Qualifications and standards

Criteria for inclusion of a subject

Criteria to include or exclude a subject

This page provides the criteria used in assessing the suitability of a subject to be included on or excluded from the New Zealand Scholarship Subject List. The criteria enable NZQA to determine whether the credibility of New Zealand Scholarship can be maintained. In meeting the criteria, NZQA can provide assurance that a current or proposed subject is relevant, meets government expectations, can be administered effectively and efficiently, and assures independent quality assessment.

In making its decisions, the NZQA Board considers evidence of the subject’s suitability to be included on the Subject List for New Zealand Scholarship.

A subject may be removed from the Scholarship Subject List if the Board finds that all aspects of the criteria for inclusion have not been satisfied.

The criteria for a subject to be included on the List is outlined below.

1. Curriculum or government goals:

i. Scholarship subjects meet government goals about the future direction of the country

ii. Scholarship subjects are derived from New Zealand Curriculum up to and including Level 8 and the subject Teaching and Learning guides

iii. Scholarship subjects recognise two of New Zealand’s official languages (Te reo Māori and English; with sign language being the third).

2. Subject maturity:

i. significant numbers of candidates have shown the ability to perform with excellence at NCEA Level 3

ii. there are writers and markers available of sufficient calibre and experience in this subject to produce quality assessment for students at the appropriate level

iii. there is an appropriate tertiary path for Scholarship students in this subject

iv. the subject has the capacity to permit students to exhibit the high-level cognitive abilities for the credibility of the Scholarship examination.

3. Practical aspects:

i. there are sufficient candidates to make the most efficient and effective use of resources

ii. the proposed mode of assessment is logistically manageable

iii. running the external assessment is possible within the agreed cost parameters

iv. there are sufficient writers and markers within the New Zealand education workforce to supply quality independent assessment for students at the appropriate level.