8. Hon CHRIS CARTER (Labour—Te Atatū) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
Does she stand by her statement in relation to national standards, “I want it done in a responsible way that doesn’t lead to league tables”?
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) Link to this
Yes, and can I say that I am glad that the member has finally convinced his colleagues to let him have a primary question, after more than 5 weeks in the wilderness.
Well, at least I was not helicoptering around the country! How does she reconcile the previous statement, promising that national standards would not lead to league tables, with her statement in the Christchurch Press on Tuesday, under the front-page headline “Govt to fast-track school league tables”, where she said: “Personally, I think the more information that’s out there the better.”?
I remind the member that better achievement information helps teachers and parents to support students. It helps schools to support their teachers, and it helps the Ministry of Education to support schools. I also remind him that the information that we gather from the national standards policy will be very important to lift achievement levels in reading, writing, and maths for young New Zealand children. I tell Mr Carter that it is all about achievement for those children.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I asked the Minister a simple question about how she could reconcile her contradictory statements where, on the one hand, she said she is for league tables, and, on the other hand, she said she is not. She did not seem to address that question at all.
Mr SPEAKERThe member knows he did not exactly ask that question. He referred to quotes, and they were picked up on.
Aaron GilmoreI have seen a large amount of evidence to suggest that this policy is needed. The latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study survey found that the average reading literacy score for New Zealand, in statistical terms, did not change from 2001-05. That means that our youngest New Zealanders’ literacy levels did not improve under the Labour Government’s watch. That is why overwhelming numbers of parents, in November last year, voted for a party that believes in standards for literacy and numeracy, believes in giving parents plain-language reports of their children’s progress, and believes in ensuring that all schools carry out best-practice formative assessment.
Catherine Delahunty Link to this
Will the Minister guarantee that national standards will not lead to performance-based pay for teachers?
I have seen a report that suggests that a number of schools are using formative assessment, and the data produced by it, to help their students. For those schools the national standards policy will complement the excellent work they are already doing. The same report from the Education Review Office states that 56 percent of schools were not using worthwhile achievement data. The national standards policy is about ensuring that those schools do use good assessment practices to help our young New Zealanders to read, write, and do maths at a much higher level than they do at present.
How can the Minister reconcile her statement in December, when she said she was opposed to league tables for primary schools, with her statement in the Christchurch Press of this week, where she says she is in favour of them?
Firstly, I did not say in the Christchurch Press that I had a favourite. I want to make it very clear to that member that the Ministry of Education will not be publishing league tables. I will say that again to the member. The ministry will not be publishing league tables. This Government will be using the information that we gather from the national standards policy in a responsible way, to help to lift the literacy and numeracy standards of young New Zealand children. That is what this policy is about.
What work, if any, has she asked her ministry to undertake to prevent the information on school performance that is to be held by the ministry being used for the production of league tables; and will she give an assurance that before she announces the standards for literacy and numeracy, there will be safeguards in place to prevent the misuse of such information?
I am very interested in discussing with the sector, as part of the national standards consultation process, how we can ensure that the information gathered by all those involved in the process—teachers, parents, principals, and the ministry—is used in a responsible manner. Labour Party members cannot have it both ways. If we do things without consulting, Labour accuses us regarding that, but if we do consult, Labour complains that we have not made a decision. I have said all along that we are going to consult with the sector about national standards and how they will be implemented, and that is what we are doing.