Anne Tolley                                                                                                                                                                                                             20 June, 2011

Support for secondary teachers

Education Minister Anne Tolley has announced two professional support days for secondary school teachers, to assist with planning and preparation for the implementation of the new curriculum-aligned NCEA standards.

�Teachers began working on the phasing-in of the new curriculum-aligned standards in early 2010, and this extra support will be valuable,� says Mrs Tolley.

�I�ve discussed this issue with the PPTA, and NZQA has been working with the union and the Secondary Principals� Association (SPANZ) to ensure that schools are in the best possible position to deliver the changes.�

The first professional support day is expected to take place by the end of July, and the second during term four, with the exact dates at the discretion of schools.

�These teacher-only days are optional,� says Mrs Tolley.

�There is also flexibility for Christchurch schools, where principals can decide if and when to take them.�

NZQA and the Ministry of Education are developing a planning and preparation toolkit for teachers to use, if needed, over the two support days.

This will include course planning advice and templates, as well as information on managing assessment and moderation.

Details will be available on the NZQA website by the end of this month.