Children the winners as National Standards are dumped

Children the winners as National Standards are dumped

12 December 2017

Primary principals and teachers say children are the real winners now that National Standards have been officially dumped.

NZEI Te Riu Roa President Lynda Stuart said educators had fought tooth and nail against the introduction of National Standards – some to the point of being threatened with Ministry intervention – and today was a day of celebration.

“National Standards narrowed the curriculum, put undue pressure on children, increased teacher workload and weren’t even an accurate measure of a child’s progress,” she said.

“We never gave up the fight and our members can be rightly proud of their hard work and determination that has resulted in the new government putting an end to this horrible experiment.

"I also want to acknowledge and thank the many Boards of Trustees and parents who partnered with us in fighting against National Standards.

“We thank the new government for listening to the experts in the classrooms and valuing our professional judgement,” said Ms Stuart.

Schools will now be required to use good quality assessment and provide plain language progress and achievement reports to parents twice a year, across the curriculum.

The government will consult with the sector on the changes and any outcome is expected to go to cabinet in September 2018.

ENDS

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