PPTA welcomes new curriculum

Media Release
7 Nov 2007

PPTA welcomes new curriculum

Secondary teachers welcome the new curriculum, and now the Ministry of Education must ensure schools and teachers get the support they need to ensure it is successfully implemented, PPTA president Robin Duff said today.

“The curriculum gives teachers the flexibility they need to make key decisions for their students’ particular needs,” Mr Duff said.

“Teachers will also be pleased that the new curriculum makes it clear that schools do not have to assess every student against every achievement objective in the curriculum.”

“The introduction of Key Competencies is a big advance on the old curriculum, but these must not be assessed in isolation. They need to be incorporated into the content of the learning areas, and schools will need support to show how that can be done.”

“We want to be assured that School Support Services are funded to provide sufficient advice – and in particular subject-specific advice – to enable secondary schools to successfully implement the curriculum.”

While the Minister’s announcement of a teacher only day in 2008 to help plan for the new curriculum is a welcome initiative, it is not enough, Mr Duff said, as PPTA believe the workload involved in implementing the curriculum will be similar to the introduction of NCEA.

“One day is not enough. Teachers need at least two days in each of the four implementation years from 2008 to 2011 if the process is to be effective.”

Mr Duff also called for the Ministry of Education to put a similar effort into developing support for the senior secondary curriculum in years 11, 12 and 13.

“The Ministry has failed to adequately cater for the needs of the senior school curriculum or to support specialist teachers. A successful pilot of 24 senior subject advisors has recently been cancelled despite an evaluation showing their huge value to teachers, and the role of coordinator of subject associations has also been disbanded.”

“Without work to support the senior curriculum, we will continue with the present unsatisfactory situation where assessment drives the senior curriculum rather than the other way round.”

ENDS

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