Primary Schools Need More Assessment Support

Media Release
From NZEI Te Riu Roa
Friday March 30, 2007
For Immediate Use

Primary Schools Need More Assessment Support

"Primary schools are doing well in assessing student performance in literacy and numeracy but need more support from the government in assessing other areas of the curriculum," says Irene Cooper, National President of the New Zealand Educational Institute which represents primary teachers and principals.

An Educational Review Office report released today states that: "In most primary schools teachers collected accurate and valid information on their students' achievement in English and mathematics, but fewer did so in other curriculum areas."

"This reflects the fact that the Government has placed a major focus on literacy and numeracy achievement in primary schools," says Irene Cooper.

"It's developed a range of literacy and numeracy assessment tools and provided high quality professional development to teachers to enable them to use these tools effectively."

As a result, ERO found that over 90% of primary schools were able to demonstrate effectively their students progress in literacy and numeracy.

"This shows that when teachers are given good professional support they are able to get good results," says Irene Cooper. "The Government clearly needs to extend this approach across the rest of the primary school curriculum."

A second report released today shows schools are making good progress in using data on student achievement to set goals for lifting student achievement.

The New Zealand Council for Educational Research looked at how schools are implementing a new planning and reporting framework introduced in 2003. Its report shows that schools are aware of what's required by the framework and are all setting school-wide goals with the learning needs of their students in mind.

Like ERO, the council found that schools are doing well in literacy and numeracy and are making good use of the new assessment tools that cover these areas. It says the challenge is to develop appropriate assessment tools "in areas other than numeracy and literacy."

"The message from these reports is clear," says Irene Cooper. "When teachers are given the tools and professional support they need they can get the job done."

"It's vital we develop good assessment tools to cover the whole of the primary curriculum and that we ensure teachers are given the professional development and time they need to use these tools effectively," says Irene Cooper.

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