Summary

Purpose

This paper provides some 2004 achievement results for candidates at Māori immersion and bilingual schools. It updates the information given in the report Māori achievement & achievement at Māori immersion and bilingual schools. It makes comparisons between years and between groups of candidates.

Introduction

The achievement patterns of candidates involved in Māori-medium education, and whether they differ from the general population, are of interest to many groups, including school communities and policy makers. This paper compares results from immersion and bilingual schools in 2003 and 2004. It also looks at the achievement by Māori candidates in English medium schools as compared with candidates enrolled in immersion and bilingual schools.

However, the small number of Māori-medium candidates makes comparisons with Māori candidates in English medium schools, as well as between candidates at immersion and bilingual schools, difficult and sometimes misleading. This is because one or two high- or low-performing students can skew the results in a small population, whereas these effects are evened out in larger groups.

Note on Population

The population used for analysis each year depends on how many schools meet the criteria for Māori immersion and bilingual schools. A Māori immersion school is where all students at the school receive over 80% of their instruction time in the Māori language. A Māori bilingual school is where all students at the school receive over 12% of their instruction time in the Māori language.

The number of schools that met these criteria in 2003 and 2004 are different. The changes in the number of schools and candidates are detailed in the section 'Definition of Māori immersion & bilingual schools and changes in population between 2003 and 2004' .

An addition to immersion and bilingual schools, there are also students involved in Māori-medium education at immersion and bilingual units in English medium schools. Although these students account for just under half of the students involved in Māori-medium education, they are not included in the analysis in this paper. This is because it is not possible from our data to identify which students at these schools are in the immersion or bilingual units.

Key Findings

• Candidates in immersion and bilingual schools are performing well under the new qualifications system. In both 2003 and 2004, candidates at immersion and bilingual schools were more likely to gain a National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) than Māori candidates in English medium schools.
• Candidates at immersion and bilingual schools appear to have strong literacy skills. Year 11 candidates in these schools are very successful at gaining literacy credits in both te reo Māori and in English.
• Year 11 candidates at bilingual schools did very well in meeting the literacy and numeracy requirements of NCEA level 1. They were more likely to meet these requirements than both Māori and non-Māori in English medium schools.
• An area of concern is the low achievement in the science learning area. In general, almost all Year 11 candidates who gain a qualification gain s om e science credits. However, around half of the Year 11 candidates at immersion and bilingual schools who gained an NCEA gained no science credits.

Qualifications Attained

Candidates at both immersion and bilingual schools are very likely to gain a National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) qualification. The rate of qualification attainment at immersion and bilingual schools was higher than for Māori candidates in English schools (see Table 1).

Overall Year 11 and Year 12 bilingual school candidates are more likely than their immersion school counterparts to gain an NCEA qualification at some level (Table 1).

Year 11 and Year 12 candidates at immersion and bilingual schools were more likely than Māori in English medium schools to gain an NCEA above the typical level for their year group. Immersion school Year 11 and Year 12 candidates were more likely than their bilingual school counterparts to gain an above typical level NCEA (Table 1).

In comparison to Māori candidates in English medium schools, a high proportion of Year 13 immersion and bilingual school candidates gained an NCEA level 3, either in 2004 as Year 13 candidates or in 2003 as Year 12 candidates.

Immersion school candidates

The overall proportion of Year 11 and Year 12 immersion school candidates gaining qualifications remained very similar to 2003 (see Figure 1 overleaf). However, the spread of candidates gaining NCEA levels 1-3 differs between 2003 and 2004. In 2004, Year 11 immersion school candidates were more likely to gain a higher than typical qualification and less likely to gain a typical level qualification than in 2003.

As in English medium schools, immersion school candidates tend to focus on 'core' subjects in Year 11 before diversifying into more specialised subjects at levels 2 and 3. For example, almost all the 2004 Year 11 immersion school candidates who achieved an NCEA level 1 gained credits in Te Reo Māori, English, Number and Measurement. Over half of these candidates also gained credits in Statistics & Modelling, Geometry and Generic Computing.

