How are they playing out in schools now? Dr Linda Bonne
Senior Researcher, NZCER
Nearly seven years after National Standards became focusing on these students, up from 47 per cent in our 2013 mandatory, are they driving what is happening in our schools, survey. While this may seem a positive change in itself, concern or is the New Zealand Curriculum1 (NZC) at the forefront? Are was evident about the negative effects on those students whose National Standards data used to set strategic goals for raising performance is labelled as ‘below’ or ‘well below’ National student achievement? Have students with additional learning Standards and whose progress is not visible in terms of current needs benefited from the introduction of National Standards? reporting practices. These are the sorts of things we asked a random sample of Teachers’ concern about some students’ anxiety about National principals in the 3-yearly NZCER national survey of primary Standards affecting their performance had increased since and intermediate schools in 2016.2 We also sought the views of 2013, and was higher for teachers of older students. Teachers teachers, trustees, and parents and whānau. also voiced concern about students not having enough time to The introduction of National Standards for Years 1 to 8 consolidate learning before being moved on, in order to attain was controversial, and there were concerns about how this their expected level of performance. might impact the work schools were National Standards seemed to have still doing to develop and embed their With growing little to offer students with additional local interpretations of NZC. National learning needs. Few principals or Standards were introduced as part of a numbers of schools teachers agreed that National Standards government strategy to raise students’ working in Communities help with the inclusion of students with achievement levels and communicate additional learning needs. Concern this information to parents and whānau of Learning (CoL), about the negative effects of labelling in plain language. these students’ performance—often S o on after their intro duction, developing shared as ‘below’ or ‘well below’ National consistency of overall teacher judgments understandings will Standards over the long term—was (OTJs) about students’ achievement of particularly clear. Some principals National Standards was identified as also support the expressed concern that including problematic, so consistency is one of National Standards data for students the themes we have continued to ask sharing of reliable with additional learning needs in their about in our surveys. Consistency of information. overall school data lowered their results, OTJs made by the teachers at the same leading people to think the school was school enables meaningful communication about teaching and not performing as well as it was. learning, among teachers and leaders, with students themselves, Students with high achievement were the focus of a smaller and with parents and whānau. Consistency of OTJs between number of comments. Responses from teachers indicated teachers at different schools is important when students make some students who already exceeded the National Standard the transition between schools. With growing numbers of for their age or year level were receiving less attention and schools working in Communities of Learning (CoL), developing so were not being challenged to extend their learning. Some shared understandings will also support the sharing of reliable parents and whānau commented that students who excelled information. Finally, consistency matters if OTJs are to inform were not having their high achievement acknowledged, using a national picture of achievement patterns and show whether the existing terminology of simply being ‘above’ National student achievement as a whole is improving from one year to Standards, and that this could have a de-motivating effect the next. for students. Effects of National Standards on students Although one of the intentions of introducing National Standards had been to raise student achievement, in our 2016 survey only 16 per cent of teachers agreed the impact of National Standards on students’ achievement overall had been positive. What was clearer was an increased focus on students who are ‘below’ or ‘well below’ National Standards: 63 per cent of teachers were
Reporting to parents and whānau The second intention of introducing National Standards related to communicating student achievement information to parents and whānau in plain language. At least 85 per cent of parents and whānau reported receiving clear information in their child’s mid-year report about their achievement of National Standards for each of reading, writing and mathematics. Fifty-one percent
of parents thought National Standards provide a valuable record of their child’s learning. In 2016, more principals indicated they use illustrations in their reporting to parents and whānau to give them a picture of their child’s achievement in terms of National Standards (41 per cent, compared with 25 per cent in 2013). There was a small decrease in the proportion of principals using the four levels (‘above’, ‘at’, ‘below’, ‘well below’) for all students in written reports – 66 per cent compared with 74 per cent who were doing this in 2013. Working with National Standards data National Standards data were being widely used by principals to inform decision making. Most principals (88 per cent) used the data to set strategic goals for raising students’ achievement and slightly fewer (81 per cent) used them to focus particularly on students who are achieving ‘below’ or ‘well below’. Just over threequarters of principals were using National Standards data to: make decisions around teaching and learning at the school level ■■ monitor individual student progress over time ■■ identify the learning needs of Māori students ■■ identify areas of need for teacher professional learning and development. ■■
