Morag Hutchinson PRINCIPAL

PRINCIPAL'S  EDITORIAL  24 May 2013

Senior Mid-Year Examinations commence next week – the first opportunity this year for our seniors to test themselves in the formal examination environment.  While there is an increasing level of internal assessment in the national qualifications system, external assessment is still very much a feature.  So our students need to practice for them if they want to be successful in this national competition for the best grades.  Entry into particular tertiary education programmes is becoming more restricted so grades matter very much.  We know many students are not confident about external examinations.  These students may understand their learning but find it difficult to perform well in the ‘one-off’ national examination process at the end of the year.  So we give students a chance to practice formal exam skills twice during the year and it is crucial that they use this opportunity wisely.  For those students who are not enrolled for external assessments this is a great chance to complete internal assessment requirements.  There is no spare time in the race for qualifications..