Those Year 11 candidates who completed higher than typical level qualifications also tended to gain credits in core subjects (Te Reo Māori, English, Number and Algebra). However, a small number of these candidates gained qualifications with a focus on performance-based arts (subjects taken included Māori Performing Arts Teaching, Drama, Dance Choreography, Dance Perspectives).

Around half (51%) of the Year 11 immersion school candidates who gained an NCEA (at any level) achieved no credits in science subjects. In comparison, 88% of Māori candidates in mainstream schools who gained an NCEA gained some credits in science subjects. The low attainment of science credits at immersion schools may be partially due to difficulties recruiting Science teachers who are able to teach in an immersion environment. In addition, immersion and bilingual schools tend to be relatively small at secondary level, which creates difficulties in attracting teachers who can teach a variety of subjects at senior secondary level.

Figure 1: Highest NCEA qualification attained by immersion school candidates, in 2003 & 2004

The spread of qualifications gained by Year 12 immersion school candidates differs between 2003 and 2004 (see Figure 1). A higher proportion gained a typical level qualification of NCEA level 2 in 2004 than in 2003, while a lower proportion gained NCEA level 3.

Most of the Year 12 candidates who attained an NCEA level 3 in 2003 continued to gain credits as Year 13 candidates in 2004. These candidates were not able to gain another NCEA qualification in Year 13, as they had already achieved the highest level of NCEA qualification in 2003.

Bilingual school candidates

At all year levels bilingual school candidates were more likely than Māori in English medium schools to gain a typical level qualification in 2004. Candidates at bilingual schools were more likely than immersion school candidates to gain an NCEA qualification at the level typical for their year of schooling ( Table 1) in 2004.

Figure 2: Highest NCEA qualification attained by bilingual school candidates, in 2003 & 2004

The proportion of Year 11 bilingual school candidates to gain an NCEA in 2003 was similar to the proportion gaining an NCEA in 2004 (see Figure 2).

As in immersion schools, almost all Year 11 bilingual school candidates who achieved an NCEA (any level) gained credits in Te Reo Māori, English, Number and Algebra. Bilingual school Year 11 candidates achieved in a greater range of subjects than their immersion school counterparts, reflecting the larger size of some of the bilingual schools. Large secondary schools are generally able to offer more subjects than small schools.

Just under half (46%) of bilingual school Year 11 candidates who gained an NCEA achieved credits in religious subjects (such as Christian Theological Studies, Christian Ethics), which were not offered at any of the immersion schools. This reflects the special character of some of the bilingual schools.

A little under half (45%) of the Year 11 bilingual school candidates who gained an NCEA (any level) gained no credits in Science. As with immersion schools, this may in part be due to difficulties in recruiting Science teachers in some of the bilingual schools.

While the proportion of Year 12 bilingual school candidates gaining an NCEA has grown between 2003 and 2004, the increase may be an effect of the small numbers in this group and could also be influenced by the inclusion of more schools than in the 2003 cohort.

Similar to their Year 11 counterparts, a high proportion (over 80%) of Year 12 bilingual school candidates who attained an NCEA gained credits in Te Reo Māori and English.

Year 13 bilingual school candidates had noticably lower overall qualification attainment than Year 11 and Year 12 bilingual school candidates ( Figure 2). This differs from the pattern shown by Māori candidates in English medium schools. Māori Year 13 candidates in mainstream schools had slightly lower rates of achieving NCEA than their Year 12 counterparts and substantially higher rates of NCEA achievement than Year 11 Māori candidates at English medium schools. It is not clear why the achievement patterns of bilingual school candidates differ from those for Māori in mainstream schools. However, we only have one year of data relating to Year 13 candidates in the NCEA system, so a different pattern may emerge over time for any or all of these groups.

Gaining University Entrance

University Entrance (UE) is an award that can be gained in conjunction with NCEA and non-NCEA qualifications. Although most candidates gaining UE also gain an NCEA level 3, some do not. Candidates can accumulate credits towards UE over a number of years.

