As part of our plan to provide a seamless transition to senior college, we offer NCEA achievement standards to students in year 10. Teachers will be preparing students again this year in most year 10 subjects. Our goal is to give students an opportunity to understand and become confident in the NCEA system and it gives students a chance to succeed in a senior assessment framework.

Almost seventy people heard Ms Lambert provide valuable information about NCEA (which is also on our web site) last week and also heard Diana Patience, the new Principal of Ormiston Senior College highlight recent NCEA achievement data and the programmes offered at the school which help their students achieve so well. Almost two in every three students gained an excellence or merit endorsement in level 1 last year which is an outstanding achievement.

We work closely with OSC to ensure our programmes prepare our students for success there and I am pleased to report that providing NCEA opportunities at MHJC does help our students start on the “front foot”.

NCEA is an excellent qualification, acknowledged throughout the world and recognised by universities overseas. It also requires on-going commitment by students to their academic programme rather than an “all or nothing” examination at the end of the year which some schools offer. We find therefore it suits students who prefer to be assessed in a variety of ways (and students have a chance to re-submit if they feel they could do better) at a time when they are ready and with rigorous controls relating to setting, marking and moderating assessments.
I wish all our year 10 students everything of the best as they start their internal assessments. I am sure that they will, like every other occasion,  rise to this academic challenge.