Cambridge High problems snowballing

The Government continues to bury its head in the sand over NCEA assessment problems, says National’s Education spokesman Bill English.

Today it was revealed yet another school has awarded NCEA credits for little work.

Mr English says that at the same time that the Government’s NCEA monitoring arm NZQA were saying the Cambridge High problems were isolated, they had been called into investigate another school for exactly the same sort of problems.

In its report on Cambridge High, NZQA said ‘there was no evidence that the issues identified at the school by NZQA are happening at other schools’.

Mr English says workbook and assessment booklets from Hauraki Plains College show students giving identical answers to questions, and students earning three level two credits in a week when it should have taken a term.

“More schools could be abusing the NCEA system in the same way as Cambridge High, and what is even more alarming, the NZQA may be investigating more schools right now.

“As long as Trevor Mallard and NZQA put protecting the NCEA ahead of protecting students there is no chance of knowing just how widespread the problems are.

“Students and parents have the right to expect the Government’s own monitoring body will hold schools publicly accountable.”

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