Working with the National Standards within the New Zealand Curriculum (August 2010) 09/08/2010

Introduction

The New Zealand Curriculum is a statement of official policy related to teaching and learning in English medium New Zealand schools. It was revised in 2007 and sets out a framework for schools to develop their own curriculum and teaching programmes. From the beginning of 2010, all schools are expected to develop and implement a curriculum for students in Years 1 to 13 that is consistent with the principles, values and key competencies as outlined in The New Zealand Curriculum. The process of design and review should be ongoing and responsive to each school’s context.

Assessment is integral to each school’s curriculum and is primarily about improving teaching and learning. To be effective[1] assessment should:

• benefit students
• involve students
• support teaching and learning goals
• be planned and communicated
• be suited to the purpose
• be valid and fair.

In October, 2009, the Government published National Standards in reading, writing[2] and mathematics.[3] These standards came into effect in 2010 for Year 1 to 8
English-medium schools. They have been aligned to The New Zealand Curriculum and are intended “to focus the education system on foundation skills and link expectations about student progress and achievement to the demands of The New Zealand Curriculum.”[4] The standards describe the achievement that will enable all students to achieve success across The New Zealand Curriculum and have been designed so a student who meets them is on track to succeed at National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 2.

In the publication National Standards Information for Schools[5], the Ministry of Education stated:

In this first year of implementation, schools are expected to:

• help students understand the standards and their goals in relation to them;
• assess students' progress and achievement in relation to the standards, using a range of assessment methods;
• ensure that students understand their progress and achievement and what the next steps are in their learning;
• provide at least two plain-language, written reports to parents, family and whānau about their child's progress in relation to the standards; and
• support parents, family, and whānau to understand the process and format of reporting and how they can work with schools to support their child's progress.

The findings of this evaluation highlight what helps schools to use the National Standards as an integral part of teaching and learning and of self review, and identifies some of challenges and next steps for schools.

[1] Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum for English-medium teaching and learning in years 1-13. Wellington. Learning Media Limited. Page 40.

[2] Ministry of Education. (2009). The New Zealand Curriculum - Reading and Writing Standards for years 1-8. Wellington. Learning Media Limited.

[3] Ministry of Education. (2009). The New Zealand Curriculum - Mathematics Standards for years 1-8. Wellington. Learning Media Limited.

[4] See: http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/National-Standards/Key-information/Information-for-schools

[5] See: http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/National-Standards/Key-information/Information-for-schools.