The NZ Certificate of Steiner Education
Overview
The New Zealand Certificate of Steiner Education (NZCSE) is a regulated and fully accredited NZQA secondary qualification in New Zealand, listed on the New Zealand Qualification Framework since 2010.
NZCSE Level 3 is endorsed with University Entrance has Ad Eundem status (with equivalent status) for entry into New Zealand Universities.
The qualifications have also been devised for use in other countries or educational sectors.
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NZCSE at Raphael House
At Raphael House, students can work towards achieving the NZCSE in Classes 10, 11 and 12 (Levels 1, 2 and 3). Students are assessed at the relevant year level across the full range of learning activities in our broad curriculum – including academic, artistic and movement-based subjects.
Upon successful completion of the three year programme, Raphael House students are awarded the NZ Certificate of Steiner Education (NZCSE) and receive a certificate for each Level completed.
Raphael House generally provides NZCSE Levels as follows:
- Level 1 – Class 10
- Level 2 – Class 11
- Level 3 – Class 12
In order to pass an NZCSE Level, Students complete a series of Learning Outcomes within the curriculum, accumulating points throughout the year, as 50 NZCSE points are required to pass each Level. Numeracy and Literacy requirements must also be met. Grades awarded are based on Achieved, Merit and Excellence criteria.
Certificates of students with consistent Merit grades may receive a Highly Commended endorsement and students who consistently achieve with Excellence may be endorsed with Distinction.
Graduate Statement
On successful attainment of the Level 3 qualification, students will have a comprehensive foundation for leaving school as independent life-long learners who are able to be self-reflective and take initiative when required. They will have openness and connectedness to the world and its people, will demonstrate tolerance and respect for others, and have a curiosity about all aspects of life.
As part of their studies, Steiner School Certificate graduates have undertaken a year-long independent study which will have demonstrated the ability to plan, organise, research, produce, write and present their findings to meet a high level of public and educational expectation. This comprehensive 200-hour research project, which is fully referenced, formatted as a published document and formally presented viva voce to a large public audience, is a significant demonstration of self-directed, independent, responsible learning. Some students have gained entrance into competitive industries or university courses on the strength of this portfolio or project alone.
Graduates will have persisted in a very broad range of activities and subject matter, have sensitivity to independent, alternative or creative views of the world, and have developed a strong sense of personal responsibility and ambition. NZ Certificate of Steiner Education graduates are clear and creative thinkers and problem-solvers who can apply learning across a broad range of contexts. They are effective communicators, persevere towards deeper thinking and understanding and take action to follow things through to their conclusion.
Where they have pursued their chosen (elective) courses, they will have achieved those at an equivalent level to other secondary school qualifications, and, if they have achieved the NZ Certificate of Steiner Education at Highly Commended or Distinction, will be well-prepared to continue higher level study in the relevant subject areas.
The Steiner Education Development Trust, who manage and deliver the qualification, believes that readiness for university level study is more importantly a combination of an attitude of enquiry, intrinsic motivation, disciplined values, and self-directed learning skills, in addition to specific preparatory content knowledge. The Special Character of Steiner Schools concentrates, through the curriculum and cultural values of the education, on those qualities for readiness outlined above.