Achievement of unit standards through Awards and Challenges

AE Awards and Challenges

Three short qualifications make up the AE awards structure. They are designed to enable young people in alternative education centres and employment skills programmes to achieve recognition for their learning at shorter intervals as they collect credits towards NCEA. We estimate that each qualification will take 3-6 months to complete.

By completing all three qualifications a young person will have met the requirements for NCEA level 1. Credits towards each of these qualifications can be achieved through any NZQA accredited provider. For example:

• Through a secondary school
• Through a seperately accredited PTE –for example; an outdoors company, STAR course, driver education centre or a first aid provider.
• Praxis manages a team of assessors who can work with come a participating provider and carry out assessments with students towards a range of credits at level one and two. The per credit reporting cost only applies when we do the reporting of results to NZQA.

Foundation Skills Award

• Achieve a minimum of 20 credits at level 1 or 2
• The credits must be in at least 3 of the focus areas (see above).

Advanced Foundation Skills Award

• Complete at least one Challenge
• A further 30 credits at level 1 or 2.
• A minimum of 4 credits must be achieved in literacy and 4 in numeracy.
• Credits must be achieved in at least 3 other focus areas.

Transition Skills Certificate and NCEA level 1.

• Complete at least one further Challenge
• Plus a further 30 credits at level 1 or 2.
• A minimum of 8 credits in literacy and 8 in numeracy must have been achieved in total between the qualifications.
• The balance of credits must be achieved in Employment Skills and at least two other focus areas.

The Challenges

A Challenge is not about something that a student can already do

It is a specific project or goal which represents a new endeavour, risk, effort and growth. 1

The Challenges are a way to build extension activities for groups and individuals in an AE programme. They result from goal setting with your group, or as a negotiated plan with an individual student. They will usually develop from an IDP and can include goals achieved in any of these areas:

The Journey (group)

An outdoors focused activity (such as a tramp, or mountain bike trip), it should include at least 3 days in the outdoors 2 –and where possible involve at least one overnight stay. Preparation for the Journey Challenge may involve learning new skills such as kayaking, mountain biking, cooking in the outdoors and putting up a tent.

Community Service Challenge (group or individual)

Should involve doing something extra for someone else, it can be focused on the environment, into a neighbourhood, towards others in the community or even doing something special for their own family. It is important to involve the person or group in the process of identifying and agreeing to the project in order to build their ownership and engagement in it.

The New Skills Challenge (group or individual)

Should involve the person or a small group in learning something that they haven’t done before, going through all of the processes invoved and gaining a basic level of experience in the area they have identified. It should be a big enough skill that will take several days of work, and be a challenge to learn. Some examples could include:

· Putting down a hangi

· Working with a trades person from start to end on a specific project (for example building a shed or deck, laying a driveway etc).

· Helping on a farm with shearing or milking or calving (or pick any other occupation).

· Learning to karanga or give a speech in their own language.

· Learning to hunt a pig.

· Putting on a meal for a group (could also be used as a Community Service Challenge).

· Getting a learner driver’s licence

The Arts Challenge (group or individual)

This is based on the production of a piece of art, drama or music for display or performance by an individual or a small group. The piece should be big enough to have involved at least 30 hours of effort (preparation as well as performance).

The New Involvement Challenge (individual)

This Challenge is based on participation in a new group or activity. It could include: a sport, a hobby or cultural group, a youth club, a church or a gym. It may include time spent learning a skill that is relevant to their involvement, and should include multiple visits to the new group. It should be to an organised activity (not just a group of friends), and if at all possible lead to them developing some new social networks.

It should have the possibility of being an ongoing involvement (so going on a trip wouldn’t count). If they initially go along with the youth worker, it may be helpful to aim at developing their involvement to a point of independence from him or her. You decide whether online communities should count!

A Challenge:

· Should engage students in planning and preparation, and setting specific goals that define the activity/ies involved. It should represent at least 30 hours of effort.

· Does not normally consist of unit standards ³. The completion of a challenge is not reported to NZQA but is recognised on the Certificate awarded to the student.

· Some record should be kept by the student (or group) of their challenge. This can include photographic, a journal, media coverage, a testimonial from the community, a digital story or a performance. The Challenge must be approved by a Lead Assessor and the evidence (the record) should be submitted for review as part of the next moderation meeting.

· It should involve the student or the group in taking some responsibility for as many aspects of their Challenge as possible, this may include preparation, shopping, fundraising, budgeting etc. All of these tasks count towards their time spent on the project.

· A student can do as many Challenges as they like.

· Each Challenge completed will be listed on the student’s Record of Achievement (ROA), and completed challenges will be displayed on the student’s Certificate from Praxis. Group Challenges will be recognised through a special class award from Praxis.

· Some of the AE Challenges are sponsored by the local community. Students who achieve them will earn prizes for themselves and their family.

1 Therefore a Challenge can’t be included in an RPL application.

2 Count a day as 10 hours

3 Although a Provider may negtotiate to include unit standards in some aspects of it.