National Standards in New Zealand

SchoolsLet Teachers Teach, Not Count

From The Perspective ofParents

PAL-Parents Against Labelling http://apps.facebook.com/groupsplus/members/all.php?gid=7877

What are National Standards?National Standards are a means of measuring the achievement of year 1-8 primary and intermediate school children, at each age, each

year, compared with the NZ average.

The National Standards are due to come into effect in 2010 and are based around parts

of the literacy and numeracy curriculum areas.

National Standards have been used for many years in England, The United States of America and more recently, Australia. The system has been proven to be flawed and to often reduce learning outcomes for children. These countries

are trying to move away from National Standards.

The Cambridge Primary Review Research Surveys

Why National Standards?

‘The result is according to ERO, most primary schools are generallyineffective at using school-wide information to improve achievement.’

National Party manifesto paper (Policy 2008 Education, National Standards, Question and Answers)

The National Government claims ERO sees a problem

Minister of Education Anne Tolley has announced that the standards were based

on an Education Review Office report that said half of schools were not using assessment well and did not know who

struggling students were.

But ERO Reports Differently

(Page 2)

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What Did Parents Say?

Tolley's press release on the report was titled "Parents Support National Standards". Its opening line read: "Consultation feedback shows strong support from parents."

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How Could National Standards Affect Your Child?

A generation of school children destined to educational impoverishment with an over emphasis on the ‘three Rs’

and rigid testing

Memorisation and recall will be valued over understanding and enquiry.The transmission of information will be favoured over the pursuit

of knowledge in its fuller sense.

Labelling children will only marginalise those that are struggling

even further

League tables may lead to inappropriate reallocationof funds and even the flawed justification

to close schools based on test scores of onlytwo curriculum areas.

Children who are excellingare restricted to a narrow curriculum that is based around averages for that

year

Dangers Of Labelling ChildrenLabelling anyone for any reason is judgmental. We have laws against

discrimination. Yet for some reason we think it is ok to label the most vulnerable part of society, our children.

It is commonly known that if a child hears a negative label attached to them, they will eventually believe the label to be 100% true, and they can fall into line with the behaviors associated with that label.

Labels can negatively impact a child's self-esteem and create situations that will lead them on a downward spiral, predisposing them to a life that may have been different had the labelling never occurred.

You will find children giving up on tasks, not challenging themselves, and eventually not trying at all.

The main danger of labelling a child is that you may miss out on knowing their true potential.

‘Sad Day’ for education in New Zealand

The Principals Federation, which branded the introduction a "sad day", called for the standards to be scrapped and wanted the Government to start from scratch. Federation president Ernie Buutveld said schools could already identify pupils at risk of not achieving and make changes themselves.

Setting national standards in reading, writing and maths was a National Party campaign promise and is due to come in next year.

THE DAILY NEWSTHE WORLD’S FAVOURITE NEWSPAPER October 2009

Teacher unions are afraid the national standards will be used to compare the performance of schools through "league tables".

However, the Principals' Federation and NZEI have said they would not attend the standards launch in Auckland today, as to do so would be to offer tacit support to a policy they did not agree with.

Frances Nelson, head of primary teachers' union the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI), said: "It is absolutely no surprise at all that parents are worried about the standards." Nelson added that government had not addressed those concerns before launching the system.

Minister of Education Anne Tolley

Focus On How Children Learn

See The Whole Picture

No Extra Support for Arts, Science, PE, Health or Social Studies

A letter from the Minister of Education said schools would get no help from advisory groups provided by six universities to teach anything other than reading, writing and maths.

Source: NZPA, Minister of Education Anne Tolley

So What’s The Big Deal?

What can I do? Talk with your child's teacher Write to the Minister of Education

a.tolley@ministers.govt.nz

Write to your local MP Write to your local paper Phone in to talkback Talk to other parents Join ‘Parents Against Labelling’

http://apps.facebook.com/groupsplus/web_links/all.php?gid=7877

Or email gadgitgirl35@gmail.com

Post on other social networking sites

Referenceshttp://ero.govt.nz/ero/publishing.nsf/content/assmnt-gp-primary-jun07http://www.minedu.govt.nz/theMinistry/EducationInitiatives/NationalStandards/Summa

ryOfResponses/ParentsFamilyWhanau.aspx (click on parent, family and whanau feedback: full reporthttp://www.primaryreview.org.uk/ (Click on The Review and its final report: download our special booklet)www.networkonnet.co.nzhttp://www.asttle.com/pageloader.aspx?page=534d96d0d0 (click on Horizons and Whirlpools article on front page)http://www.brad.net.nz/blog/2009/10/national-does-not-believe-science-should-be-tau

ght-in-school/http://blog.greens.org.nz/2009/10/22/the-three-rs%E2%80%9D-reduce-regiment-and-

ruin-our-public-education-system/http://www.brad.net.nz/blog/2009/10/more-criticisms-of-anne-tolleys-cuts-to-primary-s

chool-teaching/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10605223http://www.3news.co.nz/Default.aspx?TabId=423&articleID=126603&cat=260&ce263

7=1#commenthttp://www.3news.co.nz/Ministry-tells-schools-no-support-for-arts-science-/tabid/423/a

rticleID/126440/cat/260/Default.aspxhttp://www.3news.co.nz/Default.aspx?TabId=423&articleID=126697&cat=260&ce263

7=1#comment