The release of raw student achievement data has been criticised by many in the education sector who fear it will be used by media companies to create league tables that will compare schools based on their results.
Ms Parata said the data should not be considered in isolation and parents should also visit schools and look at its latest Education Review Office report.
A pop-up message on the Education Counts website gives a similar warning, telling users that the information they are about to view is only part of the picture.
For those hoping to use the data to compare schools, the data released yesterday is incomplete and sometimes difficult to understand.
Of the 47 primary schools in the Western Bay, only 33 have submitted comparable data to the Ministry of Education.
Nine of the schools have submitted complex year level breakdowns but have not submitted overall student achievement data, making quick comparisons almost impossible.
Five schools have not submitted the National Standards data to the ministry and therefore cannot be compared.
Of the remaining 33 schools, a small decile four school near Te Puke has returned the highest results for 2011.
Of the 158 students, 95 per cent were at or above the national standard for reading, 92 per cent were at or above the national standard for writing, and 95 were at or above the national standard for maths.
Deputy principal Mark Boyle said he was rapt and the results reflected the hard work of students and staff.
"Our kids just love learning but its also the environment that's been created for them to enjoy learning."
However, many principals spoken to by the Bay of Plenty Weekend said the data was unreliable, unmoderated and misleading. "Parents have to appreciate that there are serious inconsistencies, validity and reservations across the sector with the data in the 2011 results being published," Gate Pa principal Richard Inder said.
"As a school, we focus intently in getting validity and consistency within our school but what other schools do regarding making an overall teacher judgment is outside of our control. Schools use different assessment tools, have been involved in different and variable training, and in most cases work in isolation from other schools so any moderation is only done within a school."
Mr Inder said a number of factors, such as high levels of transience or students who spoke little English, could skew the figures and paint a misleading picture.
Parents spoken to by the Bay of Plenty Times outside Tauranga Primary School had mixed opinions about the data release.
Anna Harris said being able to look at the student achievement data online would be "really good".
"It just gives us a good way of knowing where the kids should be."
However, Brent Gilbert wasn't convinced.
"It's going to hold about as much water with me as rateable values. It's all in the eye of the beholder," he said.
"You can't look at a school and judge it by a piece of paper."
