The South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment (SPBEA) was established in November 1980 to deliver assessment and examination services to a number of Pacific countries. This role became particularly important when the New Zealand School Certificate South Pacific Option papers, and the New Zealand University Entrance qualification were no longer available to Pacific Island students. The unavailability of NZ University Entrance led to the establishment of the Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate (PSSC) in 1989 as a temporary replacement qualification at the Year 12 (Form 6) level. The PSSC qualification was designed to act as an interim measure to give time for countries to develop their own national qualifications. At the moment, much of SPBEAs focus is still very much with the PSSC administration and assessment.

The Boards activities reflect the core functions as outlined in Article V of the Constitution, namely to train personnel in the development and use of assessment

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