More Schools Offer Alternatives to NCEA; Reforms Don’t Satisfy Some Parents
By NICHOLS, Lane
MORE schools are signing up for alternatives to the NCEA qualification system, despite Government attempts to fix it.
Wellington private girls’ school Queen Margaret College has begun offering the International Baccalaureate programme to primary and middle school pupils and is “exploring other options” for its senior pupils alongside the National Certificate of Educational Achievement.
St Mark’s Church School near the Basin Reserve is considering the baccalaureate system, known as the IB Diploma, for senior pupils if its bid to expand into a full secondary is successful.
Two independent central North Island schools have also confirmed they are applying to offer the IB Diploma from 2009, one because of parental pressure for an alternative qualification.
Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland said this week that it would begin offering the baccalaureate from next year, and Wellington’s Scots College is also pushing ahead with the qualification — citing concerns with NCEA.
The IB Diploma is a two-year programme of international education for pupils aged 16 to 19, using both internal assessment and exams.
Other top schools are introducing Cambridge International Examinations for their brightest pupils.
The Government announced sweeping design changes to NCEA in May in a bid to restore public confidence and motivate pupils amid claims NCEA was “dumbing down” teenagers.
The headmaster of St Paul’s Collegiate School in Hamilton, Greg Fenton, said it planned to offer the IB Diploma for year 12 and 13 pupils because parents still wanted an alternative to NCEA.
“We’re an independent school. Choice is part of the whole philosophy. Some of our parents have expressed a desire for alternatives.”
Mr Fenton said the NCEA design changes were a step in the right direction but did not go far enough.
The IB Diploma would cost about $1000 a pupil plus thousands in set-up costs and staff training, but it allowed pupils to be internationally benchmarked.
Queen Margaret College principal Carol Craymer said the school had had good results with NCEA and planned to retain it, “but we are exploring other options at the senior level. We are a school that is independent so we try to offer as many opportunities as we can for our students.”
Education Minister Steve Maharey said state schools were required to offer NCEA but were free to offer alternatives as well.
Independent schools could choose not to offer NCEA if they wished.
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