This is a ground-breaking account of one of the most complicated qualification systems in the world. The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is predominantly used in the senior secondary school in Aotearoa New Zealand. Its introduction between 2002 and 2004 signalled a seismic shift in assessment practice.

NCEA in Context offers a compelling account of the educational, social, and political forces that shaped New Zealand’s assessment landscape in the years before NCEA, through its implementation, to the present day. This book provides a frank analysis of the constraints, controversies, and compromises that contoured NCEA, while rebuffing the myth that a golden age of assessment existed before NCEA was introduced.

This book explores the complex relationship between NCEA and the New Zealand curriculum. The authors use examples from innovative schools to illustrate how an assessment approach that honours the intentions of the curriculum can provide rich learning experiences that motivate students and deepen their learning experience. Written by passionate educators, this book sets an agenda for the continued development of NCEA into a dynamic and adaptive assessment system fit for the future.