Mātauranga Māori constitutes concepts and principles that are richly detailed, complex, and fundamental to Māoridom. It is important to remember that the practice of these are wider and more varied than their use within the proposed NCEA Achievement Standards and supporting documentation.

We also recognise that the cultures, languages, and identities of the Pacific Islands are diverse, varied, and unique. Therefore the Pacific concepts, contexts, and principles that have been incorporated within NCEA Achievement Standards may have wide-ranging understandings and applications across and within the diversity of Pacific communities. It is not our intention to define what these concepts mean but rather offer some ways that they could be understood and applied within different subjects that kaiako and students alike can explore.

The intent of the Standard

The purpose of this Achievement Standard is for ākonga to demonstrate their understanding of science as a knowledge system. Ākonga will be familiar with the features of science that define it as reliable and valid. This includes understanding that science ideas are open to challenge and change. Throughout their science education, ākonga will encounter ideas about the inquiry process, peer review, repetition, objectivity, and transparency. In this Achievement Standard, ākonga will show their understanding of science as a body of knowledge that critiques itself when different interpretations and new evidence comes to light.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, mātauranga Māori and Pacific knowledges are increasingly contributing to how science ideas are viewed and reviewed.

This Achievement Standard aligns with the following items of Significant Learning:

• consider mātauranga Māori alongside science in contexts that relate to Aotearoa New Zealand
• consider Pacific knowledges alongside science in contexts that relate to the Pacific
• identify interrelationships between science practices, technological advances, mātauranga Māori, and the practical advancement of science knowledge
• recognise that scientific ideas are developed through critical and creative thinking, regulated by evidence
• consider how the values and needs of a society can influence the focus of scientific endeavours.

Making reliable judgements

As part of the evidence provided, ākonga must identify a science idea and the features of science that relate to the idea. Ākonga should show that they understand how the features of science contributed to the development of the science idea and how knowledge has changed over time in a specific context. At higher levels of achievement, ākonga will show that they understand the significance of how features of science have changed understanding, and how the features of science have influenced each other in the development of a scientific idea.

Collecting evidence

Refer to the External Assessment Specifications for further information.

Possible contexts

Ākonga engaging with this Achievement Standard will develop transferable knowledge about the science process and the characteristics of science knowledge.

These characteristics include that:

• evidence is collected through repeatable tests
• results are observable and predictable
• scientific theories are subject to change over time.

The main emphasis of this Achievement Standard is to understand why science as a body of knowledge is not static.

Features of science could include:

• replicable, verifiable data collection
• interpreting patterns and interactions
• linking new evidence to existing models, theories, and ideas
• the development of science ideas in response to new evidence or varied perspectives, such as Māori and Pacific knowledge systems 
• the influence of social and cultural factors on science
• the influence of the development and use of technology on science
• responding to needs and opportunities
• rigorously reviewing claims
• using specific language, symbols, and conventions
• being tentative by nature; the only certainty in science is when a claim is disproved
• the attributes of the people who carry out the science such as curiosity, collaboration, competitiveness, creativity, and critical thinking.

Ākonga should engage with a variety of rich case studies to develop their understanding of where science ideas have come from. These should show how science ideas span across time and change in response to new information and technologies. The case studies should encompass a range of features that have contributed to the development of the science idea such as ongoing observations, use of new technologies, or links to existing models.

In the assessment of this Standard, the case studies will have links to Aotearoa New Zealand or the wider Pacific. An example of this would be the changing understanding of DNA from Watson and Crick’s model, to the gene sequencing used to identify the CDH1 gene in Stan Walker’s diagnosis.

Standard Exclusions

This Standard has one or more exclusions, or Standards that assess the same or similar learning. These Standards are excluded against one another to prevent assessing the same learning twice. You can only use credits gained from one of these standards towards your NCEA qualification.

Find out more about the NCEA Level 1 Exclusions List.

Literacy and Numeracy Requirements