The varying needs in an NCEA classroom

As our school becomes more focused on catering to the individual needs of our students - such as 'Ready to Work' options for non-academic students (in line with Vocational Pathways) and an endorsement programme for our high achievers - this is approach is also filtering into my classroom

I'm noticing this in particular with my Year 12 and 13 classes. In my Year 12 class, for example, I have two international students whose English excludes them from success in a number of the standards the course offers. The solution is to provide some Level 1 unit standards for one student and ESOL support for the other. I have a student who is in the class but struggles, and in discussion with him, I have offered him an alternative course which is a mix of the achievement standards the rest of the class are doing, and some unit standards. This will enable him to have some success in English this year, so I'm chuffed, and he's chuffed. Then there is the rest of the class. I'm pretty lucky with the group I have and am expecting/pushing for a number of Excellent subject endorsements. But, it's still a mix and I am offering more scaffolded work for some of the 'bottom end' achievers. Kind of keeps me busy, but excited, because everyone has a chance to achieve to their best, without the shackles of a set course.

My Year 13 class is a 'B' stream, but again it's a mixed bag. There are students who will sit at least one exam, so we've completed a film study, but at least half of the class will probably opt out of the external. To support the students who are sitting the exam, I am now offering 91479: Develop an informed understanding of literature and/or language using critical texts. This is the first year that I have taught Year 13, and it is the first time that this particular standard has been taught at our school, so I'm experiencing a big learning curve. But, what about the students not sitting the exam? They will be working on 'Make Connections'. I am a bit worried about how to juggle teaching two standards at once, but if we can pull it off then, again, all of my students benefit. There are a number of students who are in the class because there was not real alternative they felt they could take, so there are issues with engagement at times. However, because there has been more flexibility incorporated into the course I'm hoping that their will be better buy-in and less credit counting.

The rationale for this juggling - and extra work - is that even when they opt into a specific course they have varying needs. The best way to ensure that students are able to reach their potential is to ensure that subjects have some fluidity. This is not about 'playing the system' to get the best results possible. It's about looking out for everyone.

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