8 Dec 2023

Expert says Ministry of Education needs to incentivise improving literacy rates

From Morning Report, 7:43 am on 8 December 2023

An assessment expert is warning the consequence of imposing co-requisite testing in literacy and numeracy to pass NCEA could result in students giving up entirely without completing school.

From 2026, students must pass tests in reading, writing and maths before they can receive an NCEA certificate.

Charles Darr is chief researcher at the NZ Council of Educational Research.

He says the Ministry of Education must find a way to incentivise improving the nation's already decreasing literacy rates.

At the same time, he says the current plan is disenfranchising teens from learning before they get to live in the real world.

Darr spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.