Curriculum Insights and Progress Study: Illustration - How does students’ use of science knowledge to make decisions progress across Years 3, 6 and 8? Publications

Publication Details

This document is one in a collection of illustrations of progression for teachers developed through the Curriculum Insights and Progress Study. They are designed to support teachers to better understand the growing complexity of students’ responses as they progress through the primary years and can help deepen teachers’ understanding of emerging and developing science thinking and practices of students.

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: May 2026

Curriculum context

The Science learning area assessments were administered in Term 3 of 2024.  In 2024, the New Zealand Curriculum (2007) remained in place for science. As such, it provided the basis for the Curriculum Insights science learning area study.

About the assessment

This illustration draws on an assessment task called “Rubbish”, completed in a one-to-one interview between a student and Teacher Researcher.

Purpose

This document is designed to help teachers think about what their students might be capable of doing when using their own science knowledge and information provided, to make decisions.

This illustration of progression supports teachers to explore the following question:

What understanding, knowledge, and actions do students demonstrate when asked to interpret science knowledge captured in infographics, then make decisions that translate the science information to a relatable real-life issue?


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

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