Exams not used to market school: Collegiate

CAMBRIDGE International exams were not used "at all'' to market Wanganui Collegiate to potential students, college director of operations Rod van Dort said yesterday.
He was replying to comments yesterday by the secondary School Principals' Council chairman Arthur Graves, who said some schools were using the alternative examinations as a marketing tool.
The school, one of just two in Wanganui to offer the exams, only used the Cambridge system to extend certain students in one subject ? maths, he said.
Very few students at Wanganui Collegiate sat these exams ?
``20 to 30'' at most, Mr van Dort said.
``As a school we certainly have confidence in NCEA, the majority of our students are assessed by (it)," he said.
"(The Cambridge system) is just to extend students who have accelerated beyond what NCEA can offer them."
So far the school had not looked into using the exams in any other subject, as the school was "reasonably small'' school to offer a wide range of assessment systems.
The school's maths department had offered the Cambridge assessments for about three years as they covered a wider range of topics and gave greater extension for students that might one day go overseas to study.
The Wanganui Chronicle understands that St Dominic's is the other Wanganui school to offer Cambridge assessments, but could not contact anyone last night.