Schools Slow To Adopt Minister Stanford’s SMART Tool, Raising Confidence Concerns

Less than 60% of schools have signed up for Minister Stanford’s flagship assessment and reporting policy, the SMART Tool. The low sign-up rate is made worse by a number of principals explaining they have signed up for the tool without any intention to use it.

Liam Rutherford, AEC spokesperson, says, “This low take-up of the SMART Tool is a clear sign that the education sector rejects the standardised testing of children. It was rejected during the National Standards era and is being rejected now.“

“Schools need support with more resources to meet the needs of individual children, not 75 million dollars being spent on a tool that will tell us that schools need support with more resources.”

“The low number of sign-ups is connected to the lack of confidence teachers and principals have in the Minister's overall curriculum agenda. Teachers and principals don't feel like they are being listened to regarding both the direction of the curriculum and the speed at which the Minister wants it implemented. They strongly reject a curriculum that is built on the Minister's assertion that all brains learn the same.”

Lynda Knight, AEC Spokesperson and principal in Wellington, says: "I understand many principals are wary about using an Australian standardised assessment tool which has hurriedly been adapted to our context. Unlike NZCER’s PATs, which have been refined over 50 years to provide a consistent, evidence-based measure of progress, the new SMART tool lacks this established history of validation in New Zealand.”

About Aotearoa Educators Collective

Aotearoa Educators Collective is an umbrella collective created to support education thought leaders who share a common interest in promoting progressive ideals in schooling. The group includes academics, principals and teachers and is not aligned to any political party.

These leaders choose to contribute to mainstream public debate through mainstream media based on their research, their lived professional experience and their standing within the sector.

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