Bad National Standards data will damage kids’ learning

21 September 2012

Bad National Standards data will damage kids’ learning

The pre-release of some national standards data today by the government ahead of next week’s official release is a further blow to schools and kids learning.

"We reiterate that the best way to get quality information is to visit your child's school and talk to teachers and the principal," says NZEI vice president Frances Guy.

“We maintain that this information is ropey and misleading and poor information will cause damage to schools and their community.

Frances Guy says that Government's National Standards means children are labelled as successes or failures according to a one size fits all measurement of their reading, writing and maths achievement each year.

By releasing bad data and allowing media to draw up league tables will create winner and loser schools, says Frances Guy.

"For many parents and children, being assessed as 'below standard' or 'well below standard' in National Standards reinforces a sense of failure and does nothing to boost kids’ motivation for learning.’’

“Kids learn in very different ways and it’s often not linear. Not everything that counts can be measured and not everything that is measured counts,” says Frances Guy.

ENDS

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