Otago secondary school principals are praising the New Zealand Qualifications Authority's new NCEA course endorsements which will recognise pupils who perform exceptionally well in individual courses.
From next year, pupils across all levels of NCEA will be able to have their strengths in individual courses recognised with a course endorsement at merit or excellence. This will be in addition to certificate endorsements.
The key objective of course endorsement is to motivate pupils to achieve their potential in one or more courses.
Otago Secondary Principals Association chairman and Blue Mountain College principal Kevin McSweeney believed it was an "incredibly smart" way to validate NCEA and motivate pupils.
"There's all sorts of ways that NZQA could have done this that could have been quite damaging.
"But what they have done will take into account what schools actually do, rather than make us change our practices to suit.
"So I think this will really improve motivation. And by doing that, it will improve learning."
Mr McSweeney said it was a sentiment shared by the region's secondary principals at a recent meeting.
Education Minister Anne Tolley said the change would also provide clearer information for parents, employers and tertiary institutions about a pupil's level of achievement.
Mrs Tolley said the course endorsement was to have been introduced progressively across NCEA levels 1-3, but would now be implemented at all levels from 2011.
She said pupils would receive an excellence endorsement for a course if they gained 14 credits at excellence level, while pupils gaining 14 credits at merit (or merit and excellence) would gain a merit endorsement.
To ensure pupils were capable of performing well in both modes of assessment, in most courses at least three of the 14 credits must be from internally-assessed standards, and three from externally-assessed standards, she said.
"Certificate endorsement has been effective in motivating students, and I'm confident course endorsement will have the same effect as we encourage our young people to reach their potential."
NCEA ENDORSEMENTS
- Pupils will gain an endorsement for a course where they achieve:
• 14 or more credits at merit or excellence at the lower level that supports the endorsement.
• At least three credits from externally assessed standards and three credits from internally assessed standards (physical education, religious studies and level 3 visual arts will be exempt).
• Sufficient credits in a single school year.
