Art teachers aghast at marks 'lottery'

By LIBBY MIDDLEBROOK

When Rudi Vodanovich gained 94 per cent in School Certificate art, it gave the shy boy enough confidence to further pursue painting.

But two years later, the 18-year-old is not sure whether he has enough talent.

Rudi was horrified to find he had gained only 51 per cent in Bursary painting this month, after dedicating his final year at Dilworth School to art.

"I'm pretty devastated ... I can't believe the variances between the two marks. I was expecting at least 80 per cent."

The latest round of Qualifications Authority marking of Bursary art is being called a lottery by some secondary school art teachers, who are angry at the inconsistency of results.

Some students, who achieved 80 per cent averages during the school year, have either been failed or given mediocre results by NZQA examiners.

About 7000 students completed Bursary art last year, majoring in either painting, design, printmaking, photography or sculpture.

Students submit a folio of work at the end of the school year that is marked by a collection of NZQA art examiners against a list of criteria.

Unlike School Certificate art, there is no internal assessment element and results are based entirely on examiners' evaluations.

"The results are completely inconsistent - it really is a lottery," said Val Gyde, president of the Auckland Secondary Art Teachers' Association.

"Students are despairing and depressed because of their poor marks ... Some art teachers have even given up teaching."

Mrs Gyde, who is also head of art at Howick College, said 15 of the school's 27 photography students received marks of less than 40 per cent in Bursary, despite achieving high results during the year.

Most of the school's painting students received average marks, even those who had achieved well in School Certificate.

"I can't understand how these examiners are coming to the results they do," she said.

"I'm at the end of my tether with this system."

NZQA is defending its Bursary art marking. Spokesman Bill Lennox said it was one of the "most stringent" marking systems used by NZQA, at least six specialist examiners assessing each folio before a final mark was decided.

Students could also apply to have their folios reassessed if they were unhappy with their result.

Mr Lennox said the reasons for variances between Bursary art and School Certificate results included a teacher being unaware of what examiners looked for in a folio.

But the head of art at Dilworth School, Jane McKay, said she could not comprehend how examiners managed to get some of her students' results "so terribly wrong."

Shelley Ryde, head of art at Diocesan School and a former NZQA examiner, believes examiners did not spend long enough marking folios and standards were too high.

"It's hard to look students in the eye at the beginning of the school year, saying 'you made the right choice by taking art'.

"You cannot be confident in predicting what their result might be."