Curriculum Insights and Progress Study: Year 8 Foundation Assessments 2025 Publications

Publication Details

These findings come from the 2025 Curriculum Insights foundation assessments of Year 8 students. They describe patterns across a nationally representative sample.

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: September 2026

Key findings

Results from the 2025 Curriculum Insights and Progress Study show that 24% of Year 8 students met or exceeded the curriculum expectations for mathematics, 45% in reading, and 28% in writing.

The following tables show the percentage of Year 8 students meeting curriculum expectations in mathematics, reading, and writing for the previous years’ assessments.

Please note, in 2023, the foundation areas of reading and mathematics were assessed; in 2024, writing and mathematics. From 2025, reading, writing and mathematics will be assessed every year.

Table 1: Percentage of Year 8 students meeting curriculum expectations in Mathematics
Year 8202320242025
At or above curriculum expectations 22 23 24
Less than 1 year behind curriculum expectations 15 15 12
More than 1 year behind curriculum expectations 63 62 64

Table 2: Percentage of Year 8 students meeting curriculum expectations in Reading
Year 820232025
At or above curriculum expectations 47 45
Less than 1 year behind curriculum expectations 10 11
More than 1 year behind curriculum expectations 43 44

Table 3: Percentage of Year 8 students meeting curriculum expectations in Writing
Year 820242025
At or above curriculum expectations 24 28
Less than 1 year behind curriculum expectations 15 16
More than 1 year behind curriculum expectations 61 56


Table 4 below shows student strengths and areas for further growth.

Table 4: What do students know, and what needs more focus?
  What most can do What some can do What many find challenging

Maths
  • Add decimals to 1 decimal place.
  • Find 10 percent of a whole number.
  • Calculate the perimeter of a rectangle.
  • Find the square of a whole number.
  • Multiply whole numbers and decimals.
  • Convert between metric units.
  • Apply the correct order of operations in number sentences.
  • Calculate the area of a right-angled triangle.
  • Divide whole numbers and express remainders as fractions.

Reading
  • Understand the meaning of common idioms embedded in a familiar context.
  • Select synonyms that match the meanings of less common words used in familiar contexts.
  • Infer a character’s feelings or motivation by combining details from across a text.
  • Identify the writer’s main purpose by examining the text’s overall focus, perspective, and development.
  • Make global inferences about why writers use particular language to create mood or atmosphere.
  • Distinguish between factual information and evaluative language used to present a writer’s opinion or attitude.

Writing
  • Write some grammatically correct sentences, with varied structures, lengths, and types.
  • Begin to craft paragraphs that logically group and sequence ideas.
  • Use correct punctuation to start and end sentences.
  • Write consistently correct sentences with varied structures, lengths, and types.
  • Write paragraphs that show a clear flow of ideas and meaning.
  • Use correct punctuation in lists, contractions, and sentences with multiple clauses.
  • Purposefully vary the structure, length, and type of their sentences.
  • Craft paragraphs that deliberately guide the reader.
  • Use consistently correct and purposefully varied punctuation throughout their writing.

About the assessment

Maths: Students completed an online computer adaptive assessment covering the breadth of the mathematics curriculum.

Reading: Students completed an online assessment of reading skills and meaning-making.

Writing: Students used a digital platform to write an extended response to a prompt.

Refer to the summary report for more information.

Further information is available on the University of Otago website Curriculum Insights and Progress Study.

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