Katherine Rich MP
National Party Education Spokeswoman

30 March 2007

ERO report shows assessment is lacking

The Education Review Office report which shows half our schools do not have effective assessment practices to measure students’ learning confirms how far some schools have to progress so New Zealand has a modern, best-practice school system, says National’s Education spokeswoman, Katherine Rich.

“Assessment must be an integral part in understanding what students know and, more importantly, can’t do.

“This ERO report shows in black and white that some schools are not using modern assessment techniques that we would expect to see in a modern school. It’s particularly bad in low decile schools.

“We need to make sure that proper assessment takes place in all schools for the benefit of students.

“Testing is not about collecting large chunks of aggregated data, it’s about determining where a student is in their learning, and using that information to inform teaching in the classroom.

“Information gleaned by assessment processes can provide insights to changes in classroom teaching that can enhance learning.

“That half the schools in the sample did not have effective assessment practices shows how far the sector has to progress before best-practice assessment methods are used in all schools.

“The technology and knowledge has been made available to all schools and there are plenty of testing choices (asTTle, PAT, Star and others).

“There now has to be a united ambition across the whole sector to make assessment commonplace in all schools.”

ENDS

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