Looks like you need to clean house at NZQA 
[url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0 said:Txt speak approved for exams
09 November 2006
By ARWEN HANN and ANNA CHALMERS
Secondary school students will be able to use text speak in written examinations this year, legitimising a language loved by teenagers.
»READ FEEDBACK
The move has divided students and educators amid concerns the move could damage the English language.
The second language of thousands of teenagers, text language usually incorporates abbreviated words and phrases such as txt for "text", lol for "laugh out loud" or "lots of love" and CU for "see you".
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) is still strongly discouraging students from using anything other than full English, but says credit will be given if the answer "clearly shows the required understanding", even if it contains text speak.
The authority's deputy chief executive, qualifications, Bali Haque, said students should aim to make their answers as clear as possible.
"Markers involved in assessing NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) exams are trained professionals, experienced in interpreting the variety of writing styles and language uses encountered during the marking process," he said.
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Haque said he was confident markers would understand answers written in text speak.
He stressed that in some exams, including English, where the marking schedule specifically required candidates to demonstrate good language use, text abbreviations would be penalised.
Post-Primary Teachers' Association president Debbie Te Whaiti said the authority's new stance reflected the situation in the classroom. "Individual teachers are grappling with it (texting) every day."
However, teachers would have concerns if text slang became an acceptable everyday written language in the classroom, she said.
Christchurch teenager Cathy Adank, a Year 11 student at Avonside Girls' High School, said most students would be surprised to hear text language was acceptable in some exams.
"That's great. You'll just be able to get your ideas out quicker. It's so much faster; you can get through the exam faster," she said.
Close friend Harriet Prebble did not agree. "I think it's a terrible idea. When you start progressing in the world, people judge you on the written language, and spelling things incorrectly seems sloppy and lazy and gives a bad impression," she said.
The girls said teenagers were familiar with text language, which was beginning to affect their spelling.
Papanui High School principal Denis Pyatt said that while he would not encourage students to use text abbreviations in exams, he was excited by the language developments.
"I think text messaging is one of the most exciting things that has happened in a long time. It is another development in that wonderful thing we call the English language," he said.
Text speak could well change language in the future.
"Society has to adapt to change and I think ultimately text messaging could help resolve one of the strangest parts of English, which is its spelling, though I think it will be some time before text spelling is formally adopted," he said.
Stephen Rout, who deals with NZQA issues at Lincoln High School, will not be recommending text speak to his students.
"I would advise students to use proper English rather than text abbreviations," he said.
"Students need to be able to write and understand full English and I would encourage our students to do that."
The chief executive of Write Group, which helps people develop their English skills, Lynda Harris, said her staff were worried about students being allowed to write in text abbreviations. Reader Feedback
Because NZQA doesn't seem to have a clear understanding of why things like correctness are important doesn't actually make it unimportant. So taking requirements for correctness out of school training is really an incredibly daft thing to do. Things like spelling, writing clear and correct English, and in general getting things right. An example - at school I used to get marked down for spelling mistakes in all subjects. Now teachers aren't allowed to deduct marks for spelling. It has been decided and entrenched in policy that spelling is unimportant. It is however still very important, it's just that NZQA couldn't think why, so they decided it's not. It just makes it a lot harder for students when they hit the real world, where there are actually consequences for not getting things right:
# The IRD can put you in jail if you don't get your tax return right.
# The Police can give you a speeding ticket if you don't get your vehicle speed right.
# People die if doctors don't get things right.
# Buildings and bridges fall over if engineers and construction contractors don't get things right.
# I won't hire software writers who can't spell because they invariably create many more bugs than those who can spell.
So getting things right is fundamentally important. The evident fact that NZQA doesn't consider it important simply makes them look like a pack of retards. I pity helping someone who isn't a native English speaker trying to decipher some text slang someone else wrote. Whilst evolution of language is inevitable, that doesn't mean we should throw away the standards that the rest of the world relies on to communicate with us. Anyone who has ever learnt a foreign language can vouch for that.
Adrien de Croy
As someone who is studying an arts degree and has always been able to spell very well I am outraged at this change in school examinations. Text speak is bad enough when it is in a text message, even worse when used on the internet and it was bad enough when advertisers started using it. Text speak displays two things, a lack of intelligence and laziness. It makes a mockery of the education system and I can't believe the Government is allowing this. I would also like to point out that by using text speak, students will have to write more in essays.
liz shaw
I am horrified this has been approved. In many jobs today a good command of written English is mandatory. Encouraging text speak for students can only harm their potential job opportunities later in life. Let's get back to basics NZQA and concentrate on ensuring students leave school knowing how to read, write and perform math functions properly!
Melanie Taylor
It seems that it has not been well thought about by the people who carry that authority to make the decision on behalf of public and their children. It forces all children to have cell phones as soon as they can so that they could master the art. Yes, teens use text, but allowing it for exams will significantly increase the amount of texting that is required to be fluent. That will force occupational over use on little fingers.
Does the same authority accept letters/emails written in text language? What happens to the grammar of the English language? Already people speak poor English (crap in fact) and this is making it worse. What happens to the spelling? Children (also adults) are very poor in spelling and this type of poor decision will make the New Zealand education system become very poor and university studies and other studies will suffer. When will the school text books be available in text language?
Praba Subra
I am absolutely appalled and very pleased that my daughter is no longer in the school system. In New Zealand the standard in just about everything has dropped and the inability of children to spell has been very noticeable in recent years? This will enhance the problem. Like the lowering of the drinking age, there will be no going back and, as with the lowering of the drinking age, many caring parents could and can foresee problems.
Colleen Glasson
nzqa: u mst b joking. or r u smoking sumthg? lol. so what if kidz pruv they no sbjct mtr? f u cant communic8 yr noldg, it's prty much wrthlss. nz alrdy has svr prbs w stndrd nglsh speling, punc. and grmmr. dont make wrs!!!
Phil Stevens
What a joke, let's dumb down students even more before they enter the workforce and have to use real english. What ever person has allowed this needs to be fired. The New Zealand education system since Labour took over has become one big joke. But nothing will ever be done about this.
Richard James
This disgusts me. Are we encouraging our young people to be stupid and lazy? I cannot fathom how anybody could have come up with this decision in the first place, let alone actually have support for it.
Kate Ferguson
Look at our international students at the moment. They can barely speak english when they come out of school and considering the majority of Kiwis can't even make it through to sixth form where will this leave us as a country?
Hemi Hadfield
It is a sad day in education. These kids are bad enough. A future of dumbasses!
Ngaere
I thnk its absolutely ridiculous , lol , or mayB Im getng old. If this was allowed to happen we would soon need a dictionary to help us understand the myriad variations of txt wordings as succeeding generations increase the amount of words in txt format. The other thought is that with developing technology and voice activated messaging, we may not need to send texts anymore and thus could see the demise of SMS. What will then happen to the language skills of that generation allowed to use "txt" as a formal means of communication suddenly realising it is passe.
Errol Dsouza
and WTF OMG NFW. 
irate2:
