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With exams over for another year, online access to this year's internally assessed NCEA results has been made available for the first time.
Results from this year's school assessments for internally assessed standards are now available to students on the New Zealand Qualifications Authority website. This is the first time internally assessed results have been available before the issue of full results.
This is another benefit from the new NCEA which is designed to be make student achievement more open and transparent for students themselves, their parents and teachers. The website lets students see exactly how they have done in internal assessment.
The service went live on November 21 and over that weekend more than 10,000 level 1 and 2 NCEA candidates checked results. This shows how computer-literate our kids have become and also how keenly interested they are in how they have performed.
Letting students see their internally assessed results before the end of the year is a very useful refinement. Internal results have been supplied to NZQA by schools, and if students and schools check and verify results right now, this will further guarantee a smooth process for the January results.
Students should get in touch with their school if they believe any internally assessed results are incorrect or missing. Students can also check their results at their school. The results available are for all unit standards and level 1 and 2 internally assessed achievement standards.
Results are expected to be verified by schools by 5 December 2003.
Further information for reporters is available on the "media information" page on the NZQA homepage. This page will carry information on the examinations, results and statistics until April/May 2004.
As we begin our Christmas shopping, I would like to remind everyone about the dangers of noisy toys.
A recent complaint to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs about a toy mobile phone with a very loud ring is a timely reminder for people shopping for children's toys in the days leading up to Christmas.
The toy was brought to the attention of the Ministry by a vigilant parent concerned about the loudness of the phone's ring. Within days the importer had the product tested, and along with retailers, withdrew it from sale.
Babies and toddlers don't automatically pull away from a painful sound. They're not often able to tell you if a sound is too loud or not, so parents and caregivers need to be their ears for them. I congratulate the parent who raised concerns about this product.
It's a pity that the products were in the market in the first place, but I think it is important to acknowledge that the supplier acted quickly to remedy the situation.
The product involved is marketed as a toy Mobile Electronic Phone, and has JIN HUA in a circle on its front.
The toy was available from discount-type stores. It comes in a range of colours and the packaging is predominantly pink with green. Consumers who have purchased this toy should take it back to the retailer for a refund or discard it safely.
If you have any doubts, take it back to the supplier. Or you can contact the Ministry of Consumer Affairs by looking in your phone book for the nearest office that deals with 'Product Safety'.
Toys for children under 18 months should not be louder than 75 decibels. For children over 18 months, and even as old as 14 years, the sound from toys should not exceed 85 decibels.
The timer alarm on many stoves and ovens is around 102 decibels. Some adults' cellphones are around 95 decibels set at the loudest ring. Play a toy near one of these and compare the sounds if you are at all concerned.
More than 180 submissions on the Land Access Ministerial Reference Group's report have been received.
The issues covered in the report were important ones and, although submissions have closed, Rural Affairs Minister Jim Sutton has said he will consider late ones.
There is a common belief by most New Zealanders that the Queen's Chain gives the legal right to access rivers, lakes and the sea.
The reality is that there are many wilderness areas and parts of rivers and the seashore that people cannot get access to because of the ad hoc legal situation around the country. Consultation so far has shown that there are many varying views throughout New Zealand about how we can address this problem.
The consultation process sought public feedback on proposals to clarify and enhance the legal situation relating to public walking access over private land, along riverbanks and the foreshores of lakes and the sea.
More than 50 meetings were held around New Zealand, including in Wairarapa, following the release of the report.
All submissions will be consolidated into a report back to government early next year.
My Masterton office will be closed this week as Jo is having minor surgery on the leg she broke earlier in the year, but phone and email messages will be checked regularly while she is off.
Jo hopes to be back at work, albeit on crutches, on December 8.
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