Hon Anne Tolley
Minister of Education

24 March 2011 Media Statement

Exciting results from National Standards maths project

Education Minister Anne Tolley has announced that a National Standards pilot programme to accelerate maths learning has seen significant improvements in a short space of time for struggling students.

Overall, students achieved 80 per cent of a year’s progress after just ten weeks of intensive teaching, with some children making over a year’s improvements in ten weeks.

The maths pilot study was funded from the $36 million invested by the Government in National Standards, to develop new programmes and resources for students needing additional support in reading, writing and maths.

“These results are extremely encouraging,” says Mrs Tolley.

“National Standards are helping identify the students who need extra help, and programmes such as this maths pilot will then be used to support and improve their learning.

“As well as significantly accelerating progress in maths, the majority of students said they enjoyed maths more as a result of the programme, which in turn makes it more likely they will achieve better results.

“Parents also played an important part in lifting achievement during the pilot, and this is a vital part of National Standards.

“We will use the findings from this study as we roll it out to a larger number of schools, and in the next phase there will be a focus on accelerating the maths learning of Māori students.

“National Standards will ensure that students leave school with the reading, writing and maths skills they need.

“We know that when our underachieving students fall behind they tend to stay behind. Early intervention can address this issue, giving every single young New Zealander the opportunity to reach their potential.”

The maths pilot ran for ten weeks during term three, 2010 and included 265 students in 39 primary and intermediate schools from around New Zealand.

It will be extended into 180 schools this year, and will continue to be improved as the project continues.

The pilot was researched and evaluated by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research. Its report, and information on each of the schools involved, can be found at www.nzmaths.co.nz/accelerating-learning.

ENDS

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