School Certificate

Press, 11 September 1986, Page 20

School Certificate

Sir, — As a current member of the sixth form, I can safely say that school life is not as easy as G. Steven (September 3) suggests. The idea of internal assessment does not mean that examinations are no longer present; it means that the pupils’ ability is no longer assessed by one large examination at the end of the year. Instead, that examination is only worth up to 50 per cent of the final achieved mark. The rest of the grade is gained through the work that has been done through the year, through many assignments and other smaller examinations. This makes for a tougher school year as the pupil has to work hard constantly to be able to achieve a mark of a high standard. Therefore, if anything, school is now tougher than before. — Yours, pfc K. VELLA. Rangiora, September 9, 1986.

Sir, — G. Steven (September 9), wants all New Zealanders to say with their 15 to 17-year-olds that we "know ourselves” because we have been tested, i.e., sat School Certificate and/or University Entrance. Assuming that "knowing ourselves” is a definable goal for education, School Certificate, in its present format, would hardly provide the testing and the information that your correspondent apparently seeks. The present School Certificate result card smothers far more than it reveals. Personality factors such as “skill and courage” are heavily conditioned. Aptitudes can be inferred only with risk. G. Steven should take heart that some schools are working hard at providing verifiable observed assessments that monitor and evaluate pupil progress in diverse fields of endeavour, and that academic reasoning emphases are being accorded pre-eminence. — Yours, etc., JOHN L. BAIRD. September 9, 1986.