National Standards Training For Trainers

National Standards Training for Trainers

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā hau e whā. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Kia Orana, Tolofa lava, Taloha Ni, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Ni sa bula vinaka, Malo e lelei.

Good morning everyone and thank you for your warm welcome. It's a pleasure to be here today to talk to you.

This is the most important, and most exciting, year for education in two decades.

And you all have a vital role to play in it.

This Government is passionate about education, and passionate about giving every single child in New Zealand the chance to reach their full potential.

National Standards in reading, writing and maths will help us do that. The Standards were introduced in our primary and intermediate schools last week and I'm delighted to say that schools are getting on with the task of implementing them in a calm and professional manner.

I'd like to state how much I appreciate the contribution that many of you here today have made to the development of the Standards. Your expertise has been invaluable.

I'm also pleased to be able to meet our special guest Dr Avis Glaze, an international leader in education. As Ontario's first Chief Student Achievement Officer, and founding CEO of the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, she played a crucial role in improving student achievement in the province's schools.

On my visit to Canada last year, I heard all about the fantastic work being done by the Ontario government to improve their students' reading, writing and maths skills.

This Government was elected with a strong mandate for change in the education sector.

We have an education system we can be proud of in New Zealand. Yes, our best students are among the best in the world.

But the gap between our highest and lowest performing students is greater than that of other developed countries. And it's getting wider. It's inexcusable that almost one in five of our young people are leaving school without the reading, writing and maths skills they need to succeed.

That means about 150,000 young New Zealanders are being condemned to a life of unskilled work or welfare dependency.

This is not good enough. We need to act now. There is no time for delay.

We can and we will do better for these young people.

National Standards give us the tools we need to make a tremendous difference - for children, their parents and for teachers, principals and boards of trustees.

Skills in literacy and numeracy are the foundation for learning. If you can't read, write, and do maths, then you'll struggle in other subjects. Too many of our students are not getting these basic skills.

We need to act early to identify these students so they get the help they need to make progress. We also need to be able to respond quickly if a bright child isn't being challenged enough.

There is huge public support for the Standards. You may have read the results of a New Zealand Herald survey, carried out by Nielsen, which were released at the weekend.

73 per cent of parents were in favour of National Standards, a figure which I am certain will rise.

This backs up my own straw polls at the Christmas barbecues I attended in my electorate. At every single gathering, parents swamped me with concerns about their child's end of year reports. They don't just want to know if their son or daughter is well-liked - they want to know how well they are doing, and progressing, in reading, writing and maths. As one parent told us last year, "I want to know the good, the bad and the ugly". At the moment, many parents aren't getting that information.

Now, with the Standards in place, schools will have to report in plain-language to parents at least twice a year on the progress their child is making, and how they can help with their child's learning.

But this is not just about letting parents know exactly how their children are doing.

The Standards will also help teachers identify those children who are struggling. We can then ensure teachers have the support they need to change what happens in the classroom, backed by parents who can change what happens at home.

To assist this, our Government is making another $36 million available to provide even more support to schools.

And let's not forget the $26 million which is being spent this year on the professional development you will be providing.

Just before Christmas I released an Education Review Office report into reading and writing in the crucial Years 1 and 2 which highlighted the need for urgent action. The report found that almost two-thirds of school leaders aren't properly monitoring how well young children are achieving or progressing, and that three-quarters of principals don't set expectations of high achievement.

It showed that some principals are ignoring achievement information that does not show positive results, or do not give the information to boards of trustees and school communities.

Tens of millions of dollars are already being ploughed into programmes for children who are struggling or falling behind. But it's now clear that many school boards have no idea if these programmes are effective or if this is money well-spent. National Standards will provide the information they need to make informed decisions.

The report also found that 30 per cent of teachers at this level are not teaching reading and writing effectively and set low expectations for students.

Teaching quality can differ considerably from classroom to classroom. Training is needed to help improve monitoring and planning by school leaders. And a significant number of junior school teachers need targeted classroom support. I know you can't achieve all that in just one year, so we need to address ongoing professional development to lift the skill base of those teachers.

National Standards are simply signposts at each year level. They set clear expectations of what students should know and be able to do in reading, writing and maths at different points in their schooling. If students have these foundation skills in literacy and numeracy, they will be able to learn in all areas of the curriculum, and will be on track to get at least NCEA Level 2. We know this is the minimum requirement for a modern apprenticeship.

Individual primary and intermediate schools have always had expectations for student achievement and progress. What's new is that National Standards create consistent expectations for all students across the country. We cannot accept different educational standards for children depending on which school they attend or where they live. Every child must be given the opportunity to reach their full potential.

As trainers, you have a key role in making sure schools understand National Standards, and provide them with the facts on how they work and what they will mean for schools.

