NZ~A
NEW ZEALAND QUALIFICATIONSAUTHORITY
MANA TOHU MATAURANGA 0 AOTEARO A
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
TE TAHUHU 0 TE MATAURANGA
QUALIFY FOR THE FUTURE WORLD
KIA NOHO TAKATO Kl T6 AMUA AO!
25 November 2015
Graeme Ball
New Zealand History Teachers Association
gball@northcote.school.nz
Dear Mr Ball
2014/15 NCEA Workload Advisory Group Recommendations and the role of
Subject Associations
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and the Ministry of Education (Ministry)
would like to invite you to collaborate with us on addressing workload associated with NCEA
for teachers.
In 2014, NZQA and the Ministry convened an NCEA Workload Advisory Group (WAG) to
address workload issues for teachers. The formation of WAG was supported by the Post
Primary Teachers' Association , the New Zealand School Trustees Association, New Zealand
Secondary Principals' Council, Secondary Principals' Association of New Zealand and
National Association of Secondary Deputy and Assistant Principals' Association .
WAG met in 2014 and 2015 to discuss workload and develop recommendations. The WAG
represents a cross section of New Zealand secondary schools including rural , urban, kura
Maori, decile, size, location, and subject areas.
WAG identified the need to address assessment and resources , particularly:
• The time required to create quality assured assessment tasks and to develop
flexible assessment
• The time required to mark and moderate assessment
• The time required to reassess students
• The need for more teacher resources , support, and relevant exemplars, which
are easily findable.
WAG recommendation 12 is "That NZQA and the Ministry actively support subject
associations and that there is closer collaboration around the provision of teaching and
learning guidelines and good assessment practice". The full set of the recommendations can
be found on our website.
NZQA and the Ministry are committed to working more closely with subject associations and
collaborating to support teachers.
The Ministry has an ongoing cycle to review the teaching, learning and assessment
materials, derived from the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), that support the credentialing of
student learning for NCEA. This Review and Maintenance Programme (RAMP) involves
working with subject associations who provide feedback into better ways of supporting full
implementation of the NZC. The Ministry has already had initial conversations with subject
associations for science , mathematics and statistics, health and PE and technology and the
social sciences.
We would like to work with you to develop appropriate responses to recommendation 12 and
to explore how we can support you to support teachers with workload associated with
NCEA. We would like you to consider two questions:
•
What support would you like to be able to offer your membership in the future?
•
How could the Ministry and NZQA best assist you in supporting your membership
and teachers in your subject area?
We would appreciate you considering these questions and sending us your initial response
at your earliest convenience. Could you please also send us your te lephone number so that
we can give you a call to have an initial conversation and to arrange a meeting with you for
early next year. You can contact Tom Robson on (09) 583 2880 or at
Tom .Robson@nzqa.govt.nz or Victoria Skye on Victoria .Skye@nzqa.govt.nz
Yours sincerely
~k~
(r__~f--6
Kristine Kilkelly
Divisional Manager
Assessment
NZQA
Lisa Rodgers
Deputy Secretary
Evidence, Data and Knowledge
Ministry of Education
CC Chris Abercrombie