Curriculum Refresh

Friday, 16th June 2023 at 12:30pm

The New Zealand Curriculum guides what schools teach in our country.

Curriculum Refresh - Part One

Background The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) qualifications are our country’s internationally recognised qualifications used to assess students in our high schools, generally from Year 11-13.

Over the past five years, the Ministry of Education has led the evolution of Te Mātaiaho (the Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum) and the NCEA Change Programme. Green Bay High School has been at the forefront of these developments as a pilot school and as one of ten NCEA Change Hubs. We have already started trialling new ways of teaching and learning, and have a Curriculum Review team in place to support our staff to bring these changes to life in the classroom.

Te Mātaiaho and the NCEA Change Programme are being phased in from this year, with full implementation from the start of 2027.

What are the key benefits of the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum?

The refreshed curriculum aims to have a broad view of ākonga success. This means that while it continues to focus on key learning areas, it also considers a broader range of values and themes than before. It aims to create well-rounded learners. It has high expectations of all ākonga, and importantly, it gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Strengthened literacy and numeracy teaching and learning are an important part of the changes, and will be taught across all learning areas. Mātauranga Māori and key competencies will now also be deliberately and explicitly woven into the content of each learning area.

What are the key benefits of the NCEA Change Programme?

Green Bay High School believes that our students will benefit from the NCEA Change Programme in the following ways:

• NCEA will be made more accessible by removing fees and redesigning assessments so that all students have a fair opportunity to achieve
• Integrating te ao Māori (a Māori world view) into curriculum design with equal status for mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge)
• Strengthening literacy and numeracy requirements will ensure students with any level of NCEA have functional literacy and numeracy skills that will ready them to transition into tertiary education or the workplace
• There will be fewer, larger standards in each subject to allow for greater balance in a student’s achievement. There will also be a need for both internally-assessed and externally-assessed standards in each subject.
• The structure of NCEA will be simplified and will show clearer pathways to further education and employment

If you are interested in further information about the changes to NCEA, this link may be of interest.