Senior secondary school students will be eligible for support even if they haven’t spent the full 20 days away from the classroom, the Ministry of Education and New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) have confirmed today.
Schools outside of Auckland returned today, after 16 days in Alert Levels 3 and 4, meaning students would not have been eligible for Learning Recognition Credits (LRCs) to reflect the time spent away from the classroom.
“I can confirm those students will be eligible to earn Learning Recognition Credits at a rate of 1 LRC per 5 credits achieved through assessment, up to a cap of 8 LRCs at NCEA Level 1, and 6 LRCs and Levels 2 and 3,” says NZQA Chief Executive, Grant Klinkum.
“Although students in Auckland continue to do the hard mahi in lockdown, those who returned to Alert Level 2 this week have also been significantly impacted by the loss of 16 days of classroom learning time.”
“The lower cap reflects the shorter amount of time spent away from school.”
However only students who have been disrupted for the full 20 school days, will meet the thresholds for changes to endorsements and University Entrance (UE). In 2020, UE changes and endorsement changes did not apply until 32 school days under Alert Levels 3 or 4.
“As well as LRCs and the flexibility schools have in delivering NCEA, students will also benefit from the two-week delay to end of year examinations and most portfolio submission dates. This provides students with additional time for learning and assessment, which will help them earn their full entitlement of LRCs,” Grant Klinkum says.
“Schools that have faced other forms of significant disruption this year outside of the school’s control – such as where students have been unable to go on site due to external health or safety advice or directives – can apply the full NCEA settings if the total time away from school is more than 20 days.
“This recognises the compounding impact of natural disasters and other adverse events on students who have also been affected by this year’s COVID-19 lockdown.
“I would like to acknowledge the work teachers and schools are doing to support their students as they continue to learn remotely or return to the classroom. I would also like to thank the NCEA Professional Advisory Group and sector groups who have provided advice on how we can ensure students have a fair opportunity to attain NCEA this year,” Grant Klinkum says.