This is the first of series of national evaluation reports to be produced over the next three years that evaluate how schools use the National Standards to raise student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.
This evaluation involved 228 schools where ERO carried out an education review in Terms 1 and 2, 2010. The types of schools, roll size, school locality (urban or rural) and decile groups of the schools are included in Appendix 2.
ERO gathered the data for this evaluation in the context of the major evaluation question for education reviews in 2010:[1]
How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote student learning: engagement, progress and achievement?
ERO sought information about schools’ progress with using The New Zealand Curriculum, their individual levels of understanding of, and how well prepared they each were to work with the National Standards.
ERO was interested in each school’s current assessment practices and what school leaders and teachers knew about student progress and achievement. In particular ERO asked about how schools’ current practices enabled:
The questions used in this evaluation are included in Appendix 1.
All data was collected by ERO review officers in the normal course of their review activities. ERO’s Draft Framework for School Reviews sets out the process for education reviews.[2]
[1] See: http://www.ero.govt.nz/Review-Process/For-Schools-and-Kura-Kaupapa-Maori
[2] See: http://www.ero.govt.nz/Review-Process/For-Schools-and-Kura-Kaupapa-Maori