NCEA - they like it in Otahuhu

Under the old exam system some students at Otahuhu College (a decile one urban school in Auckland) achieved very well, but others who arrived at secondary school already in failure mode went on to achieve little else except bad exam marks and an even more entrenched sense of failure.

NCEA, says principal Brian O'Connell, is changing all that by delivering an achievement system for all New Zealanders.

"The previous system was not one for all New Zealanders. It forced large numbers of people into failure," he says.

"I really like the term achievement standards, because that is what it is all about. Staff here say it is good to see students getting their achievement identified and recognised - even if it is at a lower level, it is still significant."

Achieving excellence should be a challenge

"Achieving excellence should be a challenge; if it isn't then it can't really be considered excellence."

For O'Connell it is not just about the level at which a student is working, but what style of learning suits them best that will decide which course they end up taking.

The flexibility of the qualification is a big benefit of the new system. Next year's year 11 students at Otahuhu College will have the choice of four different English courses to enrol in. Each one will be tailored to a specific way and level of learning. One course will consist of the full set of achievement standards and be worth 24 credits; another will be a mixture of achievement and unit standards; another just unit standards; and a fourth will be a communications course for students working at a lower level.

Otahuhu College has a long list of courses that not only count towards NCEA but also springboard students on a path to employment and can be counted towards National Certificates. Tourism, technology, childcare, catering, carpentry, computing, business studies, auto engineering, sport and health - to name a few.

O'Connell says good planning and his school's experience with using unit standards have made the transition to NCEA smoother for his school than perhaps others are finding.

"We have embraced unit standards here for a few years. Last year we had 21,000 credits through the school and 500 kids studying for unit standards in various subjects. So the change to standards-based assessment and use of achievement standards has been more of a transition for us than a quantum leap."

O'Connell says he looks forward to more students at Otahuhu gaining better recognition of their skills and leaving school with a good qualification and a head start along the employment pathway they want to take.