Although two-thirds of principals reported using National Standards data to make decisions about resource allocation (other than PLD), just under half of trustees thought the data were useful for this purpose. Most frequently mentioned in the comments principals wrote about National Standards was the unreliable nature of National Standards data. In particular, principals commented that OTJs made by teachers at one school were not consistent with those made by teachers at another school. Working collaboratively with another local school to moderate OTJs could improve betweenschool consistency; just over one-third of principals reported their school was working with other schools to moderate National Standards judgements. There were clear signs from both principals and teachers that further support was needed for teachers to feel confident about their work with National Standards. Only 41 per cent of principals and 49 per cent of teachers thought teachers had had enough external support and guidance. Many teachers (71 per cent) indicated that their school has a shared understanding of National Standards that means that overall teacher judgements (OTJs) at the school are consistent, and slightly more reported that their moderation work with other teachers3 has provided insights for their practice. There was doubt about whether National Standards data provide a reliable picture of student performance, either within one school or across all local schools. Principals’ and teachers’ comments echoed a perception that National Standards represent a narrow slice of what students know and can do, rather than their overall performance. National Standards and NZC In 2016, National Standards was shaping the curriculum in some schools. Over two-thirds of teachers reported a narrowing of the curriculum they teach, associated with National Standards. Forty percent of principals reported the focus on literacy and mathematics had taken their attention away from other aspects
of NZC. Almost one-third of principals said National Standards were driving what they do in their school. At the same time though, 54 per cent of principals said that NZC is driving what they do in their school (up from 38 per cent in 2013), and 43 per cent said that they were continuing to build approaches and practices that align with NZC. Where to in the future? The 2016 NZCER national survey of primary and intermediate schools found that, while National Standards are part and parcel of teaching and school decision making, questions continue around their effects on students, differences in their interpretation and their impact on the wider curriculum. Over half of teachers and principals still feel they have not had the support they need to work with National Standards. The survey results indicate some schools are confident that they have woven National Standards into their wider NZC work, rather than National Standards narrowing what they do. It would be useful for this successful practice to be shared with other schools. We need more knowledge of how to use the National Standards in ways that develop student agency and efficacy, along with other key competencies that are central to students’ learning and later life success. The Learning Progression Frameworks4 signal significant learning steps for students in reading, writing, and mathematics, and are linked with NZC. These frameworks have the potential to help teachers focus on all students’ progress, as well as their attainment of National Standards. For students with additional learning needs in particular, more fine-grained information about likely learning progressions would help teachers to notice small learning steps and share these with parents and whānau in a way that avoids the negative effects of labelling. References
Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.
Thematic reports from the NZCER National Survey data, and details about the methodology and sample, are being published on the project’s web page: http://www.nzcer.org.nz/research/ national-survey This includes the report, National Standards in their seventh year (Bonne, 2016), on which this article is based. NZCER also tracked experiences and perceptions of the National Standards in our 2010 and 2013 national surveys.
We are unable to tell from the survey data whether this refers to moderation work with teachers in their own school, a neighbouring school, or a cluster of local schools.
The Learning Progression Frameworks can be found at https:// lpf.education.govt.nz/
About the Author Linda joined NZCER as a Senior Researcher in 2013. Her main research interest centres on ways in which the capability of our education system can be strengthened, in particular, the contributing roles of teachers’ on-going professional learning, and leadership for school development and change. Linda’s roles in education in the wider Wellington area have included primary teacher, assistant principal, numeracy adviser, and mathematics education lecturer.
THE WORLD’S SAFEST FILTERS FOR SCHOOLS WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THE EXTRACTION SYSTEM FOR YOUR TECHNOLOGY AREA
SAFE
EASY
EFFECTIVE
NEW in NZ, our dust filters from Europe have VFV – Vertical Force Venting – the safest filters in the world! Any dust explosion pressure is released skywards though the roof.
Beat fumes with our mobile 240V ‘plug in’ Fume cube!
The best anti-static flex from Germany – no more shocks! LIPLOCK® modular duct system – allows you to unclip and rearrange when ever you need to change the layout.
DUST FILTRATION MANAGEMENT
FANS
DUCTING
FUME MANAGEMENT
FLEX
Freephone 0508 NZ DUCT (0508 69 38 28) www.nzduct.co.nz