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Dear Parents and Caregivers
Looking back a little first – Academic Reports
Parents will by now have accessed through the Community Portal their child’s mid-year academic report. The report provides a lot of feedback from each subject teacher and, really, the information from the teachers should have come as no surprise to a student. Hopefully you have read this report by now and have gained a bit more insight into how your student is doing academically.
The arrival of Term 3 – it’s a big 10-week term
In this newsletter I’m sharing with you details of some very important academic events that are occurring in the lives of our NCEA-level students over the next 9½ weeks. Parents have a big role to play this term as ‘guides on the side’ / advisors / checkers / monitors for their child to help them successfully navigate these coming weeks – and to hold them accountable for meeting the many deadlines (assessment hand-ins and other similar things) that are coming up. Of course, teachers will be keeping a close eye on students’ progress, but parents can do that too and that’s where the NCEA Current Results Summary comes in with increasing importance.
In my next newsletter later this term, I’ll update you on where things are at academically speaking and will begin pointing you in the direction of the NCEA and Scholarship examinations in November. But first, what’s coming up for students overall this term…? There are four big things happening, each of which I’ll outline as follows, along with some related events.
Please do take some time to read, and maybe re-read, the information outlined here so that you can feel informed about how your student’s academic life will unfold this term.
At all times, please feel free to contact me via email with any questions that you may have about NCEA, or matters raised in this newsletter at DBV@stac.school.nz.
Kind regards
David Bevin
Head of Teaching and Learning – Secondary
A feature of the new NCEA Level 1 programme for many subjects is the operation of an internally-sat external assessment for an NCEA standard – in most subjects, the standard is called 1.3 (in one or two subjects it’s 1.4). The assessment is named a ‘SEA’ – Submitted External Assessment. While there is some difference between subjects, in most cases, a SEA runs over 4–6 lessons and is an online assessment that is sat in most subjects in examination conditions in classes. Students are required to bring their laptop (that must be in working condition) to each lesson and, once again, they will need to remember their NZQA Learner Login. Each Subject Head will provide more information about their SEA and will be emphasising to students the task requirements and expectations. Once they have completed their assessment (such as a portfolio, or report, or piece of writing [usually with an 800–1200 word limit]), students will be required to upload their digital submission directly to NZQA; they will receive detailed instructions about how to do that over the next few weeks.
Students may typically have more than two SEAs this term, possibly running at the same time, so they must be very organised and understand the importance of attending each lesson of each assessment. I will also be providing more information about the SEAs in the next week or two. You are able to check the dates for assessment this term by clicking on this link to the Term 3 Assessment Calendar.
Results for the Term 3 SEA in each subject will be available in mid-January along with all other examination results. The SEAs are marked externally even though they are sat at school.
In May, most Year 11 students sat the Literacy-Writing CAA, which is part of the 20-credit LitNum co-requisite. In addition to the Writing CAA, some Year 11 students sat either the Reading or Numeracy catchup assessment at that time. Results for the Writing and Numeracy CAAs will be available next week, and students will be able to access them through their NZQA Learner Login.
Any student who does not achieve any of the three CAAs will be identified by the College and will have another attempt in the second assessment ‘window’ for 2024 during the College Prelim examinations.
Students are required to achieve the standards below in order to gain the LitNum co-requisite that is required for the gain of the NCEA certificate:
Reading – 5 credits
Writing – 5 credits
Numeracy – 10 credits
Now that we’re into Term 3, the amount of internal assessment will likely begin to increase in some subjects at the same time as coming to an end in other subjects by the end of Term 3. In fact, only subjects that are fully internally assessed will continue with assessment very early next term; all other subjects must complete their programmes by the end of term.
This means that students must know about, and meet, assessment deadlines and, if an extension is needed, it must be supported by an online application using our online tool and, if it is on medical grounds, by a medical certificate.
As well, students must remember very well our rules around Plagiarism/Authenticity in assessment. Staff are becoming very vigilant about spotting examples in students’ work of the use of AI and, because this is expressly forbidden in internal assessment, the result for a student of the proven use of it in their work means a ‘Not Achieved’. We are very clear and uncompromising about this, just like all schools throughout the country.
