Gifted children to be recognised as government changes standards

Labour’s Education spokesman Trevor Mallard has today welcomed the Government’s change of heart on at least one aspect of its controversial National Standards regime.

Finance Minister Bill English, speaking on behalf of Associate Education spokesperson Act MP Heather Roy, said in Parliament today that the Government’s National Standards regime has been corrected so that the parents of primary and intermediate students would now be informed if they were found to be “well above” average in tests.

“This is a good announcement for Bill English to make during Gifted Awareness Week. But does it signal wider changes to the unpopular National Standards?” Trevor Mallard said.

“If he does, then common sense has prevailed. The Government is ramming its regime through schools despite widespread advice that it is fraught with problems.

“Up till now Anne Tolley has refused to include in National Standards a ‘well above’ criteria for parents of high performing children so that they can assess their children’s performance.

“That makes no sense when a ‘well below’ criteria is included in the scheme. Parents should be told when their children are excelling, and parents of other children might like to have a target to aim for rather than knowing only that they have ‘passed’.

“If, as Bill English has indicated, National has figured out it has got this wrong I hope it is also moving to clean up the wider mess it is made of its new standards.

“A survey this week of 700 schools shows that just 10 per cent of principals think National Standards will help students learn. Seven in ten schools think they won’t.

“That is because the implementation has been rammed through and insufficient resources have been provided for schools to make it work.

“It didn’t have to be this way, and still doesn’t.

“It’s not too late to admit you were wrong, Anne. Schools and parents want to make the system work, if you’ll let them,” Trevor Mallard said.

ENDS

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