Key Findings

This paper is built upon findings from a range of national and international studies of student achievement, including:

• Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) longitudinal study at age 4.5
• National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA), conducted with Year 4 and Year 8 students, their teachers, and their schools
• The electronic assessment tool for teaching and learning (e-asTTle), developed primarily for learners in Years 5 to 10
• Data from the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA), for secondary students
• Reviews conducted by the Education Review Office on literacy and assessment
• The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), conducted with Year 5 students, their teachers, and their schools
• Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted with 15-year-old students.

Looking across several data sources, we can see that many New Zealand students are performing well against national and international benchmarks of literacy achievement. Many students are also making good progress at an expected pace throughout year levels.

At the same time, however, we also saw a wide variation in both achievement and progress within year levels, across sub-populations, and across aspects of literacy. This variation in achievement is broader than many other comparable countries. We have also seen some significant decreases in average achievement over recent years. Although many of our learners are progressing at a similar rate on average, it is of concern that learners who start at a lower point often do not catch up, and some learners make very little progress in a year.

Many students liked reading and many were confident in their reading and writing abilities. However, there were a significant portion of readers who were not confident and did not enjoy reading and did not do well in reading. Evidence tells us that not all learners are getting sufficient opportunities to learn and improve their literacy skills. This is particularly the case for many of our Māori and Pacific learners who experience lower expectations than other learners, and therefore their opportunities to learn are often less.

Across the education sector, teachers reflected regularly about their practice, and accessed relevant PLD and resources to support their teaching practice. Most teachers feel confident using a variety of assessment strategies, particularly experienced teachers. However, the methods and strategies used by teachers in lessons varied greatly across New Zealand classrooms.