Linda on the Tolley meeting site post has hinted at an issue that is developing – the fact that Anne Tolley is not on top of her correspondence and that questions sent to her by both email and letter on the national standards issue are going unanswered.
I’ve decided to provide a service though Red Alert.
You draft the question. I will make sure it fits the parliamentary rules and lodge it. If possible will provide a link so that you can follow its progress in the system. It takes about nine working days.
What do you think. Lets try it. I might give a bit of advice as we go but all questions will be to the Minister of Education (or ERO if specified).
Update: Please only post questions relating to National Standards
2nd Update I’ve done some editing of questions – quite a bit of work. In most cases used italics to show where I have been. Minor changes not noted. Will try and get as many as possible in Monday and Tuesday.
That’s a great idea Trev
You are banned. Clare
What does the Minister intend to do with the
naughtyprincipals and boards of trustees in southland and northland who are refusing to implement the standards?Response: I have asked that Ministry regional staff make these schools a priority in their monitoring and support role. [Question # 02170]
Her answer will be most enlightening for both those schools and all the other ones who do not want to implement.
As a hint don’t say naughty – there is a judgement there that we would have trouble justifying Trevor
Could the Minister explain what she didnt like about the previous system of assessment in our schools?
What are her specific criticisms of assessment systems currently used in schools?
Response: I have no specific criticisms of assessment systems currently used in schools. Many schools currently use assessment tools well. We need to extend these practices to all schools. [Question # 02171]
IF the problem is we didnt have an assessment system in our schools, then why did the new curriculum have to go given that it isn’t an assessment tool?
What changes does she expect in the curriculum or between parts of the curriculum as a result of her introduction of national standards?
Response: The New Zealand Curriculum was implemented this year and will be reviewed over time. National Standards were designed to support the curriculum and there will be no immediate changes in the curriculum or between parts of the curriculum as a result of their introduction. [Question #02172]
Can the minister confirm that if the NS become the unmitigated disaster so many are proclaiming that they will be removed, reworked and trialled before being foisted on us again?
What measures, if any, are in place to allow for the removal, reworking or trialling of her national standards if they are shown to cause damage to student learning?
Response: There will be no trial of National Standards. The Ministry of Education will refine the standards in the light of evidence gathered during the first years of National Standards. [Question # 02173]
I know – I am being a smart alec.
Is it her opinion that it would not have been helpful to carry out trialling of National Standards they were implemented nationwide, and if not, why not?
Response: For long-term programmes like National Standards, full national implementation with careful monitoring and evaluation is a better approach than a trial in just a few schools. The Ministry of Education will refine the standards and supporting processes in the light of evidence gathered during the first years of implementation. [Question # 02225]
What are the steps involved in moderation of National Standards?
Response: There are four elements to moderation for National Standards:
1. The National Standards provide a nationally consistent benchmark.
2. The exemplars in the National Standards provide reference points for teacher judgements, and schools will add to these exemplars overtime.
3. Assessment tools provide external evidence of students’ learning.
4. Teachers are professionals who collaborate within their schools and outside their schools in clusters to ensure that their professional teacher judgments are accurate, appropriate and supported by assessment information. [Question #02174]
But, it is an impt question to ask as I think her response will be quite enlightening. I went to the NZEI roadshow the other night (Lianne spoke very well I might add) and there were interesting side discussions going on about whether Tolley would make an example of the principals and school bots that don’t implement. So, her answer would provide an interesting direction I think – however, she has an appalling record for answering written questions on time with any real detail.
@Shane – given its the MOE who will no doubt (and her advisor/s from the moe) that will answer the moderation question, what I think we as the public need to find out about are answers to questions that there are no easy MOE standard answers for – things that only she or the govt can answer, like what she will do to the very large grp of schools not implementing. (incidentally, the trial question is good – to further beef it up, it would be good to find out why Maori Immersion Kura are allowed to trial but not Bilingual Units (unless this has changed in recent days) and what is her intention after the trial if it is found to be counter productive?)
