Years 9 and 10

Tararua College offers a wide range of subjects within innovative programmes. These provide many different learning opportunities for students to gain qualifications in both conventional academic and vocational courses, and cater for all levels of ability.

Courses are developed to support students at all levels.

All students in Years 9 and 10 will be expected to earn junior credits towards the Junior Diplomas.

Rationale

Encourage students to focus on our school values, by pursuing academic success in the Junior School.

Develop the Junior School programme in line with the Senior NCEA programme expectations.

Allow parents and students to become familiar with the language and work expectations around NCEA in the Senior School.

Teach junior students to track their academic progress, during whānau time, in the same way that seniors are.

Encourage junior students to develop good habits and to take responsibility for their own learning.

Junior Diploma Endorsements – If a student gains 50 junior credits at Excellence, their Junior Diploma will be endorsed with Excellence. Likewise, if a student gains 50 junior credits at Merit (or Merit and Excellence), their Junior Diploma will be endorsed with Merit.

Junior Course Endorsement – provides recognition for a student who has performed exceptionally well in an individual course. Students will gain an endorsement for a course if, in a single school year, they achieve:

60% or more junior credits at Merit or Excellence, and

at least 3 of these junior credits from an examination or formal test. (Note, this does not apply to Physical Education).

Students achieving Junior Diploma Endorsements or Junior Course Endorsements will be acknowledged at the Junior Prizegiving in December.

Note that junior credits and Junior Diplomas do not provide a guaranteed entry into a specific NCEA course. Departments will be clear about what curriculum level the junior credits are being earned at and about the curriculum level requirements for specific NCEA courses. For example, if a student earns 80 junior credits in Year 10, but is working at Curriculum level 4, they are not likely to cope in a 101 course (Curriculum level 6) . Course descriptions in option booklets will clearly identify the curriculum level students need to be working at in order to enter the various NCEA courses.

There is regular formal and informal feedback to parents using the KAMAR Parent Portal, written reports and Learning Conversations.

Parents & caregivers are able to contact the whānau teacher or subject teacher to get information at any time.