National Standards have been informed by educational research and evidence - both national and international.

It is better quality teaching - not more testing - that will make the difference for students. Research shows that one of the most powerful levers for lifting student achievement is having clear, challenging and achievable goals for a student. And that the student, their teachers and their parents all agree on the best ways to meet these goals.

Early attention to those who are struggling is vital. Evidence from the Picking up the Pace and the Strengthening Education in Mangere and Otara projects shows that with effective early intervention, substantial and accelerated gains can be made in the reading and writing achievements of new entrants, regardless of prior levels of early childhood education.

There must also be system support. And this is where your work comes in. Dr Glaze's efforts in Ontario are instructive. The Ontario experience demonstrates how a strong focus on literacy and numeracy, formative assessment, and a combination of support and challenges for schools can raise education standards. All three of these are embedded in our National Standards model.

Last year education academics, sector representatives, including the School Trustees' Association, the Principals' Federation and NZEI, plus a number of principals and subject specialists, were key participants in the development of National Standards.

Expert teams involving researchers, literacy and numeracy advisors, assessment experts, teachers, principals and Ministry officials developed the Standards from a wide range of sources. Student achievement data from asTTle, the PAT, and the Literacy and Numeracy Development Projects were also used, as well as The New Zealand Curriculum itself.

I also considered feedback from the consultation with 6000 parents and 5000 teachers in 2009, and asked the Ministry to make changes to the draft Standards and the proposed processes for using them.

So, the National Standards build on what we know already works well in terms of guiding learning and teaching.

For two decades, primary and intermediate schools have been required to give particular attention to literacy and numeracy in their teaching and assessment. More recently, teaching in these foundation learning areas has been guided by the Number Framework and the Literacy Progressions - which both spell out the level of knowledge and skills required by children at certain times and the learning progressions that children follow.

National Standards for reading and writing are based on the Literacy Learning Progressions. They focus on the ‘end game' - the level at which students need to be able to read and write so they can engage in their learning right now, as well as make the progress they need for future success.

National Standards for maths are consistent with both The New Zealand Curriculum and the Numeracy Development Project approaches to maths, and cover all three curriculum strands.

Following feedback on the draft Standards, the maths Standards have been better aligned to the mathematics and statistics learning area of The New Zealand Curriculum, not just the number strand. This will help teachers build on the good work they are already doing in teaching maths.

Of course, we do not want reading, writing and maths to be taught in isolation from the rest of the curriculum. Common sense tells us that successful engagement with the breadth of The New Zealand Curriculum depends on a student's ability to do the basics - reading, writing and maths.

And our National Standards support The New Zealand Curriculum. Our ground-breaking curriculum emphasises the importance of literacy and numeracy, and a broad education across a range of learning areas. Literacy and numeracy are the foundation skills that ensure every student can meet the demands of the curriculum. National Standards are the tool for making sure every student has these foundation skills.

Teachers should be using all learning areas across the curriculum to provide relevant and authentic contexts for raising achievement in literacy and numeracy. For example, a teacher could use a science project to improve their students' reading, writing and maths skills.

For you to assist principals, the Ministry has developed professional learning modules that will be introduced at this training. They will also help you identify what support a school might need. Thank you to those of you who have worked on the development of the modules.

National Standards are truly groundbreaking in their approach to lifting student achievement.

Our teachers will not be pressured to teach to a single test. Under National Standards, there won't be one national exam that all students sit on the same day at the same time.

I am well aware of the pitfalls experienced by other countries with the introduction of a national test. We have been able to learn from these experiences overseas, and have chosen to pursue a very different model here.

That's why the world is watching our unique approach.

We promised that the introduction of the standards would not involve any additional testing. Teachers will continue to assess students throughout the year as they do now using New Zealand's world-class assessment tools. They will also use their professional judgement, their observations and conversations with a student, to determine what best describes a student's progress and achievement in relation to the National Standards.

And our National Standards do not prescribe what students must learn or how teachers must teach. The national curriculum provides an overall direction, but each school develops its own programmes of learning that meets its local needs. Every school is different, because every community is different, but they will be using a common standard of expectation.

National Standards are not about league tables. Don't let yourselves get sidelined by that debate. We all know the great variance in student achievement is within schools not between schools.

We have to balance the right to good information for parents and boards of trustees, alongside making sure that crude, misleading comparisons aren't made.

Schools are not required to report achievement data to the Ministry until 2012. In the meantime, the teachers' union, the Principals' Federation, the School Trustees' Association, the Area and Intermediate Schools' Association and the Ministry have agreed to work together on how data is reported and presented.

As I've said, with up to one in five children being allowed to fail, the time to act is now.

But we are not afraid to make changes as we go. We must get this right.

