NCHENZ

Report of meeting between Julie Ward of NCHENZ, and Andrew Kear of NZQA, February 2006 (by Julie Ward).

The formal provisions affecting home educated students and NCEA are set out on the NZQA website.

What do these rules mean in practical terms?

In terms of external assessment there should not be too much difficulty in establishing a link with a registered school, or an approved tertiary provider. All New Zealand schools are self managing so they cannot be compelled by NZQA or the Ministry of Education to process exam entries for home educators. The link school or approved tertiary provider will have to carry out the necessary administration tasks for entering home school students in examinations. This will involve some additional work for the link school or approved tertiary provider and home educators will have to negotiate a fee with the provider for this service. 


Difficulties which may be brought up by providers are administrative inconvenience or effects on a school's place in so-called league tables as the home educated student's results will be processed along with those from the link school.

While schools are self managing NZQA sets and runs the exams and would like to see all New Zealanders have an opportunity to sit the exams. If parents are having difficulty making arrangements with a school the School Relationship Manager at NZQA may be able to assist. Principals who are concerned about the requirements on them when accommodating home educators can also contact the NZQA School Relationship Manager for guidance. 

NZQA has pointed out that if a home educated student is unable to sit
the exam for any reason there will not be any other results available to
enable NZQA to give a result on compassionate grounds. (For example if
the student was ill, injured or suffered a bereavement and was unable to
sit the exam or felt their performance was impaired.

Linking to schools and approved tertiary providers for internally assessed standards is not impossible but it is more difficult as the assessment may proceed over several school days or weeks and it would be necessary for the home educated student to join a class during the assessment period. 

Although in the school situation most students will proceed through Level 1, Level 2 and then Level 3 at during Years 11,12 & 13 at school there is no requirement to follow this formula. There are no prerequisites in NCEA and a student may enter for Level 3 without having completed Levels 1 and 2. 

It is important to remember any arrangements you make must be made with the school not individual teachers. This is especially important for internally assessed standards because it is the school that is the accredited provider, not an individual teacher.

The requirements for University Entrance are set out on the NZQA website .

Important things to note are that a student needs a minimum of 42 credits at level 3 or higher. The 42 credits must be made up as follows:
a.. 14 credits at level 3 or higher in each of two subjects from an approved subject list which is set out on the website, and 
b.. a further 14 credits at level 3 or higher taken from no more than two additional domains on the National Qualifications Framework or approved subjects.

Domains are identified on the NZQA website. Students and their advisers need to ensure that the standards they embark upon are within no more than two domains or approved subjects. It is imperative that you check the domain a standard falls under. Some courses such as media studies may include standards from several different domains.

In addition students are required to meet minimum numeracy and literacy standards. These are:
a. a minimum of 14 credits at level 1 or higher in Mathematics or Pangarau on the National Qualifications Framework (note if you include Maths or Pangarau in your 42 credits at level 3 nothing further is required.) 

b. a minimum of 8 credits at level 2 or higher in English or Te Reo Maori; 4 credits must be in Reading and 4 credits must be in Writing.
The literacy credits will be selected from a schedule of approved achievement standards and unit standards which are set out on the NZQA website 
(again if you include appropriate standards in English or Maori in your 42 credits at Level 3 then nothing further is required.)

A difficulty for home educators is that in most of the approved subjects and domains there are not 14 externally assessed credits available so home educators will usually need to arrange for internal assessment of at least one standard in each subject area by either a school or an approved tertiary provider. Home educators should not discount Private Training Enterprises as possible assessors.

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