Revealed: Ministry of Education proposes ditching 16 subjects for NCEA Level 1

February 20, 2020
Group of students having a class. Focus is on young woman reading a book.

The Ministry of Education has released a provisional list of subjects as NCEA Level 1 is reformed, with 16 subjects getting culled or combined.

But one new subject could also be added - Māori Performing Arts.

Under the proposed restructure, Art History and Latin would be removed entirely as subjects under Level 1.

History and Classical Studies would be combined into one unit, History; while Social Studies, Media Studies and Psychology would be combined into Social Studies.

For business students, Economics, Business Studies and Accounting would be combined into Commerce.

Newlands Intermediate principal Angela Lowe said it doesn’t make sense, especially after the Government abolished national standards.

Health and Physical Education would get combined into Physical Education and Science would be one big block, instead of separating out Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Science.

Members of the public have two months to provide feedback on the proposed subject list, before it's finalised and new achievement standards developed.

NCEA Level 1 will remain optional but it will change to become a broader foundational qualification that allows students to keep their options open, while Levels 2 and 3 become more specialised, deputy secretary of early learning and student achievement Ellen MacGregor-Reid says.

The changes will be phased in over five years and also strengthen NCEA literacy and numeracy requirements.

The axing of the $76.70 a year fee affects about 168,000 students across the country.

"These new assessments will not be mandatory until 2023 because we want to ensure teachers and schools have the time and support they need for these changes," Ms MacGregor-Reid says.

"We will work closely with teachers and other experts to rebuild more than 1000 achievement standards and accompanying resources in a way that minimises any unnecessary burden on those involved."

Feedback on the provisional subject list can be provided online at the Ministry of Education website.

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