Lifting achievement in our schools

Hon John Key

National wants to lift achievement in our schools.

Almost one in five children leave school without the basic skills in reading, writing, and maths they need to succeed. We want all children to develop those skills.

That's why at the start of the school year, we launched National Standards in all primary and intermediate state schools.

A few weeks in, we've had positive feedback from parents and schools. We know that the vast majority of teachers and schools are putting in place National Standards in a practical and professional manner.

National Standards are benchmarks showing what children should be able to achieve in reading, writing, and maths, and by when. Twice a year, schools will report to parents in plain language, illustrating children's progress against the standards.

A recent survey in the New Zealand Herald showed that 73 per cent of parents support National Standards. We are confident that even more parents will support the standards once they receive their first reports from their child's school.

National Standards are not about labelling children. They are about making sure that teachers, principals, and parents know exactly how children are achieving and progressing, and how they can be supported to lift their achievement.

Evidence shows that one of the best ways to lift achievement is having clear, challenging, and achievable goals, followed up with quality teaching.

A report from the Education Review Office at the end of last year showed that almost two-thirds of schools do not monitor Year 1 and 2 children's performance well, and that three-quarters of principals don't set expectations of high achievement levels. This shows how urgent it is to take action.

We're investing $26 million this year to train and support teachers as they implement the standards. And we're investing an extra $36 million over three years to assist students identified as needing extra help.

We are not introducing national testing like that seen in Britain, the United States or Australia. We have learnt from their experiences. Now the rest of the world is looking at our groundbreaking approach. 

This month we appointed a five-member independent advisory group to support the implementation of National Standards. This group, which includes Professor John Hattie, will provide the Minister of Education with free and frank advice about the implementation of National Standards and any refinements that could make them better.

National wants to see every single child get the opportunity to succeed. National Standards is an important tool to help make that happen.