Four (the four?) (of the?) leading NZ academic experts in testing, Thrupp (Waikato), Hattie (Auckland) Crooks and Flockton (Otago) have issued an open letter very critical of the Tolley/Nact approach to national testing of primary school children. The NZPA story has some of the points raised but if you want to read all of it here is what they say.
I agree with their points about unintended consequences – although if Tolley had bothered to look at the international evidence then it would have been clear.
It will not achieve intended goals and is likely to lead to dangerous side effects. That is pretty strong for four academics who would generally have trouble agreeing on much at all.
It is still not too late for Tolley to pull back and implement her system as a limited trial rather than placing a generation of school kids at risk.
This is one of the reasons I voted Labour.
I don’t see how comparing children especially at such a young age, can benefit them at all. All this because 80% of children are doing okay and 20% are falling behind. Does it not make more sense to focus on the 20% and help them and not just point and say you failed? That goes against what childhood theorists like Erik Erikson and all the research that a lot of other theorists have done on how children develop.
It has to be stopped. How she can just turn around and just say ‘the standards are coming and the sector better get used to it’ I don’t think she will listen. Is there any hope?
It must be sending a very confusing message to teachers. There is a huge amount of professional development going on with the introduction of the new curriculum. The new curriculum is at odds with national standards. It comes from the perspective of the likes of Hattie et al.
I think National have several alterior motives for pushing for national standards. The introduction of vouchers, performance based pay, and challening the strength of the teacher unions to name but a few.
the new curriculum is one of the reasons why I chose the course of study I’m applying for. I thought working in the first few years of Primary school would be fantastic. Now I’m glad that the bachlor programme I’m applying for is teaching chidren from birth to eight year olds. Maybe I should stick to Kindergartens. She’ll come along and rework Te Whariki early childhood currirulum too I bet as it has a holistic view on teaching children from birth to five year olds.
To have 4 major academics come out together is significant and somewhat amazing. However I do not believe she will listen – her power hungry arrogance will not allow her to back down. Look at the closing of Aorangi – even when presented with hard cold legal facts that should have stopped her in her tracks – and I understand she was even given a face saving ‘out’ – she still proceeded with closure. Now she will have to go to court. Does anyone really think she is clever enough to listen to the academics? No. She is still tasked with following Key and English in making their Nat Stds work. This portfolio was always going to be too big for her to cope with. She is bad for the country but great for Labour. You should have a big folder of things to slam them with come the next election – and its only been a year!
All these ivory tower people should get out and talk to the schools that already use these types of assessments and are just adapting easily to the new policy. NCEA is a standard as well, and a lot bigger and has been around for a long time.
Yes, but NCEA is in highschools. Not young children.
And what I said she would do next she is doing. She is now tampering with ECE.
The presence of one JOHN HATTIE among the signatories must be a sickening thought for Anne Tolley. It was not so long ago this year that she praised his international mega-study on how students learn, saying it would have have a “profound” influence.
The National Standards are not just a set of things students need to know. There is a whole pedagogy being pushed at the same time. It reads like some of the Asttle personal development for teachers that I have been to.
Judging by John Hattie’s reaction, I would assume that the Asttle authors have not been involved in the preparing the voluminous national standards and assessment documentation? Here’s hoping there has been no plagiarism! Not good for the Chopper at all.
Sorry missed Swampy last night. Three of these four academics are the people who designed the systems you refer to that are currently used in schools. They do know what they are talking about.
Swampy is presumably suggesting that John Hattie visit schools to see what asTTle is. He is a personification of asTTLe isn’t he? He could visit schools all over the world to see how it is working.
Lester Flockton is involved in those reports that sample learning in NZ at regular intervals.
These professionals are close to teaching and assessment the whole world over! They are researchers, both in quantitative and qualitative sense.
They have very important things to say about National Standards and the perverse impact that they will bring us. From a psychological point of view alone, they are going to be damaging to morale and motivation and real learning.
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[...] is not alone. Four other experts comments have previously been discussed on Red Alert. « Act on [...]