Are bilingual units and immersion classes within schools being treated the same way as kura for national standards and if not why not?
Response: Schools who have bilingual and immersion classes choose to either implement The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) or the Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (TMOA). Schools selecting the NZC will use the National Standards and schools selecting TMOA will use the Nga Whanaketanga Rumaki Maori (NWRM).NWRM have been designed specifically to support Level 1 and Level 2 Maori-medium schools and settings. [Question # 02175]
Why are private schools exempt from National Standards?
Did the legislation she introduced for national standards exempt private schools and if so is she satisfied that all students who are currently in private schools will achieve NCEA Level 2 before they leave?
Response: National standards do not apply to private schools because they are subject to a different regulatory regime and may choose their own curriculum, qualifications framework and assessment methods. [Question # 02176]
To the Minister of Education:
Is
the Minister’sher goal that 100% of students leave school with NCEA level 2 and if so, what are her progress targets for next year and in three years time?Response: The government’s goal is that all students will leave school with worthwhile qualifications. Schools with students in years 1-8 will be required to set targets in relation to national standards from next year.
I expect to see progress towards more students achieving in relation to national standards each year. [Question # 02169]
If obfuscation:
You can’t do supps on written questions if you don’t like response then lodge a fresh question Trevor
Supp: Why should New Zealand parents have confidence in National Standards to judge their children’s progress when the Minister won’t set a standard for implementation that allows parents to judge her progress?
Starter for 10. I like your question and supplementary.
BTW I am wondering, do MOE statistics show a disproportionate number of Maori in the “illiterate” category? If yes, does the immunity for immersion schools from NS mean they hae already achieved the literacy rates required/demanded by the Standards?
Does current Ministry research show that students in kura have a lower level of literacy than the school population as a whole, and if so why have they been given different treatment in her standards system?
Response: Evidence suggests that there is a need for more effective assessment in Maori-medium education. Studies have found that while a high percentage of Maori-medium students are performing better than Maori in English-medium settings in reading comprehension and mathematics, further work is required.The development of the draft Nga Whanaketanga Rumaki Maori will take more time than the English-medium standards because there is less information to inform the design of Nga Whanaketanga than was available for the English-medium National Standards. [Question #02226]
How many parents have written to her indicating their support for her national standards? [Question #02177]
How many parents have written to her indicating their opposition to national standards? [Question #02178]
How many parents have written to her indicating their opposition to national standards? [Question #02178]
Repeat with principals, education experts, teachers and an overall total. [Questions #02205 - 02212]
Response: Correspondence is logged in the official correspondence system by name of signatory, and to examine all correspondence received would require considerable time and resource. I am not prepared to ask the Ministry of Education to undertake this request. [Same response to Questions # 02177, 02178, 02205 - 02212]
–
What funding will be made available to schools who do not appear to be meeting the national standards?
Response: The Government has budgeted $36 million over three years from 2011 to provide support for schools with students who are not making expected progress against the standards. [Question # 02179]
What funding will be cut from schools who appear to meet the national standards?
Response: None. [Question #02180]
–
How many of the Ministry of Education staff being cut provide advice to her on national standards?
Response: On March 10 I announced that the Ministry of Education will look at reshaping its role, size and focus. This is the next stage of its ongoing change programme to focus on the frontline and areas of high priority. No decisions on staffing impacts have yet been made. [Question #02227]
I lecture at Uni. My question would be:- In what way specifically does national standards assist those wanting to go to university?
Response: National Standards are designed to lift achievement in literacy and numeracy to allow all students to access a broad curriculum and to achieve NCEA Level 2. [Question # 02181]
To the Prime Minister:
Marginal taste deleted Trevor
Can you do the same with Smith re ACC?
My grandson Hamish is 8 years old. His parents have had detailed discussions with the teacher about his progress which seems to show that he is behind in reading and maths.
How will National Standards Testing help Hamish?
How will the national standards help an 8 year old child that current testing systems have shown to be behind expectations for his age group and whose parents have been involved in detailed discussions with the child’s teacher?
