Covid takes students out of exams
Almost half of students in Covidhit regions Auckland, Waikato and Northland were absent from their end-of-year NCEA exams, provisional data shows.
Data released by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) showed 43.2 per cent of students in the three regions did not sit them in 2021, up from 10.7 per cent across the three areas in 2020.
The data also revealed overall 2021 attainment in 2021 was slightly lower than in 2020, but higher than in 2019.
Nationally, 27.3 per cent of students were absent for an externally assessed standard in 2021, compared to 11.5 per cent in 2020.
For the second year in a row, education was disrupted by the ongoing impact of Covid-19 lockdowns, particularly in Auckland, Northland and Waikato where students were able to get extra support with their end-ofyear exams in the form of an Unexpected Event Grade (UEG).
Some students in the affected regionsmay have chosen to accept ‘‘mock’’ exam results, while others may have calculated an average for their UEG from internal tests and assignments taken throughout the school year.
NZQA received those marks, and if a student decided to sit an end-of-year exam despite applying for an UEG, they were awarded whichever mark was higher.
Arabella White, of Diocesan School for Girls, decided to focus on subjects that offered more credits from internal assessments taken throughout the year, rather than ones that had an end-of-year exam.
‘‘This put me in a place where I had already got the endorsement that I wanted before the exam season had started. Therefore, I had no need to do exams and just submitted UEGs,’’ White said.
Kings College year 13 student Holly Hunn said despite being offered UEGs this year, she still chose to sit her exams.
‘‘I saw this as an opportunity as a second chance to improve my grades further.’’
She was ‘‘motivated’’ to sit her exams, but found the option to take an UEG ‘‘distracting’’ and believed her schoolwork during the pandemic had suffered.
Carmel College principal Christine Allen, ‘‘actively encouraged’’ her students to take up the offer of an UEG, and thought NZQA’s handling of exams in years impacted by Covid was ‘‘realistic’’.
‘‘I thought NZQA’s approach was very pragmatic, and very realistic for the students. They didn’t have all the stress building up for one exam, and were quite settled in their approach,’’ Allen says.
Based on preliminary data given to schools by the Ministry of Education, Allen said it looked as though student marks are tracking slightly higher than previous years, something echoed by Papatoetoe High principal Vaughan Couillault.
‘‘The way our marks stand at the moment are not greatly dissimilar to other years, although we had to change a bit up,’’ Couillault said. ‘‘Any possible solution you could think of [was done], all to meet the needs of the students we serve.’’
With Papatoetoe being a decile 4 school, Couillault said some of his students were already disadvantaged because they were learning at home, and did not have access to devices or a proper internet connection.
‘‘Generally the more disadvantaged socioeconomically a community is, the less capacity they have to continue with the exam environment,’’ he said.
Auckland Secondary Schools Principals’ Association president Steven Hargreaves said although the number of students getting great grades while opting for an UEG had increased, it didn’t mean educators should look to abolish end-of-year exams altogether.
‘‘There is still space for externals – there may be some subjects that increase the amount of internal assessments, but external exams are still needed,’’ Hargreaves said.
Teachers were hoping for an uninterrupted 2022 – but acknowledged that could be wishful thinking.
‘‘We are preparing for another turbulent year . . . We know that we could return to remote learning at any point,’’ Hargreaves said.