Hon Erica Stanford
Minister of Education

A new maths check for Year 2 students will measure progress and ensure young learners get the support they need early on, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.

“Research shows maths understanding in students’ early years is strongly linked to future success in the subject,” Ms Stanford says

“The Year 2 maths check, delivered through our Make it Count maths action plan, is a short assessment that provides teachers a snapshot to understand how learners are progressing in number concepts by the end of Year 2.

“When we came into Government, we knew that half of Year 8 students were a year or more behind in their maths. Helping our young people succeed is a priority for the Government and this is why we are focusing on teaching the basics brilliantly, various assessment initiatives to check progress, and support resources through our $717 million investment into learning support.

“The maths check is now moving through early stages, starting with the trial phase across 100 schools, ensuring our littlest learners will get their needs identified early in their school journeys. We intend this to be available to all schools by the end of the year.

“The check is a short, one-on-one, 15-minute assessment that will provide teachers a snapshot on progress. This will contribute to the new school reporting for parents alongside other progress checks, including the Phonics checks for new entrants.

“The assessment focuses on the key maths concepts and skills for early years, including numbers to 120, number facts, operations, and early fractions. This will be carried out through an online tool post-trial and supported by professional learning development for teachers.

“Each school will receive teacher guidance, recording sheets for assessments, student booklets, printed materials, and hand-held maths items supporting testing.

“Our education reforms are raising student achievement so Kiwi kids can reach their full potential. Strong maths skills are essential for success and school and for the opportunities that follow beyond the classroom.

“We will continue to ensure students are learning the fundamentals, getting their learning progress checked at crucial stages, and then getting the support and resources they need to help them succeed,” Ms Stanford says.

Notes:

• The trial is taking place from the 9 March 2026 to 27 March 2026. Thiswill be followed by analysis of the results of the trial.
• The purpose of this trial is to check the efficacy of the items developed for the check.
• The Maths check will be trialled across English- and Māori-medium schools, including 77 schools and kura, and 25 schools and kura which are Rumaki Reo, Kura Kaupapa across urban and rural settings Level 1 to 4.
• Approximately 2,000 English medium learner and approximately 300 Māori medium learners are participating in the trial.
• Webinars were hosted ahead of the trial to help support participating teachers and Kaiako administer the check.
• Teacher release days have been provided to schools and kura to support their participation in the trial. There will be one teacher release day for every 10-learner participating
• When implemented, the check will be usually carried out in Term 4, as learners’ complete year 2.
• A total funding of $4.131 million has been allocated to the project, to be spent across 4 years.

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