Response: National Standards provide signposts for teachers and parents to respond to. This means that if a child is falling behind they can receive appropriate help quickly. The Government has budgeted $36 million over three years to provide support for schools with students who are not making expected progress. Professional Development is available for schools to support them in using the standards effectively. [Question # 02182]
Supplementary: What National Standard of Testing will be implemented to assess the performance of MP’s especially Ministers? Will Prime M be sacked if there are MP’s who fall below the level required? We will leave that one for now Trevor
Great idea Trev. All MPs should invite members of the public to suggest written questions on issues they’re interested in and then provide the answer when it comes through.
I think G has covered all the questions I could think of. I am a bit curious about how much more teacher’s time will be eaten up by additional assessments rather than teaching, and whether this will be compensated for in any way.
What is her best estimate of the amount of time the average teacher currently using the asTTle or NEMP assessment system will take to complete the extra work involved in implementing her national standards and does she propose compensating teachers for that extra time and if not what activity that they currently do does she expect them to cease doing?
Response: Teaching reading, writing, and maths is teachers’ core work.
They will use the information they already gather to make judgements about what students know and can do in relation to the standards and what they should learn next. This will involve teachers working differently in the time they already allocate to these areas. [Question # 02183]
On the cuts to the MoE:
Are Group Special Education staff considered front-line and if not why not?
Response: The Ministry defines frontline staff as those staff who work directly with schools and education providers, and directly with students.
These include the majority of Group Special Education staff. [Question # 02184]
Trevor are you doing this out of genuine concern for those parents who are wanting answers or are you doing it to completely overwhelm Anne more than she already (apparently) is? If the former, I will partake (via friends whose kids are already in school).
Former but for teachers, grandparents and others with an interest as well. This won’t make big difference to her workload Trevor
@ everyone (on behalf of Trevor). Please note only questions on National Standards are being asked for at this time. Thanks Clare (with moderating hat on)
Do we have any details about the funding cuts to team solutions? I can’t seem to find any of this in the media but I have been told by teachers and people who know they are under threat.
What contracts does her Ministry currently have directly or indirectly with Team Solutions, what contracts did they have a year ago, and what contracts are in place for 2011, showing in each case the title of the contract, the key deliverable and the value of the contract?
Response: A search of the Ministry of Education ’s contracts register by contract holder (Team Solutions; The University of Auckland, Faculty of Education; and UniServices ) reveals eleven contracts where services are delivered by Team Solutions. The contract titles, and other requested information, are listed in the attachment. School support services is the only contract that has been signed for 2011. Decisions have yet to be made or contracts finalised for all other areas of work listed in the table. [Question #02228. The attachment is here.]
Maybe you can extract those details from her and that could lead into a question about how she can justify unnecessary testing in the name of improving teaching while cutting an outfit designed to actually assist teachers in improving their teaching.
Also @ Trevor: how does the 9 working day rule apply? Ministerials have a 21 working day scope from memory?
Further, unless the rules have changed dramatically in the 4 years I have been out of the public service, when does a Minister ever write their own letters? Ministerials – that is, letters responding to a member of the publics questions and/or media etc, were always written by policy staff.
Once upon a time Trevor I even wrote a couple of letters for you!
I think you might have drafted for me. Works that way for non political type letters but even then I would often redraft. These are parliamentary questions not letters and are therefore on tighter timeframe. Trevor
Why was the issue of League tables not considered prior to the implementation of national Standards?
Was the issue of league tables considered before she implemented national standards and if so list the reports on the issue she received?
Response: Yes. The issue of league tables was considered in the following reports:
Further advice on implementing National Standards in English medium schools; and National Standards: Information requirements and expectations on schools. [Question # 02185]
I understand that the MOE is currently investigating ways to overcome this issue. Though as an aside the MOE policy woman I listened too on Friday told us this at the same meeting as she later went on to say that when she came to NZ from the UK she had no way of knowing which was the best school for her kids (i.e. no league tables)
@SPUD. I emailed her office asking that (why private schools are exempt)… guess what!… no reply.
