Research celebrates secondary innovation
Research by the NZCER sheds important light on the work being done by secondary schools and teachers to provide wider,
and more appropriate, subject choices for their senior students, PPTA president Jen McCutcheon said today.
The NZCER longitudinal study “Learning Curves” is exploring over three years the manner in which student subject choice
at Year 11 changes in response to the NCEA reforms.
Mrs McCutcheon said the research demonstrated how NCEA reforms and changes in qualification structures had the potential
to raise achievement amongst low achieving students as well as challenge the most able students to reach excellence.
“The Learning Curves study not only delves into what motivates students’ learning choices and improves their achievement
levels but also highlights the ability of secondary schools and teachers to innovate and offer wider, and more
appropriate choices to students at Year 11.”
She welcomed the researchers’ acknowledgement that more work needed to be done to improve the NCEA qualification in
terms of assessment, moderation and teacher workload.
“These are the issues that the PPTA canvassed at its annual conference and they are issues that the government agencies
are thankfully now starting to acknowledge.”