Last week, we shared an update of the government’s curriculum and qualification change programme in the newsletter foreword.
From 2028, NCEA will be replaced with two new national qualifications:
New Zealand Certificate of Education (NZCE) for Year 12
New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education (NZACE) for Year 13.
Students will take at least five subjects in Year 12 and 13 and must pass at least four to gain their qualification.
Each subject will be marked out of 100, with results reported as letter grades (A+–E) instead of Achieved/Merit/Excellence.
The national curriculum is being updated to match these new qualifications and pathways.
A new foundational qualification will also be introduced for Year 11 from 2028. It will focus on reading, writing and maths.
English, Mathematics and Science will be compulsory subjects in Year 11
In consultation with staff, we have decided to move to a transitional model for L1 NCEA in 2027. We intend to create space for deeper, richer, and more authentic learning experiences at Year 11, alongside better preparation for the rigours of national qualifications in Year 12 and 13. We also want to mitigate assessment fatigue and declining motivation that we often see in many Year 13 students.
To that end, Learning Area Leaders have agreed to reduce the number of Achievement Standards offered at L1. Students will still be able to access the L1 NCEA qualification, which requires attaining 60 credits, alongside the 20 credits obtained via the literacy and numeracy assessments.
Students will complete two Achievement Standards in each L1 subject in 2027. These can be a mix of internal and external assessment tasks. This presents the opportunity for deeper and more authentic learning, and for an increased focus on formative assessment tasks - smaller, more regular tasks that are not high-stakes, and where feedback can be acted on. The Year 11s will likely be at school for longer in Term 4, and not go on study leave when the Year 12s and 13s do.
Reducing the credits on offer does mean that subject endorsements are not possible in 2027. Certificate (i.e. Merit and Excellence) endorsements will still be available. Therefore, academic recognition with Scholars ties and names on the Scholars Board will still occur.
If you have any questions about these planned changes for 2027, you can share them here.
Dr Aaron Columbus
Principal | Tumuaki
Open Event Registration - Interested in enrolling?
Employment opportunities - click if you're interested in working at McGlashan.