Does the thought of NCEA exams make you shiver in your seat? Well one Auckland high school is hoping to abolish students nerves by relieving them from the pressure of NCEA Level 1 assessments.
Hobsonville Point Secondary School has made the decision to switch to a two-year NCEA Level 2 programme after reviewing a national report on student wellbeing. They believe that the first year of the NCEA qualification is unnecessary as it doesn’t lead to anywhere except further schooling. The national report on student wellbeing found that schools were over-assessing their students, leading to anxiety, depression and eating disorders- this is something that the two-year old Hobsonville Point Secondary school hopes to combat.
The Auckland Secondary school aims to change the focus of their learning to a deep, holistic approach rather than a competitive chasing of credits. The school will still offer a wide range of subjects however students will also have the opportunity to work towards a variety of pathways including university, tech, apprenticeships or jobs.
The model will see students still collecting some NCEA Level 1 credits, but only where assessments fit naturally with their “learning modules”. The goal in this is that students are ensuring any credits attained are ‘quality’ rather than ‘quantity’.
While many parents were apprehensive about the changes at first, most now understand the way in which their children will benefit from the approach. The new program in Hobsonville Point Secondary School is planned to start next year.
