National Standards at Mt Roskill Intermediate

This year, schools will be required to measure your child's achievement in reading, writing and maths against a national standard.  We will then be required to report to you in plain language about your child's achievement against those standards.  We will need to say whether they are above or below the standard.

At Mt Roskill Intermediate, we already report to you using tests and assessments that are done nationally and are standardised.  That is to say, the results of the tests will not change depending on which school you attend or which area of New Zealand you live in.  The new National Standards will be based on the same tests we already use.

At Mt Roskill Intermediate we have worked hard on developing a reporting system that is clear and honest.  We use a 5 point scale that is based on NCEA language.  Children can receive an Excellence pass, Merit, Achieved, Developing or Not Achieved.  In other words we already report to you about whether your child is above or below a nationally recognized standard.   The key element in any reporting process is the parent/teacher/student meeting that occurs shortly after reports are given out.  This meeting is vital to ensuring that all parties clearly understand each other and we can set goals for the student and their learning.

To sum this up, you will not receive any new information on your child's progress as a result of National Standards.  All that information is currently available to you at this school.

CONCERNS

Our concern will be if schools are ranked according to how well their students do against these National Standards. This is what people refer to as league tables. This has been tried in both the U.K and U.S.A with disastrous consequences.  Schools will begin to focus just on literacy and numeracy and the idea of a well-rounded education will be lost.

Skills in literacy and numeracy are vital for all of our students but the modern world asks for so much more than that.  Employers want people who can work together, are creative, have initiative, are interested in the world around them, have hobbies as well as having good literacy and numeracy skills.

In the United Kingdom, where National Testing has been in place for 20 years, schools and teachers are being taught how to bring more creativity and enjoyment into schools.  This is a sad indictment especially for primary schooling.  At the same time there is no direct correlation between National Testing and improved student achievement. 

This school is not afraid to be open and honest with you on the levels of achievement gained by your child.  The most important relationship any school can have is with the parents of students so that we can work together to maximise your child's potential in all areas of school life.

Mike O’Reilly
Principal