Higher pass rates for ‘too hard’ exam
Pass rates for a controversial maths exam, which reduced some students to tears, are higher than previous years, according to Education Minister Hekia Parata.
Provisional data for the 2016 NCEA exams were released by the minister yesterday. Level 2 pass rates had improved, and the Kaikoura earthquake did not have a negative effect on results, Parata said.
However, the data also shows small declines in Level 1 and University Entrance pass rates.
It comes as scholarship exam results were released by New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) yesterday morning.
Among the notable points Parata made yesterday was that a maths exam, which generated controversy as it was deemed too hard for students, had gained a higher pass rate than in 2015.
Overall achievement in the Level 1 Mathematics Common Assessment Task ( MCAT) was “in line with expectations and higher than 2015”, she said.
It follows huge backlash from students and teachers who slammed the exam as being “far too difficult” for students, amid reports some left the exam hall in tears.
Formal complaints were laid with the NZQA about the exam, saying the test was poorly judged. However, Parata said it did not have a negative effect on students’ marks. The same was said for November’s Kaikoura earthquake, which struck in the early hours of the first full day of the NCEA exam season causing chaos for schools and students.
The minister said preliminary assessment of results for students at schools disrupted by the 7.8 magnitude quake indicates achievement “is in line with national trends and past patterns of achievement”.
She said this “shows that our system of assessment is both responsive and robust enough to minimise the impact on students of events which were . . . beyond their control”.
The comments came as she released preliminary data saying more students are passing Level 2 NCEA exams, the standard seen as the minimum qualification for success.
Achievement rates for NCEA Level 2 rose by one percentage point, to 77.4 per cent, Parata said, based on provisional roll-based data.
“The results show more young people are gaining the qualifications they need to be successful . . . beyond school,” the minister said.
Overall achievement of NCEA Level 3 had also increased by 0.7 percentage points to 63.4 per cent.
However, provisional data for NCEA Level 1 achievement was 0.2 percentage points lower than the final 2015 figure, while provisional data for University Entrance was 0.7 percentage points lower.
The final results will be released later in the year.