Tip 1 - students should map out their assessment deadlines (using a calendar) this term so as to support them in their management of their workload and the meeting of those deadlines. The College helps students with this by publishing a live Term Assessment Calendar. Your student should have looked at this term’s version by now to help them map out what’s happening. What’s showing on the Calendar should repeat the details that students have already been given by their teacher in each subject.
Tip 2 - Because of the College Prelim examinations later this term, most internal assessment programmes will be completed by the end of August if not earlier than then. Students therefore need to look very closely at their academic programme over the coming weeks.
August is the month when we ask students to look ahead and consider, then make, their course selections for next year. It does seem early to be doing so but the creation of our 2025 timetable takes months in the making and can only begin by knowing what each student wishes to study next year. We simply can’t wait any longer than the end of August to begin this very complicated process and that will then enable us to confirm students’ subjects for the next year by the end of this.
Over a period of a few weeks, students will meet with me in their year groups to hear about the process in its entirety, they will be able to access our online Curriculum ‘book’, Years 10–12 students will be encouraged to attend with their parents our Friday 9 August after-school Course Expo to talk to staff about courses. They will receive a number of emails at different times from me to guide them through this process (they really must be looking out for those and read them when they come) and to help them meet our deadlines and then the main deadline of Wednesday 21 August for their confirmed selection – which is made online only. It will be made very clear to them that all deadlines must be met, and we will not accept late applications for courses.
Of course, we really want parents to participate in this process too so you will receive a number of email communications regarding this process and will be encouraged to attend an evening presentation in early August (see below), just before the Course Expo, to which you are also invited.
Tip 1 - Look out for those emails from me, which will also provide the link to the online 2025 Curriculum Options (you won’t receive a link to the actual online selection form, that goes to students only).
Tip 2 - Check out the timeline of key events at the end of this newsletter.
I will be giving you more information later in the term about these extremely important examinations that run across Weeks 8–9 of this term. These three-hour examinations are a complete dry run for our students for the November NCEA and Scholarship examinations and are our second-most important academic event in our school calendar. Effectively, in just over a week we run a programme of examinations that then runs formally over more than three weeks as the NCEA examinations. The Prelims are compulsory for all students who sit external standards, and a timetable is produced that is fixed and that students must follow.
The Prelims provide:
Tip - People mistakenly call the Prelim examinations ‘practice’ examinations but they are much more significant than that. They are a very formal and serious academic programme and students are expected to take them very seriously and prepare well. Much effort is put into preparing all of our systems (such as our system for students who have Special Assessment Conditions) our staff and our students for ensuring that the programme runs smoothly and that no student misses out on sitting their examinations.
Winter Tournament Week (Week 7, Monday 2 – Friday 6 September)
Students who participate in Winter Tournament Week events in the week before the Prelims will also be expected to sit their Prelims as per the timetable.
Students are not required to attend classes at school during the Prelims. This allows them to study for examinations (some students have quite a large number of Prelims, particularly those sitting Scholarship Prelims as well as their NCEA examinations – preparation time is essential) and teachers to mark, check-mark, discuss marking outcomes with their colleagues and analyse and prepare feedback on each student’s performance. This is done ‘at speed’ so that we are able to give each student detailed feedback before the term 3 holidays on their performance in the Prelims that also provides feed forward for their preparation for the big NCEA examinations. This feedback is discussed and given through a student’s tutor at formally scheduled Academic Conferences at the end of this term. This is not only about a tutor giving feedback but also about the student discussing with them and their parents how they performed in the Prelims and working out what their next steps in preparation are.
Note: teachers at NCEA levels do not provide written end of year reports as we consider that the Academic Conference provides timely and very effective feedback that involves the student in meaningful reflection and academic goal setting.
As you can see, much of the events outlined here basically lead to the Term 4 NCEA and Scholarship examinations. By clicking on this link, you are able to see the Examination Timetable and can begin working with your child on planning for this event – e.g. by putting examinations times in a diary, or in an electronic calendar. Perhaps needless to say, this is the absolute pinnacle of our academic year. When checking the timetable, you may see that some students have examination clashes; we are aware of those students and this term will put in place a process for working out with the student how to manage such a clash. NZQA provides us with clear guidance in this situation so it will be worked out satisfactorily.