A three-year monitoring and evaluation programme has been put in place, which will gather information on the implementation of the Standards. This will allow us to share and strengthen what's working, as well as informing any necessary adjustments that need to be made. And, of course, teachers and principals and you as trainers will have every opportunity to provide feedback and I encourage you to do so.

Maths Technology Limited, which has extensive experience in education and assessment, has been appointed by the Ministry to carry out this work.

The company is led by Dr Gill Thomas, who has taken a leading role in many literacy and numeracy projects, including the Adult Learning Progressions for Literacy and Numeracy and the Guidelines for Embedding Literacy and Numeracy.

Information from the monitoring programme will be published on the Ministry website at key points over the next three years.

In the next few days I will also be announcing details of an independent technical advisory group which will provide ongoing reports and advice on the implementation directly to me as Minister. This will also provide a valuable oversight of the implementation.

We want to get this right. Our children deserve it.

I don't need to remind you that professional knowledge is essential to ensuring principals, teachers and boards are well-equipped to work with the Standards. We want to make sure principals, teachers and trustees understand the Standards themselves; how they can support effective teaching across the curriculum; and the importance of school planning, self review, and reporting to parents.

You will be at the sharp end providing support to principals and teachers through webinars, workshops, seminars, and professional development programmes.

We expect at least 7000 teachers will be provided with in-depth training so they can use the Standards to set goals for student learning, make quality professional judgements, and improve their teaching practice. A further 1200 teachers will be offered opportunities to study university papers in literacy or numeracy to improve their content knowledge and understanding of effective teaching.

Your delivery of in-school training and support will have to be carefully tailored to the needs of each school. It is likely that your focus will be on building the understanding of principals and teachers so they can work effectively with their staff. In other schools, you will be providing targeted support in classrooms.

I am very pleased that junior teachers will also be a focus of your work. The December 2009 ERO report I mentioned earlier found there was an urgent need to support these teachers.

Our boards of trustees' trainers will work with the boards to ensure they understand their roles and responsibilities. Comprehensive professional development resources have been developed by the Ministry and the School Trustees' Association for board trainers to use at cluster and one-on-one workshops throughout the country. These resources focus on boards' understanding of the Standards and how this impacts on their roles in planning and reporting, and how boards can guide and support their principals and teachers, and engage with their community.

Professional development for boards around the Standards has been shaped with the anticipated turnover from the board triennial elections this May in mind.

Of course, professional development is an ongoing process, building the skills of principals, teachers and boards. But at this early stage, it is vital we focus on the training and support the sector has asked for to implement the Standards successfully.

I cannot stress enough how important you all are to deliver what schools need. They are relying on you - and so am I!

As I mentioned earlier, the reading and writing Standards build on the Literacy Learning Progressions. So it seems particularly appropriate that I am also able to launch the final version of the Literacy Learning Progressions here today.

The Literacy Learning Progressions set out the knowledge and skills students need to draw on in order to meet both the demands of The New Zealand Curriculum and the National Standards.

Although each child is on a unique path of development, teachers need to know what learning progressions look like. The interim findings of the Literacy Professional Development Project indicate that as familiarity with the progressions increases, teachers find them increasingly helpful in developing appropriate teaching and learning expectations for each child.

Following consultation with literacy advisors, principals and teachers the Ministry has done some fine tuning to the progressions, mainly around the first years at school and the place of oral language. I'm sure you will hear more about these changes over the next few days.

The progressions will give guidance to teachers as they build their understanding of National Standards. They will be able to use them to identify possible gaps and weaknesses that need to be further investigated if students are not meeting the Standard.

Copies of the revised Literacy Learning Progressions will be in all schools by the end of February.

The years of talking about the "tail of underachievement" is over. The year of development and consultation of the National Standards is over. It's time to deliver for every single one of New Zealand's children.

I am proud to be part of what I believe is the biggest and most positive change our education system has seen in twenty years.

Without basic skills in reading, writing and maths, young New Zealanders can't participate in a modern economy. This Government believes that too many of our young people are not getting these skills.

National Standards will identify these students early, provide good information for their schools and parents, and change what happens for them both in the classroom and at home so they don't fall through the cracks.

An OECD report released within the last couple of weeks called "The High Cost of Low Educational Performance" has projected that New Zealand's economy stands to gain US$328 billion between now and 2090 if all our students reach the minimum level on the PISA scale.

So the benefits are plain for all to see.

I know you share my passion for education, and I am looking forward to working with you on the successful implementation of National Standards.

It has been a pleasure to talk with you today. All the best for the remainder of your training and for the work ahead. You have a vital role to play in supporting principals, teachers and boards this year, and ensuring that all our children have a successful future ahead of them. Thank you.

ENDS