As NCEA assessments gather pace, here are some ways you can support your young person to achieve their best.

This article focuses particularly on ways you can help your child to achieve their best in NCEA courses. However, much of the advice is also applicable to students in the junior school. Some of the changes to NCEA Level 1 mean there are some particular issues worth noting which will affect students in Year 11. Again, much of the guidance can be applied to students in all year groups but for students in Year 11, this advice is especially important.

The NCEA school year broadly follows a pattern. Term 1 focuses on the foundational learning required in a course. Goals are set, the programme is outlined and lots of quality teaching and learning takes place. Term 2 is when internal assessments are in progress. These assessments are set and marked by class teachers. The credits associated count towards NCEA qualifications. Term 3 for senior students has more internal assessments as well as preparation for externals and the derived grade exams. This is a busy term and everyone should be aware that time is precious and pressured during term 3. Term 4 is usually about finishing off internal assessments and revising for external exams.

NCEA Level 1 Differences

A major change to NCEA Level 1 is the inclusion of additional 'external' standards. For many subjects these are not necessarily exams. Most NCEA courses will contain an external in the shape of an exam at the end of the year. But many now include a piece of work where the task is set externally by NZQA, students can work on the task over a set number of lessons at school and the finished project or porfolio is sent away to be marked externally. This change has several significant impacts which you should be aware of. The new externals are time bound - they must be completed in class within a timeframe and submitted to NZQA by a certain date. In many cases these assessments are digital and students will require access to a device to complete them. In most cases these tasks cannot be worked on at home - they must be completed in class under supervision.

Some ways you can all support your child (with specific advice for students in Year 11)

Make sure your child is attending school every day. Every day really does count. Key learning can be missed through absence. Especially for students in Year 11, term 3 external projects must be completed in class so missing class means falling behind.

Encourage your child to get to class on time. You will have seen that we are currently focusing on building the habit of punctuality. The beginning of the lesson is vital for set up of activities and learning instructions.

Check assessment dates and deadlines. Class teachers will be communicating with students and with caregivers about when both internal and external assessments are due. Keeping a paper or electronic diary with deadlines is a very helpful habit.

Check the Schoolbridge assessment calendar. We are working on putting together an assessment calendar in Schoolbridge. This is a useful guide however it should be noted that some assessments are entered as 'windows' rather than hard deadlines. This is because teachers need to ensure students have completed the learning and are ready to be assessed so in many cases these timeframes must be flexible.

Bring your own device. Many assessments are digital and must be completed online. If your child does not already have their own device now would be a good time to get one. If they have a device make sure your child charges and brings their device every day. This applies to students in all year levels as there will be significant strain on our pool of spare devices at school during terms 3 and 4.

Follow advice and guidance from teachers. Our teachers are experts. They generally set clear tasks and provide excellent support. If your child is unsure what is expected, encourage them to ask.

Attempt everything. The changes at Level 1 mean there are fewer but larger assessment standards. The stakes are higher in each one. Encourage your child to attempt all assessments and not to 'focus on' their favourites or to cherry pick which assessments they complete and submit.

Track your child's effort, progress and achievement. You can see effort grades and results live via Schoolbridge or the parent portal. Discuss results and achievements with your young person and encourage them in their learning.

As always, if you have questions or concerns around your child's engagement or progress make contact with the appropriate teacher. Our staff are always willing to support students and to answer your questions.

We are seeing more students missing the mark and not achieving in the new NCEA Level 1 standards. It is important to maintain effort and focus and to work hard. But don't panic! All we can ask anybody to do is try their best. These students will move into the 'old' style NCEA Level 2 which remains more bite sized and has more available assessments. Students will be allowed entry into Level 2 courses in consultation with current class teachers. And with the exception of literacy and numeracy credits, Level 2 credits 'count down' to make up the Level 1 qualification.