Marking of S.C. papers not voted on

Press, 30 May 1983, Page 2

Marking of S.C. papers not voted on

Many English teachers at a national conference in Auckland said they, would not set or mark school certificate examinations. Their determination was not put to a vote at the conference of English teachers. The 150 delegates from primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions decided by a nearly unanimous vote, that any nationally organised English examination at fifth form level should be abolished “forthwith.” Press Association reports last week said that a vote had been taken on the question of setting and marking the exam, but representatives of those who were at the conference said that this was not so. The conference decided that the School Certificate examination should be immediately abolished and replaced by a more broadly based school account of

pupils’ work. The president of the New Zealand Association for the Teaching of English, Mr F. Johnson, confirmed that vote. He said teachers did not like the “pass-fail” concept of only a certain percentage being allowed to pass each year. More than 12 schools now assessed their own students, andmany teachers saw that system as fairer to those who worked hard but were not good at examinations, and those who were not at their best on examination day. “The English teachers at Auckland maintained that a school-based account of a pupil’s strengths and weaknesses in all areas of the English curriculum is not only fairer to candidates, but more informative to them and their parents,” said Mr Johnson.