National s goal back then, and our goal now, is to equip young New Zealanders, so they can confidently enter further studies or training, knowing exactly what their strengths are and how well they stack up against others. With externally moderated national exams it doesn t matter which school you go to. Students are rewarded for effort and for achieving excellence. That s something they are entitled to. Every student in this country should receive a qualification that is comparable to their peers anywhere else in the country.
Internal assessment prevents such moderation.
It won t be long before the reputation of a school gives weight to the value and quality of an individual student s NCEA qualification. What Mr Mallard has settled on is an assessment process that will lump all students into one of four broad categories of achievement. This will encourage mediocre performance. When a student s work is assessed they will no longer receive a mark. What they will get is a grade of either no credit , credit , merit , or excellence .