Kaipara College - The Just Enough game

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The ‘Just Enough’ Game

Some students have always taken this approach to preparation for examinations.

The game consists of doing just enough to pass.

In NCEA this is played as getting just enough credits to get the NCEA Certificate.

At Level 1 this is 80. But once 80 credits have been obtained students only need 60 at Level 2 and 60 at level 3. A full time course at Kaipara consists of:

Level 1 about 120

Level 2 about 120

Level 3 about 100

In the NCEA environment students can keep a regular check on the number of credits that they are earning. The temptation to take the “just enough” approach is very strong.

There are big risks with this approach.

The NZ Council for Education Research have investigated this game in the NCEA environment. They have found that students who take the “just enough” approach often fall short.

At Kaipara students need 14 credits to progress to the next Level of study. Many who have taken the “just enough” approach have also failed to get 14 credits. Students can get 80 credits and still fail to get 14 in several courses.

There is just one solution.

Approach each Standard with the intention of passing it and getting as good a grade as possible.