The nationals standard office did however reply, and they said “National Standards are only affecting state schools because private schools are not required to comply with the Ministry of Education’s guidelines, or follow the curriculum. National Standards do however apply to state-integrated schools.”
see above Trevor
Rebecca.. I called up Tolleys office mid Feb asking why my email of 2 Feb had not been responded to (Note I’m still waiting). They said because the Minister likes to respond to all correspondence personally. Good Tui Ad!
Rebecca you mean Ministers sign something that isnt their own work ?
Next youll be saying they dont write their own speeches.
I knew it was a slippery slope when the PM stopped driving her car to meetings but I never thought it would come to this
as above Trevor
Trevor – I think yv hit on a brand new thing.
Extraordinary.
No question tho, but fascinating
@ Rebecca
@ Trevor
the nine working day thing: Parliament’s Standing Orders (SO 373) require that Tolley must provide a reply “no later
than the sixth working day” after the question is lodged. And then it is published on the web three working days later.
But, Tolley is more than two weeks overdue in answering Questions (as of today).
Trevor, do beware of promising answers when you cannot be sure a Minister will deliver.
Gentle reader, you can access and search all Written Questions at http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QWA/
Phil there has to be an answer – I’m not guaranteeing quality or timing Trevor
@Phil, beats the Ministry’s output -taking months to respond to letter from local MP.
@ Phil: thanks so much for this! I had no idea this part of the website even existed – I’m assuming it is a fairly recent thing as we never had to log any of our correspondence via the parliamentary website?
In terms of the 6 day response – yes we worked to that rule too, but that was usually just to indicate to the respondent we have received their correspondence and would get back to them. A complete answer then had to be sent back to them within the remainder of the 21 working days.
@ James & also Linda: well it is no wonder Anne has been slow to reply as there is no way one person, let alone an MP doing MP hours could possibly acknowledge 3219 pieces of correspondence within 6 working days let alone provide a complete answer!!! Even if she were to hand it on to policy they would struggle too……Labour didn’t employ THAT many bureaucrats!!!!
Interesting that Labour appears to be behind the bulk of the correspondence too; I won’t be partaking in this particular exercise any more as the purpose of the post appears clearly to be more about attacking Anne than addressing the actual issue.
I will get my answers via other means :p
P.s and it would appear that of the 3219 pieces of correspondence Hon Anne Tolley has received, 2008 have been from the Hon Mr Mallard….
Again these are the written questions. I got 10k – 14k pieces of correspondence per year as Minister of Education. Trevor
Does she anticipate introducing performance pay for teachers once National Standards are established?
Commentary: No points for possible hospital pass by saying there is already performance pay by insinuating that Teachers who take on management units get extra pay for doing so. This is not the same thing.)
How will she ensure consistency of measurement between teachers, schools, and assessment methods?
Response: The standards are accompanied by examples and illustrations.
These will act as concrete reference points for teachers’ judgements.
The Ministry of Education will provide guidance on how our most commonly-used assessment tools align to National Standards. Schools will engage with moderation processes to ensure teachers develop shared understandings of National Standards. [Question #02186]
As National Standards are set with the aim to lift achievement greater than 50% of students will be performing below the benchmarks currently. How will the Ministry mitigate the impact of labelling on young children?
What proportion of children are currently performing below each of the benchmarks she is setting as part of her national standards?
Response: Standards have been set at a level to ensure all students are on track to achieve NCEA level 2.
Because there is no nationally consistent student achievement data until students reach NCEA, there is no way of knowing how many students are currently performing below National Standards. [Question # 2187]
Does she intend to mitigate the impact of any labelling of young children resulting from her standards and if so how?
Response: National Standards are not about labelling young children. We know that children learn at different rates. The standards provide sign-posts for teachers and parents to respond to. If a child is falling behind they can receive appropriate help quickly. [Question # 02188]
Does the minister believe that new government policy should be justified and supported by evidence that it will be effective?
