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What's the difference between Unit and Achievement standards?
The National Qualifications Framework contains two types of national standards: achievement standards and unit standards.
Achievement standards are similar to unit standards in that they provide criteria for assessing student performance. They differ from unit standards in a number of ways.
The first two are obvious:
- For each achievement standard there is a broad explanation of how students are to be assessed: by examination (or other external assessment) or internally. Within those constraints, like unit standards, examiners and schools can decide exactly what assessment tasks and activities are appropriate.
- Each achievement standard describes the standard required to achieve whatever credits are available (just like a unit standard) as well as two further standards for the award of merit and excellence grades.
Achievement standards also differ from unit standards in two less obvious ways.
- They are derived from national curriculum statements for secondary schools. Unit standards were developed for school subjects on the basis of curriculum statements as well as the expectations of tertiary providers and the relevant industry.
- Achievement standards tend to be "broader" and "leaner" than unit standards. Generally speaking, there are between five and eight achievement standards in each subject and achievement standards tend to have fewer specific performance criteria.
Last updated: 12 February 2008