ASSESSMENT POLICY ENDORSES NZ FIRST'S STANCE

Media Release

22 September 1999

ASSESSMENT POLICY ENDORSES NEW ZEALAND FIRST'S STANCE

New Zealand First Education spokesperson Brian Donnelly said today that
the new assessment policy for primary schools announced by the Minister of Education, Nick Smith, is an endorsement of New Zealand First's position whilst in coalition.

New Zealand First resisted National's previous plan for a narrow, simplistic set of pencil and paper tests together with published league tables.

"All of the proposals announced today were promoted by myself as Associate Minister of Education. Everything that I argued for has been included, everything I argued against has been chucked out," said Mr Donnelly.

"It will be necessary to see the details of the proposed tests for literacy and numeracy but it is pleasing to see that, after intensive research and consultation, the government has seen the merit of what I was saying.

"New Zealand First can take credit for thwarting a proposal that was educationally unsound and for replacing it with a system which will yield valid and necessary information about students' progress".

ENDS

© Scoop Media

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