Some pupils may not meet criteria

While many secondary schools continue to applaud the University of Otago for raising the entry level for its programmes, one educator has criticised the timing of the new criteria's introduction.

Tania Roxborogh, a Dunedin secondary school teacher, said it was "great stuff" that Otago University had lifted the bar, but believed it was not good timing for hundreds of year 13 pupils who had been working steadily for the past 18 months, only to find they now fail to meet the criteria for preferential entry.

She said there was a "flurry" of texting yesterday among many pupils who were "gobsmacked" because they did not receive NCEA level 2 with a merit or excellence endorsement, and are not sitting enough NCEA level 3 credits to qualify for preferential entry.

Ms Roxborogh said had, for years, continued to tell pupils that level 2 was the university entrance (UE) standard.

She was involved in the writing, testing and evaluating NCEA in English and ensured that schools have maintained the level (curriculum level 7) of the old UE and sixth form certificate.

Both, if achieved, allowed entrance to university under-graduate programmes.

"Lifting the bar is not an issue; but not giving enough warning to this year's young people so that they could have ensured what they study at school does not hinder their academic future, is an issue.

"I suspect a great number of year 13 students, even those who are doing six subjects, will be now looking at what they can do in the way of earning extra credits to ensure they make up the 140 points.

"That's a lot of extra stress in this, a very assessment loaded term."

University of Otago deputy vice-chancellor (academic and international) Prof Vernon Squire said the university identified very early in its work that, due to the notice given, there was potential for NCEA level 3 pupils to be disadvantaged by the normal requirement for the preferential entry standard of 140 points to be met in university-entrance approved subjects only.

"For this reason, we have left the way open to consider both approved and non-approved subjects for 2011 on a case-by-case basis.

"It is also important to stress that all students who met the previous and long-standing minimum standard for entrance - university entrance with minimum age and language requirements also met - will still be eligible to seek admission to Otago, either via the preferential or competitive pathway."