Class size increases: Myths versus Facts

Class size increases: Myths versus Facts

1. MINISTER SAYS: “Actually what we've had is a fivefold increase in the number of teachers while we've only had a 2% increase in students [over the past ten years].”
Minister of Education, May 19 2012
www.scoopco.nz/stories/PO1205/S00293/hekia-parata-on-the-nation-police-on-pay-for-teachers.htm

FACT: In 2002 there were 46585 primary and secondary teachers. In 2011 there were 52460 teachers.
www.dol.govt.nz/pdfs/work-insight-issue3-ch7pdf
www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/schooling/teaching_staff

2. MINISTER SAYS: “Smaller class sizes in the last ten years have not led to any correlative improvement in achievement”.
Minister of Education in Parliament, May 22 2012
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1205/S00380/questions-for-oral-answer-may-23.htm

“I have read is all the evidence, which tells me that despite a five-fold increase in teachers, student achievement has plateaued or declined.”
www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1205/S00393.htm

FACT: New Zealand students are achieving better NCEA results than in 2002. Ratios improved in both primary and secondary schools between 2002 and 2012 and our NCEA results got better. The percentage of year 11 students achieving NCEA Level 1 unit standards increased from 54% in 2004 to 62% in 2009 and to 79% in 2011. The percentage of year 12 students achieving NCEA Level 2 went from 56.5 to 64.8%. Seventy percent of year 11 students met NCEA Level 1 literacy requirements in 2004 while 78% met them by 2009; 77.5% percent met numeracy requirements in 2004, going up to 85.4 in 2009.
www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/schooling/ncea-attainment/ncea-achievement-data-roll-based/ncea-attainment
www.nzqa.govt.nz/studying-in-new-zealand/secondary-school-and-ncea/secondary-school-statistics/archived-statistics

3. MINISTER SAYS: Intermediate schools will have smaller classes under the new ratios. "Of the 13 years that have funding formulas, four have gone up, seven have gone down, and two have remained about the same." Minister of Education, Parliament, May 23 2012.
www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1205/S00393.htm

Presumably the Minister includes years 7-8 (intermediate school years) in the "going down" category as it appears to have fallen from 1:29 to 1:27.5.

FACT: The ratio for intermediates will increase. Here’s why:
Currently the years 7 and 8 ratios are 1:29 for curriculum and 1:120 for technology. When these ratios are combined the result is a ratio of 1:23.36. When the new ratios are introduced the Ministry of Education has confirmed that staffing for technology has to come out of the new 1:27.5 ratio.

ENDS

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