Number
AS90831
Version
1
Page 1 of 2
Achievement Standard
Subject Reference
Education for Sustainability 3.4
Title
Describe policies and practices, their development and contribution
to a sustainable future
Level
3
Credits
5
Subfield
Science
Domain
Environmental Sustainability
Assessment
External
Status
Registered
Status date
12 January 2009
Planned review date
28 February 2011
Date version published
12 January 2009
This achievement standard involves the description of policies and practices, and their
development and contribution to a sustainable future.
Achievement Criteria
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with
Excellence
 Describe policies and
practices, their
development and
contribution to a
sustainable future.
 Describe policies and
practices, and explain their
development and
contribution to a
sustainable future.
 Describe policies and
practices, explain their
development and critically
analyse their contribution
to a sustainable future.
Explanatory Notes
1
This achievement standard is derived from the Guidelines for Environmental
Education in New Zealand Schools, Learning Media, Ministry of Education, 1999.
2
This achievement standard is derived from Level 8 of The New Zealand Curriculum,
Learning Media, Ministry of Education, 2007, including learning outcomes from the
Science, Social Sciences, Health and Physical Education, and Technology learning
areas achievement objectives.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
Number
AS90831
Version
1
Page 2 of 2
3
A sustainable future requires the development of ways of thinking and acting to meet
the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability includes, but is not limited to:

maintenance of biodiversity, ecological processes and life support systems

an economy relative to its ecological life support system

a fair distribution of resources and opportunities

looking beyond direct consequences of activities to explore attitudes, values and
moral issues that create particular views on the use of natural resources
 personal and social responsibility.
4
This achievement standard will address the policies and practices currently in place
that contribute to a sustainable future and the political, environmental, social and
economic forces that have shaped their development. The discussion will address
the contribution to aspects of sustainability; environmental, cultural, social, and
economic. Māori concepts relating to these aspects will vary between hapū and
between iwi. It is expected that the local Māori community will be consulted on how
these concepts will be articulated. These aspects and the interdependence between
them need to be described/explained/critically analysed in the context of different
resource material. Students will apply their understanding to more than one policy
and one practice that have arisen out of governing documents as specified in the
Assessment Specifications.
5
Describe requires students to give characteristics or an account of the policies and
practices, the development of them and the contribution to a sustainable future.
Explain requires students to describe and provide reasons as to how or why policies
and practices were developed and implemented and the reasons they contribute to a
sustainable future.
Critically analyse requires students to examine the policies and practices in detail,
the relationship between them and the implications to aspects of sustainability.
Students are required to establish criteria and make a judgement on their contribution
to a sustainable future. It may involve stating opinions, relating, considering
implications, projecting future impacts, evaluating options, comparing and
contrasting, suggesting alternatives and future actions for personal and social
responsibility.
Quality Assurance
1
Providers and Industry Training Organisations must be accredited by NZQA before
they can register credits from assessment against achievement standards.
2
Accredited providers and Industry Training Organisations assessing against
achievement standards must engage with the moderation system that applies to
those achievement standards.
Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP) reference
0226
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016