NCEA: What is it?
NCEA is not what is taught in schools or anywhere else - that is the curriculum. Nor is it how students are taught - that is pedagogy or teaching practice. NCEA is only about measuring what has been learned - in other words it is only about assessment.
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| The NCEA approach provides a fuller picture from all angles |
The approach to assessment is now different from that used in New Zealand through most of the twentieth century. It is now more flexible, and focussed on measuring learning, not ranking students (or listing them in order).
Students are now assessed against preset standards, rather than the achievements of other students. That means assessment results explain or describe what students can do, not where they fit into a ranked list of 'marks'.
NCEA applies to all the usual subjects, like English and Maths, and to other courses offered by schools – like Drama or Technology.
It can also allow for local or 'new' courses, as well as tertiary or vocational courses.
Page updated: 03 August 2005