Page 8 - 1973 News Clippings

The Minister of Education, Mr Amos has said the Labour Party will abolish
School Certificate . . . . He described it as “probably the greatest millstone around the
educational neck at the present time.” Thought is now being given in many quarters to
the future of the School Certificate examination. During the past two years the School
Certificate Examination Board has been considering the implications of internal
assessment for School Certificate. This article has been compiled by Graeme
Lawrence, the Times Education Reporter, based on the report of the Examination
Board’s report.

DOWN WITH THE SCHOOL

CERT. EXAMINATION?

23rd January 1973 right for an appraisal to be prescriptions unsuited to
A powerful cause of a made of the advantages and their needs and from which
sense of failure in the disadvantages of introducing they can only experience
minds of many young some form of internal failure.
people would be removed assessment for the school One factor that has
along with the external certificate examination. come through the debate on
examination of pupils for the advantages and
School Certificate. MEASURE disadvantages of internal
For those who do not The school certificate assessment for school
want the School Certificate examination measures fairly certificate has been that
Examination abolished accurately a pupil’s ability to teachers want to play some
altogether discussion has retain and reproduce factual part in determining the final
centred around internal knowledge during the assessments gained by their
assessment. examination period. pupils in national awards.
Internal assessment in It does not measure Some want to play a
its most general sense means practical skills and oral skills small part, others want to
a system under which, and may reflect only take the whole responsibility
wholly or in part, teachers indirectly a pupil’s work for assessment. Some want
are made responsible for the habits, motivation, attitude, protection in the decisions
assessing the achievements adaptability, inventiveness that they make, others are
of their pupils. This is not a and reliability. prepared to make their
new concept in New Zealand At the present time 70 decisions and stand by them.
education. percent of the pupils who But of all the secondary
The university entrance enrol in the third forms of teachers who think seriously
examination gained by secondary schools undertake about their profession there
accrediting, the sixth form the school certificate would be few who are
certificate for pupils who examination and the entirely happy with the
spent a year in the sixth form proportion is growing present situation which gives
after gaining their school steadily each year. them no opportunity to have
certificate and higher school Almost 25 percent of a say in the final assessment
certificate for pupils who the fifth form candidates of their pupils for school
have spent a year in the who enter for school certificate.
seventh form after gaining certificate do not pass in any A teacher’s desire to be
university entrance are all subject. For this group of involved will determine his
national awards gained by candidates national attitude towards internal
internal assessment. assessment merely forces assessment and the extent of
After experience gained them into an external the provisions for it he
by the internal assessment of examination situation with would like to see injected
these awards the time is now its series of subject into the system.