Northland primary school principals are refusing to implement the Government's new national standards scheme - even if it means breaking the law.
The decision to boycott the changes was made at a meeting of 80 Tai Tokerau principals held at Kawakawa Primary, where Ministry officials and educational consultants were invited to speak.
Over four years, $36 million will be spent to support schools' implementation of the standards, which will track pupils' progress and report it to their parents twice a year.
Primary and intermediate schools from years 1 to 8 are affected.
Northland principals unanimously agreed to pass the resolution that "we will do nothing about national standards as the effect and impact is so far reaching and unknown until known".
They also voted to ask the New Zealand Principals Federation to provide an electronic letter, to be sent to education minister Anne Tolley, Prime Minister John Key and opposition leader Phil Goff, for all New Zealand principals to sign electronically.
A letter explaining concerns will also be sent to Northland parents in school newsletters.
Tai Tokerau Principals' Association president Pat Newman said principals were angry the change was being foisted upon them - particularly Maori schools.
Schools which appeared not to be doing their job according to the "simplistic system" might have a lot of other issues to deal with, Mr Newman said. "It doesn't take into account that a lot of low decile schools are very successfully helping children."
The Government says national standards are needed to raise achievement but Mr Newman said New Zealand's education system was one of the best in the world and it was natural that 10 per cent of children struggled.
"Countries which have implemented national standards have failed to make a difference."
He said the Government claimed literacy and numeracy were what school was about, but the reality was children needed more than that.
"There will be no support for anything else and subjects like social studies will take a back seat."
The standards didn't reveal anything in themselves, Mr Newman said. "Testing pupils for what they don't know doesn't improve learning."
New Zealand School Trustees Association president Lorraine Kerr hoped the parties involved could come to an agreement but "at the end of the day non-compliance is breaking the law".
"All principals have clout, whether there's one or 96, and yes they are worth listening to - but it's about finding common ground versus blaming and shaming."
The gap between New Zealand's highest and lowest educational achievers was among the widest anywhere in the world, Mary Chamberlain, group manager curriculum, teaching and learning design at the Ministry of Education, said.
"Next year we expect teachers to take time to understand the standards and to tell parents how their children are progressing in relation to them."
The new standards would be monitored and the results used to make any necessary adjustments, Ms Chamberlain said.
"Any decision not to implement the standards would be an employment matter between individual boards, school teachers and principals."
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