Key findings and insights

The Ministry commentary highlights that, broadly, the literacy initiatives evaluated showed evidence of:

1. improvements in students’ literacy skills
2. increases in the number of teachers using structured approaches to literacy
3. improvements in teachers’ confidence and capability.

The commentary also draws out the following key insights from the evaluation reports:

1. Persistent inequities are being addressed but more needs to be done to close gaps in foundational English skills completely. New data in the Ministry commentary shows gaps between ethnicities are closing after 30 weeks of BSLA teaching but are not completely closed.
2. Intensive support is more effective and efficient if it is started sooner rather than later. Gaps are smaller when students are under 6 years old, and accelerative supports are effective at closing the gaps. When children are older, the gaps are larger, and more support is needed.
3. The current system of tier 2 and 3 supports does not always provide appropriate levels of teaching intensity at the right time or for long enough. The current system of accelerative supports is time-limited, has limited capacity, and does not meet all literacy needs.
4. Embedding effective, widespread change takes considerable time and support, and there are inherent tensions between fidelity and responsiveness. Changes to teacher practice can take several years to embed.
5. Lack of common assessment tools and system-wide data make it difficult to measure overall impact. Because of the lack of consistent, normed assessment tools that cover the full breadth of literacy learning, it is difficult to get an objective assessment of the effectiveness and impact of different initiatives on different groups of learners.
6. Specific features of the initiatives themselves appear likely to increase positive outcomes. Sufficient time is needed for teachers to gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to change their teaching practice and sustain those changes, particularly for teachers of older students. Access to expertise and coaching, and the right resources and materials are other factors that enable success.