The numbers of Year 13 candidates at immersion and bilingual schools are very small, so the proportions shown in Table 2 should be approached with caution. For example, if two fewer immersion school candidates had gained UE then the proportion would change to 18%. Conversely, if two more had gained UE, the proportion would be 25%. This is not the case when looking at figures for Māori candidates in mainstream schools, where there are over 3,000 Year 13 candidates.

Although the majority of Year 13 candidates at bilingual and immersion schools gained an NCEA, just over a fifth of immersion school Year 13 candidates and just over a third of bilingual school Year 13 candidates gained UE. As a comparison, a quarter (25%) of all Māori Year 13 candidates in mainstream schools gained UE in 2004.

Literacy and Numeracy for NCEA Level 1

To gain an NCEA Level 1, candidates must achieve 8 literacy credits and 8 numeracy credits.

Around half of Year 11 immersion school candidates gained both the literacy and numeracy requirements (Table 3), which is in line with the 2003 results. As was the case in 2003, immersion school candidates were more likely to meet the literacy than the numeracy requirements in 2004.

The proportion of immersion school candidates to meet both the literacy and numeracy requirements was similar to the proportion of Māori in mainstream schools who met both requirements. However, mainstream Māori candidates were more likely to meet the numeracy than the literacy requirement. This is quite different to the achievement in immersion schools.

The 2004 results for bilingual school candidates are similar to the 2003 results. The proportion of Year 11 bilingual school candidates meeting both the literacy and numeracy requirements (shown in Table 3) was higher than for Māori and non-Māori in mainstream schools.

Immersion and bilingual school candidates gained their literacy credits in a range of domains. Immersion school candidates were more likely to gain credits through Te Reo Rangatira than bilingual school candidates. The most popular literacy domains for bilingual school candidates were Whakarongo and English Written Language, where over 80% achieved credits.

Most bilingual school Year 11 candidates gained numeracy credits in Number, Algebra, Measurement and Geometry. Number was also the most popular numeracy subject for immersion school candidates.

Some of the numeracy credits gained by immersion school candidates were from standards that were translated into and answered in te reo Māori. Over a quarter of all the credits gained by immersion school candidates in Geometry and Algebra were from standards translated into and answered in Māori.

Bilingual school candidates gained all their numeracy credits through standards written and answered in English.

A small number of candidates from immersion and bilingual schools gained an NCEA, but did not meet the literacy and numeracy requirements in 2004. The majority of these candidates gained the higher level qualification of NCEA level 2, for which there is no literacy or numeracy requirements. Others would have gained the literacy and numeracy requirements in the previous year.

Number and Level of Credits Attained

All qualifications on the NQF require candidates to achieve a minimum number of credits at or above a certain level. NCEA level 1 requires 80 or more credits at level 1 or higher; NCEA level 2 requires 60 or more credits at level 2 or higher; and NCEA level 3 involves gaining 60 or more credits at level 3 or higher.

Candidates at all school types vary widely in terms of credit attainment. Bilingual school candidates are generally very good at gaining enough credits for an NCEA qualification. Less than half of Year 11, Year 12 and Year 13 immersion school candidates gained sufficient credits in one year for an NCEA qualification that was at least typical for their year of schooling. Immerson school candidates' spread of credits in Year 11 and Year 12 were similar to the Māori population overall.

Year 11

There was no real difference between 2003 and 2004 in the proportion of immersion school Year 11 candidates gaining 80 or more credits (47% in 2004 and 46% in 2003). The 2004 figures are shown in Table 4. Male and female immersion school candidates appeared in equal proportions in the four credit bands.

The proportion of bilingual school Year 11 candidates gaining 80 or more credits was similar in 2003 and 2004. A higher proportion of females than males were in this group of candidates. Just over 70% of female bilingual school candidates gained sufficient credits for an NCEA level 1, compared with 64% of male Year 11 candidates at bilingual schools.

The proportion of immersion school Year 11 candidates in the lowest band of credit achievement has grown from 19% in 2003 to 28% in 2004.

Very few bilingual school Year 11 candidates are in the lowest band of credit achievement.

