[comment caption=Do you think Labour's NCEA review is too little too late?]The National Party is mocking the Government for its review of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA), saying it is finally accepting the system is flawed.
Expert groups will consider issues including how many times students can re-sit assessments.
The review will include an investigation of claims that some aspects of the system, introduced six years ago, could lead to unfairness and inconsistency.
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) said the review was needed mainly to align all NCEA standards to the new curriculum which is due to be taught in schools from 2010.
NZQA said the review would look at achievement and unit standards as part of a joint programme with the Ministry of Education to improve NCEA.
It would be finished by 2010.
National's education spokesman Anne Tolley said the Government had been told for years that the NCEA was flawed.
"Yet it is only months before an election that is has chosen to do something," Mrs Tolley said.
"Today they announce NCEA will be subjected to the biggest review since it was introduced in 2002.
Education Minister Chris Carter said the review was part of "a package of continuous improvement" of NCEA.
Mr Carter said many in the education sector had welcomed the work and National's response was cynical and politically motivated.
NCEA was working well but like most things could always be improved, Mr Carter said.
Mrs Tolley also accused the Government of another education epiphany by announcing it wanted to reduce rates of truancy.
Last year changes were introduced to improve NCEA.
These included the appointment of full-time moderators to ensure quality of internal assessment, random sampling of internal assessment for moderation, comparison of internal and external assessment results and the introduction of model answers.
A panel of experts from across the education sector will do the review. Reviewed standards would then be assessed by NZQA's technical overview group of university professors.
NZQA deputy chief executive qualifications Bali Haque said the review was a good chance to look at changes alongside the new curriculum.
"We have a rare opportunity to align the curriculum development process with the assessment development process. We haven't had that opportunity before," he said.
