QA News April 2010 - Issue 67

Chief Executive's foreword

The start of the year heralds new challenges and opportunities for many students, teachers and others involved in education. It is the same for us at NZQA.

We have many projects underway in 2010 spanning secondary and tertiary education. We are continuing with our NCEA enhancements programme. From 2011 we will introduce Course Endorsement to recognise students' success at a subject level.

In the tertiary area, we are implementing a package of changes to the qualifications system (the Targeted Review). A unified New Zealand Qualifications Framework will be implemented that is easier for the public and students to understand. This will replace the New Zealand Register and the current National Qualifications Framework by June 2010.

External Evaluation and Review, the system replacing audit, has bedded down as business as usual and tertiary organisations are finding it a valuable process. Tertiary providers can now submit applications for course approval and accreditation online.

In this issue of QA News we also celebrate the success of the students from 2009 who achieved so well in their examinations - more students received NCEA certificates with endorsement; and the top NZ Scholarship students were again outstanding, often across many subjects.

Over the next few months we are running a series of workshops, from a Māori perspective, to further elaborate NCEA options and the National Qualifications Framework to teachers, students and their whānau. The aim is to provide support for schools and principals in helping whānau and students to make the right subject choices for their chosen careers.

Have a great year, and we look forward to working with you.

Dr Karen Poutasi

Chief Executive