Year 12

The spread of Year 12 bilingual candidates across the credit bands were similar in 2003 and 2004 (2004 results are shown in Table 5). A large increase in the number of candidates (59 more candidates – an increase of 65%) has not affected this result.

Two-thirds of Year 12 bilingual school candidates gained sufficient credits for an NCEA level 2. Of note is the high proportion of Year 12 bilingual school candidates gaining 90 or more credits at level 2 or above.

The proportion of Year 12 immersion school candidates who gained enough credits in 2004 for an NCEA level 2 was slightly lower than in 2003, but this is unlikely to be a meaningful shift due to the small numbers involved.The number of Year 12 candidates at immersion schools was higher in 2004 than in 2003, but the increase was not as big as for bilingual schools¹

Year 13

The number of Year 13 candidates at immersion and bilingual schools is very low. This limits the conclusions that can be drawn when these candidates are divided up further into bands of credit attainment.

Over a third of Year 13 immersion and bilingual school candidates gained sufficient credits for an NCEA level 3 ( Table 6).Around a third gained a very low number of credits (less than 30) at level 3 and above. This reflects the proportion of Year 13 candidates who attained a level 2 qualification and are therefore less likely to gain level 3 credits.

Definition of Māori Immersion & Bilingual Schools, and Changes in Population between 2003 and 2004 Immersion schools

An immersion school is where all students in the school receive 81-100% of their instruction in Māori.

Overall there were 15 immersion schools with candidates in 2004 – four less than in 2003. The decrease was made up of:

• four immersion schools that had no candidates in 2004, but had had candidates in 2003. These schools may have registered their candidates for NZQA assessment purposes at other schools (-4 schools)
• two schools which did not meet the criteria for immersion schools in 2004, but in 2003 all their students were in immersion education (-2 schools)
• two schools that met the criteria for immersion school in 2004, yet in 2003 were classified as bilingual schools (+2 schools)

In spite of the decrease in the number of schools, the number of candidates at immersion schools increased between 2003 and 2004. In 2003 there were just under 200 Year 11 and Year 12 candidates at immersion schools. In 2004 this increased to just over 250 candidates.

Bilingual schools

A bilingual school is where all students receive between 12-100% of their instruction in Māori. Most bilingual schools have a number of students involved in Māori immersion, but some do not.

In total there were 11 bilingual schools that had National Qualification Framework (NQF) candidates in 2004, which is two more than in 2003. The increase in the number of schools consisted of:

• two schools that were bilingual schools in 2003, but were immersion schools in 2004 (-2 schools)
• four schools that were not bilingual schools in 2003, but were classed as bilingual in 2004. Two of these are relatively large secondary schools that have been operating for many years (+4 schools)

The number of Year 11 and Year 12 bilingual school candidates has almost doubled between 2003 and 2004. Year 11 candidates increased from 125 in 2003 to 276 in 2004. Year 12 candidates increased from 91 in 2003 to 150 in 2004.

The gender balance has also altered between these two years. In 2003, just under half of Year 11 and Year 12 candidates at bilingual schools were female. In 2004, 57% of bilingual school Year 11 and Year 12 candidates were female. In spite of the population change, achievement at bilingual schools was very similar in 2003 and 2004.

Kura Kaupapa Māori

A subset of bilingual and immersion schools are kura kaupapa Māori (KKM) schools. KKM schools belong to Te Runanga Nui o Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa and follow a specific teaching philosophy. There were 17 KKM schools that had NQF candidates in 2004, 14 of which were immersion schools and three of which were bilingual schools. These schools are not separated out in the analysis in this paper.

Appendix 1: NCEA and NQF Definitions²

The National Qualifications Framework (NQF)

The NQF defines all standards-based qualifications that can be awarded in New Zealand . It is designed to provide nationally recognised, consistent standards and qualifications. NQF qualifications are quality assured and administered by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.