Response: The National Standards have been informed by educational literature, research and evidence. These include:
a) Directions for Assessment in New Zealand (DANZ), a review and critique of New Zealand’s assessment policy;
b) School Leadership and Student Outcomes: Identifying What Works and
Why Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration;
c) The Cambridge Primary Review.
In addition, expert teams consisting of researchers, literacy and numeracy advisers, assessment experts, classroom teachers, principals and Ministry of Education officials developed the standards, using information from a wide range of sources. Student achievement data from Assessment Tools for Teaching and Learning (asTTle), Progressive Achievement Test (PAT), and the Literacy and Numeracy Development Projects were also used. [Question #02189]
Supplementary
Given evidence such as the
Cambridge review that national standards are likely to be a disaster, where is the minister’s evidence that they will be effective.
Has she read any review from Cambridge on primary education in the United Kingdom and if so what account did she take of that review in formulating her national standards?
Response: Yes. Many aspects of New Zealand’s National Standards are aligned with the recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review. [Question #02190]
To the Minister of Education,
Question 1
Does the National Standard Programme aim to help and educate those students whose personal problems interfere with there learning, and if so how?
Response: National Standards will assist teachers to identify students with learning issues and who need assistance, independent of the cause.
Schools have access to resource teachers: learning and behaviour (RTLBs).
These teachers are employed by clusters of school and work in the school sector advising teachers on how to help students with moderate learning and behaviour difficulties. [Question # 02191]
Question 2
Will National Standards decrease the number of early school leavers and if so how?
Response: National Standards are designed to lift achievement in literacy and numeracy to allow all students to access a broad curriculum and to achieve NCEA Level 2. [Question # 02192]
Question 3 (related)
How and with what frequency will the ministry of education measure the effectiveness of the new standards?
Response: The Ministry of Education has developed a framework for generating good information about the implementation and outcomes of National Standards. The framework draws from a range of different and complementary information sources. The following information will be available in 2010:
- ERO evaluation report on schools implementation of National Standards in June
- School Sample report based on survey of principals and high level summary of annual report targets in July
- School Sample report based on survey (principals, teachers, Boards of Trustees, parents) and student data in December.
There will be another 5 key reporting points in 2011
The framework for generating information about the implementation and outcomes of National Standards includes:
1. ERO reports in 2010, 2011, and 2012
2. a monitoring and evaluation project with a sample of schools – The National Standards: School Sample Monitoring and Evaluation Project
2009 – 2013;
3. surveys and probe studies involving schools in the sample above to collect more in-depth or targeted information, guided by findings from school sample project and including a more detailed study looking at changes in professional practice;
4. periodic surveys of, for example, parents, Boards of Trustees, professional development (PD) providers, and other key stakeholders;
5. national monitoring studies (such as NEMP) or information from international studies (such as PIRLS, PISA, TIMSS).
This information will support Ministry decision-making about ongoing implementation and support for the standards.
The National Standards: School Sample Monitoring and Evaluation Project
2009 – 2013 has been contracted to Maths Technology Ltd. The project will collect monitoring and evaluation information from a sample of English-medium state schools as they introduce and implement National Standards in reading, writing, and mathematics (Years 1-8). The contractor will collect, store, analyse, and report on a range of data to provide monitoring and evaluative information about the impact of the standards in sample schools. The project will run from late 2009 to mid-2013. [Question # 02193]
@Rebecca. I have looked at lots of websites, publications, etc for answers to my concerns about Nat Stds (as I’m sure you have too). I have asked MC of meeting if there is anywhere to access answers to questions raised at previous meetings to avoid duplication and wasting question time (meetings are short). I was told that the Minister attends many meetings [no kidding] and will face many of the same questions and I should raise my concerns at a meeting. I don’t see the problem in the Ministry extending it’s ‘frequently asked questions’ page to include more FAQ or ‘notes from meetings and interviews’ being available.
Linda to be honest I have actually liked everything I have read. Our child isn’t yet in school so I have also been relying on friends who have school aged children – especially those friends who juggle parenthood with teaching or working (reasonably high up) in the MOE.
