One more year! Mandatory NCEA Literacy and Numeracy standards pushed back to 2024

According to the ministry, schools and kura have an extra year to transition to the new standards.

Associate Minister of Education Jan Tinetti confirmed that the decision follows feedback from the sector and that the new literacy and numeracy | te reo matatini me te pāngarau standards will be aligned with wider NCEA changes.

“The education sector has asked for more time to put the literacy and numeracy | te reo matatini me te pāngarau standards in place, so the Government has agreed to implement the change from the beginning of 2024,” Jan Tinetti said.

“Having being given ministerial responsibility for schooling operations, I want to make sure that the government continues to work closely with the sector and this is a good example of that.”

“It means the new standards will align with the wider NCEA changes, including simplifying NCEA from an 80-credit qualification to a 60-credit qualification and implementing the new NCEA Level 1 Achievement Standards.”

The new literacy and numeracy | te reo matatini me te pāngarau co-requisites were the subject of a mini-pilot in 2021 and are currently being piloted by more than 200 secondary schools, kura and tertiary providers. Because this year’s pilot is much more representative, the Ministry will have the opportunity to make sure they work for schools and students and make any adjustments needed ahead of implementation in 2024.

“Schools can still opt in to have the NCEA literacy and numeracy standards in place from next year, so they can prepare.”

“We are giving those schools that want a little more time to put them in place, the opportunity to do that. Many schools are also still dealing with COVID-19, and this ensures there is no additional pressure on staff or students.”

“It also gives schools and kura an opportunity to engage with the Literacy, Communication and Maths Strategy and Hei Raukura Mō te Mokopuna ahead of mandatory implementation,” Tinetti said. 

The new standards will be a co-requisite to the qualification, meaning a student will need to pass them in order to be awarded an NCEA, but can complete them at any time during their NCEA studies.

In a statement, the Ministry of Education said: “We encourage schools and kura to use the transitional year to continue supporting their learners and help them prepare for the changes in 2024.”

The new standards will still be available from 2023, however, for schools and kura that want to adopt them earlier.

“Learning, teaching, and assessment resources for literacy, numeracy, te reo matatini and pāngarau are also available on our website to support you in preparing for the changes. Later this year, we will be releasing information on how schools and kura can use the new standards in 2023 as well as the transition arrangements for 2024″, the Ministry concluded.