provide details of each Big Opportunity, as appropriate. For this group, there is likely to be a strong focus on BO1, BO3, and BO6]
The Big Opportunities could mean:
Students at Level 1 can gain credits through project- based learning.
Students at Levels 2 and 3 can gain credits while exploring potential pathways to study, training, or employment.
NCEA graduates have the literacy and numeracy skills needed to be ‘work ready’.
A young person’s Record of Achievement give a clear picture of what they have learned and what they can do.
Barriers to NCEA are reduced so all young people have the opportunity to succeed with NCEA.
The Ministry wants to hear from you, starting today.
It wants parents, whānau, and other community members to have their say on how they have interacted with NCEA in the past and how it could be an even better qualification. What do you like about it, and what do you dislike? What opportunities can you see for improving NCEA so it better supports our tamariki to transition into further education and training? What do you think about the Big Opportunities?

9. Tell us what you think?
What needs to happen to ensure that NCEA is fair, flexible, and provides a full picture of what each young person knows and can do?
How could we re-design NCEA so that our tamariki leave school healthy, happy, and excited to take their next steps in a lifelong learning journey?
How could NCEA be changed so that parents and whānau feel included as partners in their children’s education?
[Note to presenter: These questions may help to focus the group’s discussions.]
Have a think about these questions:
What needs to happen to ensure that NCEA is fair, flexible, and provides a full picture of what each young person knows and can do?
How could we re-design NCEA so that our tamariki leave school healthy, happy, and excited to take their next steps in a lifelong learning journey?
How could NCEA be changed so that parents and whānau feel included as partners in their children’s education?
What are your thoughts? What other questions come to your mind?
What would need to change for this to happen?

10. Not in scope
Some things are not in scope for the NCEA Review, but they may be worth discussing because they affect how NCEA works:
NCEA is standards-based
Both achievement and unit standards count towards NCEA
University Entrance and NZ Scholarship Awards
Individual achievement and unit standards and resources.
[Note to presenter: This is an optional slide – you may not need it but questions might come up that mean it is useful to explore what’s not directly in the scope of this review. Just hide the slide if you don’t need it.
These topics are excluded from the scope of this NCEA Review.
1. Standards-based assessment (i.e. anyone who meets the standard achieves. NCEA is not norm-referenced – there is not a limited percentage of candidates allowed to pass, as in our old system)
2. NCEA includes both achievement and unit standards. It is “Multi-field” – both of these (1&2) are core features of NCEA that are not negotiable
3. UE and Scholarship are awards, not qualifications, and operate independently of NCEA. (Though they will, no doubt, be discussed in so far as they have impact of NCEA programme design and delivery.)
4. Individual standards and resources – but start thinking about these and be ready to discuss them in 2019 when they will be the subject of a further review. Recommendations from the NCEA Review may well impact on this 2019 Review of Achievement Standards.

11. Kei te whakarongo mātou We are listening…
Have your say
Jump online and take our quick survey to tell us about your experiences of NCEA
NCEA Make Your Mark competition If you are aged between 5-20 years old there are four opportunities to share your experience and tell us what you think about NCEA. There are over $35,000 in prizes or grants up for grabs.
Public submissions
If you have lots to say, a detailed submission might be the best way to share your views. Make your submission online.
Youth-to-Youth conversations
We want to hear what students think. You can contribute online or have your say as part of the NCEA Make Your Mark competition.
Get social Stay in the loop on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and an online AMA. #NCEAHaveYourSay #NCEAReview #EdConvo18
[Note to presenter: There are many ways to ensure the ideas that emerge from group’s discussions feed into the review – which of these would work best for this group?]
There are many ways for you and your group to have your say:
Online surveys
A national competition - NCEA Make Your Mark aimed at engaging all young people in the review. Details of the four categories and what’s up for grabs can be found at
Online public submissions can be in any form that works for you (see next slide)
Social media hashtags: #NCEAReview, #NCEAHaveYourSay, #EdConvo18.
The outcomes of all discussions and debates, submissions, survey responses and face-to-face feedback will inform the final recommendations the Minister takes to Cabinet on the future of NCEA so we want to capture all voices and viewpoints.
If you still have questions about NCEA Review or engagement process,

12. Have your say today! conversation.education.govt.nz/ncea Quick survey
Take the quick survey to share your experiences of NCEA and how it could be improved for everyone.
Survey on NCEA and the Big Opportunities
This survey gives you the chance to share what you think about NCEA and the Big Opportunities.
Detailed submission
If you have lots to say, a detailed submission might be the best way to share your views. You can either upload your own document or fill in the online form.
Note to presenter: Based on your group’s discussion of the Big Opportunities, capture the key ideas and themes to share with the rest of New Zealand. You could do this in a document of your own making or by using the online submission form. You might want to delegate this task to a small sub-group from this gathering or you might be ready to upload your submission right now.
As well as making a group submission, do encourage your participants to take one or both of the surveys.
Thanks so much for organising this session!
Ngā mihi. Thanks for taking part in the kōrero on the future of NCEA.
conversation.education.govt.nz/ncea