Researchers respond on national testing policy

Monday April 2 2007

Attention: Education reporters

Researchers respond on National’s national testing policy in primary schools

A move to compulsory national testing in primary schools will do nothing to improve student achievement on its own, says New Zealand Council for Educational Research chief researcher Cathy Wylie.

She says schools already use a range of tests to measure individual and school-wide performance and to set goals for improvement. She says many schools are making good use of those results in the classroom and giving meaningful individualised information to parents, but it is a big ask for schools and they need more support to do it.

“Our research and overseas research shows that to improve student achievement and engagement with school, you have to start early, you need very knowledgeable teachers and you need high capability and capacity across the whole school. If you don’t have that, you can have national standards but they won’t do anything on their own.”

Dr Wylie says most schools already use at least one standardised test, such as PAT or asTTle and if used correctly, they provide schools with extremely useful information, including comparisons with national benchmarks. The key is for the test results to be used in a formative way, meaning as a basis for teachers to understand where there are gaps in students’ understanding and to tailor their work programme.

She says that could be done under national testing, as long as the test was treated as part of the ordinary work programme of the school and did not become a big focus to the detriment of other activities. She is encouraged that National is proposing schools get to choose the test that suits them or that they already use, rather than imposing a separate test.

But she says New Zealand should be wary of the experience of other countries that do national testing, where there is evidence of schools focusing all their efforts on those students just below the required benchmark, at the expense of other students, and even of schools offering incentives such as lollies and movie vouchers for good results in the annual test.

Dr Wylie says the council would like to see much more detail about how the testing regime would be introduced and would want to be involved in any planned consultation with the education sector.

ENDS

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