Achievement standards

Achievement standards were introduced with NCEA level 1 in 2002. They were developed to cover subjects previously offered as part of School Certificate, Sixth Form Certificate and University Bursary and subjects derived directly from the NZ Curriculum Framework. Achievement standards can be assessed internally within a school, or externally through an examination. Achievement standards can be awarded with an 'achieved', 'merit' and 'excellence' grade. The number of credits awarded for a particular standard is fixed and is not affected by the grade awarded.

Level 1 achievement standards were first available in 2002. Similarly, level 2 standards were first available in 2003, and level 3 achievement standards were not available until 2004.

Unit standards

Unit standards were first introduced in 1992 (but only at schools since circa 1996). They cover virtually every area of sub-degree education and training. They are available at many tertiary providers as well as at secondary schools. Unit standards are developed in conjunction with industry groups and relevant tertiary providers. There are some unit standards that were developed for school curriculum subjects, but these may differ from equivalent achievement standards because they reflect industry and tertiary providers' expectations as well as the curriculum.

Unit Standards, unlike achievement standards, only have an 'achieved' grade associated with them. Unit standards are awarded at levels 1-6, whereas achievement standards are awarded at levels 1-3.

Both unit and achievement standards count towards NCEA qualifications.

Credits

NCEA qualifications are awarded according to the number of credits students have. Each unit and achievement standard is worth a certain number of credits. The number of credits attached to a standard may vary according to which aspect of the curriculum it relates to.

Requirements for NCEA qualifications

NCEA qualifications are standards-based and are on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

NCEA level 1 is awarded to people who are credited with a minimum of 80 credits at level 1 or above and who have met the literacy and numeracy requirements. A minimum of 8 credits in the specified literacy subfields and a minimum of 8 credits in the specified numeracy subfields are needed to meet the literacy and numeracy requirements.

NCEA level 2 requires a minimum of 80 credits. Between 0-20 credits from an NCEA level 1 can be cross-credited towards an NCEA level 2 qualification. 60 or more of the credits must be at level 2 or above. There is no literacy or numeracy requirement for NCEA level 2.NCEA level 3 also requires a minimum of 80 credits. Between 0-20 credits from an NCEA level 2 can be cross-credited towards an NCEA level 3 qualification. 60 or more of the credits must be at level 3 or above. There is no literacy or numeracy requirement.

University entrance

University Entrance may be completed as part of an NCEA level 3, though it is possible to gain UE without gaining an NCEA level 3. Credits for UE can be accumulated over more than one year.

UE requires a minimum of 42 credits at level 3 or higher. Within these credits there must be at least 14 credits at level 3 or higher in two separate subjects from a list of 'approved subjects'³.

UE also has literacy and numeracy requirements. A student must gain at least 14 numeracy credits at level 1 or higher. Eight literacy credits at level 2 or higher, four in reading and four in writing, are also necessary for UE.

Non-NCEA qualifications available to secondary students

A broad range of National Certificates on the NQF are available to secondary students. Schools can choose which unit standards to offer and may have partnerships with tertiary providers who offer certain unit standards, so the types of National Certificates available to individual students varies from school to school.New Zealand-based qualifications appear either on the NQF or the Register of Quality Assured Qualifications (the Register). Standards-based qualifications fall under the umbrella of the NQF, all other qualifications awarded in New Zealand , such as university degrees, are on the Register. The main qualification on the Register for secondary students is level 4 Scholarship in 2004. However, in 2005 Scholarship will be changed to an award rather than a qualification.

Appendix 2: 2003 Tables Graphs of 2003 & 2004 achievement

Figure 3: Meeting the literacy and numeracy requirements for NCEA Level 1 by Year 11 candidates in immersion and bilingual schools, in 2003 & 2004

Figure 4: Year 11 candidates at immersion and bilingual schools by number of credits attained at all levels, in 2002 & 2003

Figure 5: Year 12 candidates at immersion and bilingual schools by number of credits attained at Level 2 or above, in 2002 & 2003

Footnotes

1. There were 14 more Year 12 immersion school candidates in 2004 than in 2003 – an increase of 19%
2. The information in this appendix was sourced from the NZQA website and from NZQA staff.
3. The list of approved subjects and the lists of literacy and numeracy standards for UE are available on the NZQA website.