YouTube – Close Up: NCEA vs Cambridge exams.

At our Home group meeting yesterday the conversation swung to assessment in schools. I must say I have not been a huge fan of NCEA but in saying that I do firmly believe that it is up to us as teachers to make it work. In saying that the comments on this youtube video do give a bit of a picture, as to be motivated to comment generally shows a strong feeling. A quick search here gives a bit more insight into this issue. I wonder how much truth there is in this comment

Why is St Cuth’s thinking about changing from NCEA? Simple, the rich parents who might send their girls there have lost confidence in the NCEA and are sending them to Dio or Corran etc. The loss of confidence has nothing to do with the NCEA but more the political point scoring running along in the media. I suspect the same is true, even of Avondale College.

But from the Westlake Boys High School page there is reasonable explaination and it seems that they find for boys it is a successful qualification.

I will continue to look into this issue and I must admit I do find it strange that the majority of schools doing cambridge to do the ‘best’ for their students are in direct competition with each other for numbers so the media and perception are obviously a part of the truth to the issue must lie somewhere in the middle I guess.