National Standards: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...

The New Zealand Ministry of Education has certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons with the recently proposed National Standards that are destined to be in New Zealand schools in the not too distant future. Mr Key and Ms Tolley seem to believe that National Standards are the answer to making all students brilliant at literacy and numeracy. Unfortunately, they seem to have forgotten all the other factors associated with student under-achievement, such as the lack of funding for teacher aides, the lack of counsellors in the primary/intermediate sector and so forth...things that could make a real difference!

As Karla stated on her blog site (Assessment for learning in the 21st Century - National Standards. Good or Bad? Sat 22 August 2009), the introduction of National Standards is not necessarily the problem. Instead it has more to do with how students will be assessed against the standards and what is done with the data. In the documentation sent out to schools earlier this year regarding the National Standards it states, "The purpose of National Standards is not to create league tables". Yet as we all know, league tables can eventuate anyway, identifying the so-called 'winner' and 'loser' schools that 'discerning' parents can then pick and choose from, like at a lolly pick and mix. One of the issues with the National Standards is also whether we will we be comparing apples for apples across schools? Also....will schools start 'teaching to the test' so they come out looking good? While some schools 'star in their own movie' of success, will others continue to suffer? Whether we like it or not, in the competitive world of Tomorrow's Schools I would argue that this is inevitable, at least to a certain degree.

I read an interesting and highly provocative article (acquired from my friend and colleague Aloma) in the Herald on Sunday (July 12, 2009) which I must say got my blood boiling! The piece was entitled "Teach school big shots a lesson in parent power", where Deborah Coddington had a rant on how the National Standards should be published so that parents can exercise choice. She argues that the education sector is worried about the introduction of National Standards because "this will expose the teachers who are thick". She goes on to state, "You and I know them; we've read their totally illiterate reports and listened to their bureaucratese bovine manure at parent-teacher interviews". And yes there is more...she states "Hundreds of primary school principals are threatening to keep secret the standards data because it might lead to a "blame and shame" culture. That behaviour graphically illustrates where their best interests lie, and it's not with their pupils". If you want to read more of this dribble, I'd recommend you get hold of a copy of the article.

In the consumer society that we live in today, these comments are no real surprise! I'm all for parental choice, but choice for the right reasons and not at the expense of others. The difference with 'shopping' for schools, compared to shopping for designer handbags, is that National Standard results will not necessarily show the full picture...yes we want all students to achieve good results and reach their potential, but how this is achieved is also important. Perception is an interesting concept..it's like saying that the schools with all the 'bells and whistles' must be better schools - a common perception amongst some parents. If this article is anything to go by, we are also to look forward to more teacher bashing...and how does this enhance student learning tell me??

Thanks,
Angela

Reporting to Parents in a 'Parent-friendly' Manner

Reporting student progress to parents/caregivers is an important aspect of education. If schools are to work in partnership with the home, it is imperative that parents/caregivers are provided with quality information regarding their child's progress. As the DANZ document highlights, "For parents to support their children's learning, they need quality information about where their children are at, what progress they have made, and what the priorities for further learning are" (p. 29). Just as vital, is the need for schools to ensure that the information they make available to parents is clear and that parents actually understand its meaning! The Ministry are also currently pushing for 'parent friendly' reporting against the recently proposed National Standards. I can't say that I'm an advocate for National Standards, but I do agree with the concept of user friendly reporting.

Report formats vary greatly across schools - some schools require a novel to be written for each subject, while others are content with tick boxes and a small number of comments...some are easy for parents to understand, while others simply are not. The other day I read a child's school report and 'parent friendly' is not how I would have described it. Even as a teacher it took me a while to really figure out where the child was at and whether they were achieving at the expected level. At least I'm used to the educational jargon, but the average parent at a first glance of the report would have come away none the wiser of where their child was at, let alone what they needed to work on. I know that if I was a parent I would want a clear picture of where my child was at, what progress they had made and how I could further support them in their learning. If parents/caregivers cannot understand the report, then what is the point? It becomes a waste of everyone's time. I know that student-led conferences and learning logs are being used by some schools to support the reporting process. I would like to hear your thoughts on this topic...

Thanks,
Angela