To help provide certainty for the many senior secondary students eyeing up end of year exams, Education Minister Chris
Hipkins has today laid out the criteria under which changes could be made to school qualifications.
It includes re-introducing Learning Recognition Credits, and adjustments to NCEA endorsements and University Entrance to
recognise the disruption COVID-19 can have.
“The wellbeing of students is our priority – particularly at those schools which have already experienced COVID-19 in
their school community this year,” Chris Hipkins said.
“Teachers are working hard to keep students on track, but those in their senior years will be especially concerned about
their opportunity to achieve NCEA if lockdown continues.
“If schools and kura are disrupted by Alert Levels 3 or 4 for 20 or more school days, Learning Recognition Credits will
become available at the same rates and levels as originally announced in 2020,” Chris Hipkins says.
If this threshold is met, students would be entitled to one extra Learning Recognition Credit for every 5 credits they
earn towards their NCEA through assessment. Students working towards NCEA Level 1 could earn up to 10 additional
credits, while those at Levels 2 or 3 would be eligible for up to 8 additional credits.
“If Alert Levels 3 or 4 are in place for a total of 20 or more school days, the thresholds for Certificate Endorsements,
Course Endorsements and University Entrance will also be adjusted to reflect those announced in June last year,” Chris
Hipkins said.
This means Course Endorsements would require 12 credits at Achieved, Merit or Excellence level, rather than 14. Students
would still need to achieve at least 3 credits from external assessment and 3 from internal assessment, where these
requirements usually apply. To receive a Certificate Endorsement, students would need to receive 46 credits at Merit or
Excellence level, instead of the usual 50.
For University Entrance, students would need to achieve 12 – rather than 14 – credits in each of 3 University Entrance
Approved Subjects. Students would still need to attain NCEA Level 3 and meet literacy and numeracy requirements.
“These adjusted settings recognise the real impacts on students during lockdown. The additional credits are only earned
in proportion to the standards students achieve through internal and external assessments,” Chris Hipkins said.
“Signalling these changes now is intended to give students confidence that they will continue to have a fair opportunity
to attain NCEA, even if they need to spend more time away from the classroom.
“These changes are in addition to delays to end of year exam and portfolio submission dates, and other adjustments to
assessments already in place.
“I would like to recognise universities and Universities New Zealand, school principals, teachers and my NCEA
Professional Advisory Group, who have worked with the Ministry of Education and NZQA to move quickly to support
students.”