For NCEA, the Prelims provide the all-important derived grade for each student along with the equally important feedback on the student's ‘academic readiness’ in each subject. That is the overriding reason why students must prepare well for the Prelims and try to do their best in each subject. Note also that the derived grade is not available for the November Scholarship examinations; if a student cannot sit their Scholarship examination/s due to situations such as sickness, they will simply not receive a grade.
In a few subjects such as Art, not surprisingly, there is no end of year examination. Students may instead work for some months on the production of work for a portfolio that is produced at school under the guidance of the teacher but sent away for marking externally. These assessments are usually ‘sizeable’ in nature and carry a larger number of credits than a ‘standard’ NCEA external standard. They are required to be completed by very early in Term 4 and a late submission for any reason whatsoever is not possible – in that way, it is treated just like an exam where a student either sits it at the set time or they don’t.
At Years 12 and 13 NCEA levels, students studying Digital Technology have a three-hour DCAT (examination) of an external standard that they will sit during the College Prelim examinations.
Reading this leaves even me breathless, so much is happening this term… So, how do you as a parent keep track of how your NCEA-level student is going? How well can you know about how they are tracking towards their NCEA Level certificate, towards Certificate endorsement, towards Course/Subject endorsement, University Entrance? Parents who have been through the NCEA ‘mill’ already (such as me!) know how hard it can be to know how their child is really doing. So, in addition to conversations with your child (which might, or might not, be very enlightening), now is the time to start checking out their Current Results Summary. It’s increasingly up to date and always accessible through your own login to the College Portal and will tell you much about how your child is progressing and will support any inquiry that you might want to make to an individual teacher.
A tip! – In the NCEA Current Results Summary you can find the answer to some of those questions above without having to rely on your child at all. Using your own access to the Community Portal/Results tab, you can access your child’s NCEA results to date. In Term 3, the data showing will change regularly as more and more assessments and assessment programmes are completed. This information is accessible on mobile phones and laptops.
If you don’t already do this, make a point of doing a weekly check this term on your child’s progress and achievement in NCEA by looking at the Summary. It shows both final results for internals, perhaps some ‘indicative’ results data for external standards (much less commonly seen at this stage of the year) and then the Prelim results at the end of this term (remember, they become in most cases the derived grade for NCEA). The Summary also provides tables showing a student's progress towards the various NCEA awards as outlined previously.
These are the main events and dates to watch out for this term
|
1 August |
Link sent to Years 9– 12 students and parents for accessing online curriculum (the Curriculum ‘Book’) and Sports and Cultural Activities information |
|
9 August |
Course Selection Expo, 3.45pm–5.00pm, Gym 1 |
|
13 August |
Link sent to Years 9– 12 students to the Curriculum Options Selection and Sports and Cultural Selection tool |
|
21 August |
Deadline for all online selections |
|
11–20 September |
Prelim Examinations Years 11–13 |
|
26–27 September |
Academic Conferences Years 11–13 (afternoon) End of internal assessment (26 September) – apart from fully-internally assessed courses |
NZQA for extensive information about NCEA qualifications and assessment, and much more – www.nzqa.govt.nz
NCEA Examination Timetable - National secondary examinations timetable » NZQA
Submission Dates for externally assessed portfolios and reports - National secondary examinations timetable » NZQA. These assessments are worked on and completed in school in a way similar to internal assessment, however, work is sent to NZQA markers for verification (sample checking) or full assessment.
Term 4 is no more than two weeks long (up to 9 school days) for NCEA-level students hence the ‘full-on’ nature of this term’s academic life (and the requirement for internal assessment programmes to be completed by the end of term, apart from those few subjects that are fully internally assessed).
More information will be provided about examination and study leave dates in subsequent communications from the College.
Please also note that we do not provide a coordinated programme of examination tutorials for NCEA-level students once they go on study leave, although individual teachers may do so where that is possible.
