In Week 9 the English and Maths departments along with Year 10 will be supporting the Ministry of Education and NZQA to pilot the new literacy and numeracy standards. A small group of Year 10 students have already had some success with the standards in the first testing window last term.

The new literacy and numeracy standards will help ensure that students have the foundational skills to support them in further studies, work, and life. The standards will become a mandatory part of NCEA in 2024.

This pilot is part of changes that are happening to strengthen NCEA. Changes include: having more learning and fewer assessments, weaving mātauranga Māori through learning, and creating clearer pathways to education and employment.

Year 10 will be sitting:

- A reading standard

- A writing standard

- A numeracy standard

What do you as whānau need to know about being a pilot school whānau?

• Whānau are not expected to pay any extra costs.

• The assessment for the majority of Year 10 will take place in Week 9

• The assessment will be a Common Assessment Activity. This is a test that students will sit in the classroom on their laptops.

• Credits achieved in the pilot will be counted towards your child’s NCEA results in 2023.

• They will also have the opportunity to sit the assessment in 2023.

• More information about NCEA can be found here.

What can I do to support my child?

• It is helpful to encourage your child to read and write at home or in their day-to-day activities. We will support them to achieve this by gathering materials that are meaningful to them.

• You can also find ways to support numeracy in the home, such as using measurement in recipes.

• Encourage your child to ask for support when they need it.

• More ideas to support learning at home can be found here.

The students will be completing their assessments on their laptops on the 22nd and 23rd of September. We encourage them to charge their laptops the night before each of these occasions. The teaching of Literacy and Numeracy remains something that is covered across the curriculum but for this year, the English and Maths teachers are taking a close interest in the teaching of the skills and the preparation to ensure that this is a positive experience for all our students. Please talk to your student’s teacher if you have any questions.

Kā mihi nui,