Key Findings

• After several cycles of stable performance, Aotearoa New Zealand’s mean mathematics score dropped 15 points, from 494 in 2018 to 479 in 2022. The OECD mean also dropped by 15 points over the same time period, meaning Aotearoa New Zealand’s me an score continues to be higher. Given the decline in maths scores was seen worldwide at an unprecedented rate, COVID-19 is a likely contributor.
• Seven in 10 (71%) of learners performed at the baseline level of proficiency or higher (Level 2), meaning they can demonstrate some of the skills required for effective participation in society. This was a decrease from 78% in 2018. Ten percent performed at the highest proficiency Levels 5 and 6.
• Boys continue to outperform girls in mathematics. Boys also reported higher teacher support and that their teachers fostered reasoning and encouraged mathematical thinking more often.
• Socio-economically advantaged learners scored higher, on average, than disadvantaged students, and also reported greater exposure to maths tasks and familiarity with maths concepts. Disadvantaged students’ mean scores declined between 2018 and 2022, while advantaged students’ mean scores did not significantly change, resulting in a widened socio-economic gap in maths performance.
• Since 2012 there has been an increase in student familiarity of many maths concepts (congruent figures, linear equation, exponential functions), but familiarity is lower than the OECD average and many countries. Only one concept declined in familiarity amongst students – probability.
• The level of teacher support in Aotearoa New Zealand is higher than the OECD average. Three-quarters of students say their teachers helps them with learning and give extra help in most or every lesson.
• When asked how often they were exposed to tasks that focused on developing mathematical reasoning and 21st century skills, Aotearoa New Zealand students reported relatively high exposure compared to the OECD average.
• Behavioural climate in maths has largely remained the same since 2012, but negative behaviours occur at a much higher rate than the OECD average and most countries and is strongly negatively related to achievement.
• There has been an increase in anxiety in maths amongst learners in Aotearoa New Zealand since 2012, and 2022 levels are higher than the OECD average. Students are most anxious about getting poor marks/grades in maths (67%) and failing (62%). Fewer students are anxious when actually doing mathematical problems (39%) or homework (40%).
• There has also been a decline in confidence in maths since 2012 and it is lower than the OECD average. Unsurprisingly, students were most confident in maths tasks they reported being exposed to the most.
• Since 2015 there was a large decrease in both streaming and ability grouping in classes (-25pp) in and between classes as a general school policy for Year 11 students. But in maths classes, 80% of students are in schools where students’ study at different difficulty levels in different classes.
• Secondary maths teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand participate in professional development (PD) highly and at rates above the OECD average.
• Most students’ schools offer remedial and/or enrichment classes in maths and at levels higher than the OECD average. Using a standardised maths curriculum that specifies content on a monthly basis is much less common in Aotearoa New Zealand than in other countries.