Labour MP Jacinda Ardern and National MP Nikki Kaye.
We asked Labour's Jacinda Ardern and National's Nikki Kaye: Do National Standards need a re-think?
JACINDA ARDERN
I have no idea what age I learnt to read, but I do remember the process. My mother decided to adopt the use of flash cards. Although I'm sure it wasn't exactly like this, I still have visions of my mother running after me with a file box while I pointed at nonsensical things.
I'm no expert, but most of us will know from our own experiences or from raising kids that there's not much that is uniform about the way we learn, and therein lies my problem with National Standards.
But before I go there, let's start with the things that probably everyone will agree on. We all want our youngest children to be succeeding and, if they're not, we need to know about it, and parents deserve to know how their kids are progressing with their learning. The reality is though that we had the ability to do both of these things without introducing the unproven national standards.
There were some schools who weren't reporting to parents as well as they could have, but the Education Review Office could already tell us who they were and how to fix it. As for those kids who are falling behind? We have enough assessment tools to know that they constitute about 14% of our primary school children, and I am yet to meet a teacher who cannot tell me which children they are. Why, then, would the Government spend more than $60 million on measuring something we already know, when we could have spent the money investing in those kids directly? As former Labour MP and Principal Marian Hobbs used to say "it does not matter how many times you weigh the pig, it does not make it fatter."
It's not just that we didn't need this new form of assessment - it also has the potential to do our kids damage. You see, National Standards take a snap shot of a child's learning at a moment in time, in a completely arbitrary way, potentially awarding them the title of 'failure' before they've even begun. Marilyn Gwilliam, President of the Auckland Primary Principals' Association summed up this point by saying:
"The proposed standards presuppose that all students can achieve at the same level at the same time during each year of their schooling. Educators and parents know that this is not the case. There is a very wide range of student capability from the beginning of year 1 and it is not possible to achieve the same outcomes for all students at the same time."
Gwilliams also points out, "there are important questions currently being raised by world leading New Zealand researchers and others involved in supporting education about the usefulness of prescribed standards in raising student achievement."
We're not the first to go down this path: the United Kingdom had a go at standards, with dire results. I have met teachers who have seen that scheme in action and were aghast when it was announced that we would try it here. That is just one of the reasons that the loudest voices on this have been those who know the system best; our teachers, our principals, our academics, and our Boards of Trustees made up of parents from the community. Nearly a quarter of all primary schools have chosen not to comply with the requirements from the Ministry of Education to submit a full charter, which includes information on National Standards. I know from the area that I work in that these schools have not taken this decision lightly, but they've done it with the best interests of our kids and quality education in mind.
Why then has the government ignored all of that? Because this has never been about educational achievement. If it were, we would have celebrated the 86% who do incredibly well in our world class education system and we would have focused on the 14% who don't by investing in programmes that are proven, using our excellent new curriculum to assist non traditional learners (which National Standards ignores) and on professional development for our greatest asset: our teachers.
This instead is political. Time and time again, I heard pleas from school to wait, to listen, to at least trial the standards, only to hear from Anne Tolley that National standards were being implemented because it was an election commitment. Nothing more, nothing less.
We already knew what was broken in our otherwise excellent education system and the answers on how to fix it. National Standards isn't that answer. It's time to put our kids first.
Jacinda Ardern is on Facebook and Twitter @jacindaardern
NIKKI KAYE
One of the questions I often get asked is what do we value as a nation? Personally I believe the countries that will compete and be good places to live in the 21st century are those that invest in human potential. In a world where technology has broken down many of the barriers involved with the tyranny of distance, it's our people, our ideas and our character which will be the most valuable asset.
Many of us could name a teacher or principal who was a big influence on our lives. I had several, but there is one that still really stands out. This person was the person who I admired hugely, and when I could have gone down a very different path, she set me in the right direction. I will always be grateful to her.
That is why I believe the time and resource we spend on education of our young people and the support we give to our educators should be at the front of public policy. It is important to acknowledge that our best New Zealand students are among the best in the world. An international study from the OECD has shown that New Zealand students perform a lot better than average in reading, maths, and science. This is a real credit to the great job our teachers are doing.
However, international studies also show that the gap between our highest and lowest performing students in New Zealand is wide. In the past decade, while other countries have significantly raised the reading ability of their 10 year olds, there has been no marked improvement in the achievement of our young readers. That is why National campaigned on implementing National Standards at the last election.
Last year, primary and intermediate schools began implementing National Standards. The Standards are signposts that show what children should be able to achieve in reading, writing, and maths, and by when. The aim is for parents to get plain-language reports on their child's progress at least twice a year. Many parents I talk to really want this and those who have received good reports appreciate the honest assessment .
I think we need to acknowledge that most New Zealanders share the concern and the sense of urgency about ensuring that we do everything we can to turn around the one in five children who leave school without the basic skills they need to succeed in a modern economy. We must do that for their life chances and for our future as a nation.
There has been some criticism of the Government's determination when it comes to standards. However, in 2009 we received feedback from more than 11,000 parents and representatives from the education sector, and the policy was fine-tuned as a result. The Government is also committed to an independent monitoring and evaluation programme running alongside the National Standards over the next three years.
Some people have complained National Standards labels kids as failures. But I wouldn't expect any good teacher to tell a student they were hopeless. National Standards are making sure teachers, principals, parents, and children know exactly how they are achieving in reading, writing, and maths. Then we can better target support and lift achievement.
Evidence shows that one of the most powerful levers for lifting student achievement is having clear, challenging and achievable goals, followed by quality classroom teaching aimed towards those goals. Students who know what their next steps are achieve better results. Reporting on how children are doing helps their parents and families better understand what support they might need.
Some of the most committed leaders and innovators that I have met have been in the local schools in Auckland central. They are principals and teachers that dedicate their lives to educating our young people. I admire the principals in my area. Many of them work long hours and are superb multi-taskers as educators, fundraisers, property managers, counsellors and community leaders.
Most schools are working hard to ensure the Standards work. They've been adapting existing tools to get a more accurate data about where children are placed. I know that in my electorate many of the schools are working together to moderate their work and to strengthen their ability to make overall teacher judgements against National Standards and other measures.
This year has been the second of a three-year bedding-in period for National Standards and the Government is investing $26 million to train, support and provide resources for teachers to implement Standards. We've also set aside an additional $36 million to help students that are identified as needing extra help. Standards don't in themselves lift student achievement but they tell us who needs the most help.
The Government also invests $75 million a year in specialist teachers to assist schools with students experiencing learning and behaviour difficulties. We're also moving education resources to the frontline. At least 50 expert practitioners will be appointed to work closely with schools, and find ways to help their students succeed.
From my experience teachers and principals do a superb job. Their ability to influence the lives of so many young people is a huge responsibility and so many of them go beyond the call of duty. While it may take time get the implementation right. I know that we all have the same goal to ensure that all New Zealand children can leave our education system with an ability to have the basic skills they need to succeed in a modern economy and in life.
Nikki Kaye is on Facebook and Twitter @nikkikaye
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