National Standards assessment tool won't wash with teachers

Media release

Teachers have no confidence in National Standards assessment tool

10 February 2017

A new Government website to promote an online judgement process for the widely reviled National Standards system is unlikely to get much interest from teachers, NZEI Te Riu Roa President Lynda Stuart says.

“Teachers don't want to use tools that further embed and define student success solely by flawed National Standards," she says. "Rather than a narrow focus on reading, writing and math which is all this website offers, we know that the hallmark of quality teaching and learning is assessment of every child's progress in relation to their 'personal best' across the broad curriculum."

“Even after six years of National Standards, use of the Progress and Consistency Tool (PaCT) is still very low because teachers see it as validating and entrenching a one-size-fits-all model that narrows the curriculum and is particularly unfair on students with special education needs.”

NZEI continues to advise members to not engage with the PaCT because of its key role in legitimising National Standards and the Government's data-based accountability agenda.

A 2016 NZCER survey of principals and teachers found just 23 percent thought National Standards provided a valuable picture of student learning.

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