11 August 2005

Further support for teachers for Scholarship 2005

Schools will be given financial assistance so teachers can attend professional workshops on Scholarship 2005, Education Minister Trevor Mallard announced today.

“Changes have been made to Scholarship so the problems experienced last year will not be repeated,” said Trevor Mallard. "The workshops are part of a broader strategy to ensure that the changes to Scholarship and NCEA in 2005 are implemented successfully."

In June 2005 Trevor Mallard announced the introduction of a $3.7 million professional learning strategy for schools as part of a package to improve NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship. He says today's announcement of a further $920,000 in assistance to schools is additional to that.

“The government is committed to supporting a high level of professional learning for individual teachers in the subjects being examined for Scholarship in 2005 and 2006," said Trevor Mallard.

"The funding is being made available to schools to support the release of the lead teachers they want to attend the Scholarship subject workshops being managed by the Ministry of Education in the first two weeks of September.

"Scholarship will continue to be an exam designed for our best and brightest students. To ensure greater consistency in the proportion of Scholarships awarded, an agreed proportion of the best students in each subject will receive an award.

“I am delighted with the level of interest and commitment shown by schools in professional discussion on issues that affect teachers at the subject-level. These workshops will provide representatives from all schools across all regions with the opportunity to come together for focused dialogue on their practice and thinking around the level of skills and content knowledge of students at this level.

“Particularly, the workshops will give teachers an opportunity to view examples of student work from Scholarship 2004 and develop a common understanding around what will be needed to prepare students for the level of achievement needed for Scholarship,” said Trevor Mallard.

The workshops follow closely behind the Ministry’s Leading Scholarship in Your Schools seminars and the NZQA’s Roadshows held recently for school leaders.

ENDS

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