Curriculum Insights and Progress Study: Foundation Area - Mathematics and Reading results 2023 Publications

Publication Details

This report deals with how students are progressing annually in the foundation areas of reading and maths.

Author(s): The Educational Assessment Research Unit (EARU) at the University of Otago, and the New Zealand Council for Educational research (NZCER). Report for the Ministry of Education.

Date Published: October 2024

Summary

The Curriculum Insights and Progress study was established in 2023 to monitor Year 3, 6 and 8 student achievement and progress in the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum and develop insights that can be used to enable and support system improvement. It is run by the University of Otago and New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

The study has two assessment components:

  • four yearly cycle assessing the 8 learning areas of the curriculum, 2 per year
  • annual assessment of the foundation areas of reading, writing and maths.

This report deals with how students are progressing annually in the foundation areas of reading and maths.

2023 was the first year of the study which involved a reduced timeline for preparation and in turn a reduced scope including the number of schools involved. In 2023, the foundation areas of reading and maths were assessed. In 2024, writing and maths will be assessed. From 2025, reading, writing and maths will be assessed every year.

2023 reading and maths results can be found on Education Counts and on the University of Otago Curriculum Insights and Progress Study website.

Reading - Key findings

  • Figure 1 - Reading achievement and year level Around half of students are meeting the expected curriculum reading level for their age, with Year 3 at 54%, Year 6 at 52%, and Year 8 at 47%.
  • Additionally, another 10-16% of students are less than one year behind the benchmark for their age.
  • A large group of students are more than one year behind the relevant curriculum benchmark. This grows over the course of primary schooling, from 30% in Year 3, 32% in Year 6, up to 43% in Year 8.
  • On average, students are making progress in the curriculum as they go through primary school. However, many, are not progressing at the rate required to keep up with the curriculum expectation – especially in later years.
  • There continues to be strong association of socio-economic status with student achievement, where students from schools with ‘Fewer Barriers’ were more likely to meet curriculum expectations their peers in schools with ‘Moderate Barriers’ and they were more likely to meet expectations than peers in schools with ‘More Barriers’.
  • Previous national results for reading came from NMSSA in 2019. At that time, 63% of Year 4’s and 56% of Year 8’s achieved the curriculum benchmarks associated with reading for English purposes in the 2007 New Zealand Curriculum.
Table 1: Proportion of students who achieved curriculum benchmark for each Year (%)
2023 ReadingYear 3Year 6Year 8
At or above curriculum level 54 52 47
Less than one year behind curriculum level 16 16 10
More than one year behind curriculum level 30 32 43

Mathematics - Key findings

  • Figure 2 - Mathematics achievement and year level Overall, less than a quarter of students are meeting the expected curriculum level for their age, with Year 3 at 20%, Year 6 at 28% and Year 8 at 22%.
  • In 2023, a new draft refreshed maths curriculum was introduced. As well as being clearer about what is expected at each year level, the refreshed curriculum increased expectations of student capability in maths.
  • In 2022, NMSSA found that 82% of Year 4 and 42% of Year 8 met the 2007 New Zealand Curriculum expectations. Analysis of the underlying maths assessment scales of both assessments at Year 8 confirmed that student performance has not changed from 2022 to 2023, but rather the curriculum expectation has changed with the refresh.
  • Despite the proportion of students meeting the curriculum expectation for their age, the figure shows that on average students are making progress - however not at the rate required by the curriculum.
  • In maths, as in other areas, there was a strong association between socio-economic status and achievement. Students in the group of schools with ‘Fewer Barriers’ were more likely to meet curriculum expectations their peers in schools with ‘Moderate Barriers’ and they were more likely to meet expectations than peers in schools with ‘More Barriers’.
Table 2: Proportion of students who achieved curriculum benchmark for each Year (%)
2023 Maths Year 3 Year 6 Year 8
At or above curriculum level 20 28 22
Less than one year behind curriculum level 35 17 15
More than one year behind curriculum level 45 56 63

More information is available on the website of the Curriculum Insights and Progress Study.

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