Auckland high school heads want the new curriculum to be phased in to senior levels a year later than the Government plans - saying proposals for big changes to some subjects are being pushed through without enough time for teachers to have their say.
The Auckland Secondary Principals
Association this week overwhelmingly voted to seek the delay.
President Simon Peek said just three of the 44 schools represented at the meeting opposed the motion.
It followed a similar move from the Hawkes Bay Secondary Principals Association last week.
A major review aiming to ensure that NCEA standards test what students learn under the new curriculum is underway, with the revised standards to be phased in over three years - starting with Level 1 in 2010.
Draft plans created by subject associations are being discussed with teachers but Mr Peek said frontline staff had had little idea of proposed changes until the proposals started to be sent out in October.
He said that since then, history teachers had objected to a plan to replace the essay with "an extended piece of writing", while geography proposals were so thin on physical geography content that teachers had questioned if the subject they were examining was actually geography.
Grant Lander, of the Hawkes Bay group, said there was concern over a perceived cut in the amount of physics at Level 1 in the subject and the ramifications for schools of a push towards more internal assessment.
Mr Peek said the timeline calling for feedback for the draft NCEA Level 1 standards by December 15 was far too tight.
"This is really important stuff," he said. "This requires very serious consideration by teachers, not just a cursory glance at what's being proposed."
Education Minister Anne Tolley would not say if a delay to the timeline was likely but said she would discuss the issue at a coming meeting with Auckland secondary principals.
"I've got to hear what they've got to say then discuss it with the ministry," she said. "But I am happy to listen to them."
