NCEA Results - high expectations a bad thing?

**wharekura** · 15th January 2014, 07:50

Got the results regarding my 15yo NCEA results this morning (level equal to school cert for us oldies out there) and she just passed. If it wasnt for her internal assessments it might had been a different outcome.

The wife is saying a pass is a pass and that the girl is no honor student. But I have high expectations and expect more.

I want my kids with some sort of degree to give them better chances in life. A degree does not guarantee them opportunities (and it tends to be who you know not what you know) but I think it can provide an extra "stamp" when applying for jobs - even if its a checkout person at paksav, a job is a job. In fact, when I was hiring it wasn't the degrees I wanted it was can I talk to the person and could they pass a technical test.

For the parents out there - should I be elated that she has passed and just get over my stubbornness?

**Banditbandit** · 15th January 2014, 08:02

Yeah .. be happy she passed ... she's only 15 .. and she's probably a very balanced person - balancing school work with the rest of her life, in a very proper way. Don't load her up with guilt trips and inferiority by telling her that she is not good enough ... a pass is a pass and she can move on to the next stage ... that's all that counts

I barely passed the old School Certificate ... now I have post-grad qualifications and hold a senior management position in a tertiary teaching institute ... And before that I was paid as a journalist - to write .. despite getting 51% for School C English and failing sixth form English ...

Life chances and futures are NOT determined by school marks at age 15, despite what some people think.

**SMOKEU** · 15th January 2014, 08:33

Fuck NCEA. That shit was far more difficult than the diploma and degree level study I've done at CPIT. NCEA is usually a waste of time, as very few employers give a fuck about it, and there are much easier ways to get tertiary level study entry. I think I got something like 3 level 2 NCEA credits in the whole of year 12.

**Voltaire** · 15th January 2014, 08:48

My Son is waiting for his, I hope he passes as these bits of paper make transition to the next level just that bit easier.
I had clever mates who went to Uni, its no guarantee to success and the student loans may actually be a burden.

I'm hoping he gets an Electrical Apprenticeship, earn while you learn.

**Laava** · 15th January 2014, 09:03

It is great when your kids get results, and it is all a notch in their belts ( and yours) but is much more important for them to be happy in themselves and this is where you will have the biggest influence on them. Education can be done later if needed.
As a qualified builder, I have been asked once only for proof of my quals when applying for jobs.

**mashman** · 15th January 2014, 09:12

Woohoo, more sub-standard meat for the grinder.

**Tazz** · 15th January 2014, 09:24

Depends on the subjects shes doing imo. I'd probably be a little worried as it gets tougher in 6th form/level two (obviously) and if you want her to do well she will need to put in more effort than scraping a pass at level one, which realistically is pretty easy to do (or it was when I did it. They were very generous with credits).

However, entry to uni is a bit of a joke and if she is willing to put in the time later on she will get a degree easily no matter what happens in high school (this is coming from someone who only did music and biology in 7th form/level 3 and still went to uni later on (only to realize how pathetic it is unless you're doing engineering or a few particular sciences).)

**bogan** · 15th January 2014, 09:49

Speaking not as a parent but as a high achiever, having an end goal helps a lot. I was fortunate enough to have my career picked out by then, and it gives context/motivation to what the learning is all for.

**rapid van cleef** · 15th January 2014, 09:59

It will only matter if you NEED those qualifications to get onto the next step of your career path. My brother wanted to change career mid 40s and emmigrate here. But as he didnt pass high school Maths or English, deciding instead to drop out and go get a high paying job, years later he is now fooked as he cant proove his education in any way, cant get onto a high qualification course, cant get a visa, no longer in the high paying job and too old by UK standards to change jobs!!! I have a mate that also got to 40 ish yrs and decided a change was in order but needed a degree to reach his goal. He also did not have his high school Maths so had to study it for a year in night classes to pass the same exam sat by high school kids to get onto the degree he wanted to get the job he wanted. But that was in the UK and getting onto a degree there, in my experience is difficult. Not having those basic Maths and English qualifications at around Level 2 can bite you in the arse years later.( but thats from an English perspective where its a lot more competitive due to the amount of people) I work closely with a lot of Y13 kids and I am consistently suprised by how little they need to do to get onto a degree course.

**Gremlin** · 15th January 2014, 10:29

Just be aware that depending on what she wants to do, some courses do have high entry requirements.

NCEA 1 is probably not a required qualification for anything (ie, they want more than that), but it's the key to the next step and so on.

On the other hand, not everyone is cut out for Uni, and trades and the like earn plenty of money, still needed by the country etc. Biggest risk is just floating through school, and then not really have a direction or goal and then she could just "drift".

I had my whole school path laid out, law in Uni, before realising mid way through high school I didn't like law, well, bugger it, changed tack and did IT instead, so don't have a path too locked either.

**mashman** · 15th January 2014, 11:05

Originally Posted by rapid van cleef

It will only matter if you NEED those qualifications to get onto the next step of your career path. My brother wanted to change career mid 40s and emmigrate here. But as he didnt pass high school Maths or English, deciding instead to drop out and go get a high paying job, years later he is now fooked as he cant proove his education in any way, cant get onto a high qualification course, cant get a visa, no longer in the high paying job and too old by UK standards to change jobs!!! I have a mate that also got to 40 ish yrs and decided a change was in order but needed a degree to reach his goal. He also did not have his high school Maths so had to study it for a year in night classes to pass the same exam sat by high school kids to get onto the degree he wanted to get the job he wanted. But that was in the UK and getting onto a degree there, in my experience is difficult. Not having those basic Maths and English qualifications at around Level 2 can bite you in the arse years later.( but thats from an English perspective where its a lot more competitive due to the amount of people) I work closely with a lot of Y13 kids and I am consistently suprised by how little they need to do to get onto a degree course.

Not sure about England, but when I were a older lad in Scotland and giving a shit not about my lack of qualifications, there was a year long college course that you could take that would earn you enough credits for university entry. Praps they've done away with that as the only criteria for entry to the course was that you were over 21.

**TheDemonLord** · 15th January 2014, 11:47

I went through the second lot of NCEA, TBH NCEA doesn't mean dick, level 3 kinda matters if you want to go to Uni, but it isn't exactly hard to get into Uni. Myself I work in IT for a large hourly rate, and although I completed NCEA level 3 - I could have done better if I wanted to.

Doing well in Level 3 is a good goal to aim at, if you are so inclined, but its not a deal breaker

**Laava** · 15th January 2014, 13:23

Originally Posted by mashman

Woohoo, more sub-standard meat for the grinder.

Bahahaha!
Although that is funny, thank fuck it is not true!

**Swoop** · 15th January 2014, 13:45

Thankfully any "qualification" is merely a licence to learn. And learn we all do.

When you received your driving licence did you know it all, or did you learn a LOT more one you had passed?

Most pieces of paper are a gateway. It allows confirmation of purpose and the recognition of some skills. Judging the whole person from it would be a bit silly.

High expectations? Not a bad thing, but remember to encourage a pathway rather than a destination.

**awa355** · 15th January 2014, 14:00

Originally Posted by Swoop

Thankfully any "qualification" is merely a licence to learn. And learn we all do.

When you received your driving licence did you know it all, or did you learn a LOT more one you had passed?

.

I got my licence at 15, and yea, at the time I pretty much knew it all and there wasn't too much left to learn,

Next year, I turned 16, left school, started work, had a car crash, starting paying my own way and WOW!! there was ' life ' all ahead of me.