NCEA grade point average is nonsense

National’s Education spokesman, Bill English, says parents and employers will be misled by the grade average included in the NCEA results, and it should either include failure or be abolished.

“The grade average appears as a number summarising each student’s results. It looks like a percentage and that's how parents and employers will see it.

“But it is very misleading. The grade average counts only the standards that have been passed – it does not take into account any failures.

“So, a student who fails several standards can end up with a better grade average than a student who passes all his or her exams. Students who do well in some subjects get better grades if they fail their weaker subjects than if they just pass them.

“The grade average should be a useful summary of achievement.

“Labour’s obsession with abolishing the idea of failure is giving parents and employers a misleading picture of students’ achievements – as if they didn't already have enough trouble understanding all the other information on a student’s record.

“The grade average should include failure or be abolished,” Mr English says.

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