For me, as our primary school is absolutely brilliant (ERO & huge word of mouth) then these changes will have little baring on how my child is assessed at primary. The teachers we have spoken too are not phased at all as for them it is business as usual.
While I have been a tad contentious on this subject, I check these posts out primarily to see what other people are so concerned about – forewarned is forearmed! So far I feel like the issue is split evenly in terms of those pro & against (against on here, but very much pro in my circles).
Perhaps in a couple of months or so I will have a better idea of what questions I personally would like to put to the Minister.
@James – Thanks man
@Rebecca – Anne is only being attacked because she is the Minister of Education. If Mallard has sent her a lot of correspondence then it shows a great deal of dedication on his part.
@A Mother. Of course not! As outlined to Rebecca, I’m all about free access to information. I believe the Ministry should be answering all questions as quickly and accurately as possible. In many cases it could be as simple as referring to the answer to a previous question. The time required to do so is just the cost of rushing something through parliament under urgency.
@jarbury. I can give you that one. asTTle is population norm referenced. National Standards are the mark you need to reach (if you learn in a linear-incremental fashion) each year in order to be on track to achieve NCEA level 2. Nat Stds will therefore (currently) label > 50% as ‘below std’, whereas asTTle will always have 50% below year-level average. (So as I understand it if you have more labelled below somehow they will work harder and this will lift achievement – strange, I know).
Okay, can’t resist partaking a little! Of all the questions asked above, if my child was going to a school where the teachers felt these NS were of significant concern, then these 3 would be the most pertinent (to me):
1)”IF the problem is we didnt have an assessment system in our schools, then why did the new curriculum have to go given that it isn’t an assessment tool?” (Tracey)
2)”Can the minister confirm that if the NS become the unmitigated disaster so many are proclaiming that they will be removed, reworked and trialled before being foisted on us again?” (Nicola)
3) “How will the Minister ensure consistency of measurement between teachers, schools, and assessment methods?” (Linda)
@ Grae Burton: from what I have read the NS when stating that they will identify students or schools that are in need support they have in no way stated that they will solve truancy/personal issues – these things pertain to hugely complex social issues where schools are only one part of the solution.
@Rebecca. Just as an exercise imagine how the Nat Std would effect you if your child was in the bottom 5% or top 5% by IQ and/or achievement. There have recently been cuts in support to both these groups.
@Linda. I copied this question of yours from You don’t need to go to the back of the bus Anne as I liked it and now want to know the answer. I hope you don’t mind.
How will National Standards facilitate clear and accurate ‘plain language’ reporting for students who are well above the Standard for years above their age ?
Response: It is my intention that National Standards will provide teachers with a further tool for setting high expectations and raising achievement for all students.
If assessment against the National Standards indicates that a child needs extending, then appropriate and challenging goals and programmes can be designed for them. [Question # 02194]
Given that the NZCER proposed a trial of Nat Stds
(http://www.nzcer.org.nz/pdfs/nzcer-submission-national-standards.pdf page 3)
what research has lead the government to proceed without a trial?
What research if any has led her to proceed with the implementation of national standards without a trial, and what account has she taken of any NZCER submission or research on the issue?
Response: Full national implementation with careful monitoring and evaluation is a better approach for long-term programmes like National Standards, than a trial in just a few schools. Evidence tells us what is needed to make the standards work.
The NZCER submission was considered along with all feedback received.
Changes were made to the draft standards as a result including a stronger alignment to the curriculum. [Question # 02195]
What will National Standards do that aSStle doesn’t?
Response: National Standards are not an assessment tool; they are clear descriptions of the skills students need in reading, writing and mathematics in order to meet the demands of the New Zealand Curriculum.
They are also aligned to NCEA Level 2. [Question # 2196]
Will she explain how she will ensure that those students who do not achieve national standards when tested, achieve them in the future?
Response: The implementation of National Standards does not involve nationally standardised testing. Students’ progress and achievement against National Standards will be assessed so that students know how well they are progressing, what’s next, and that parents and teachers know how to support and extend their learning. The Government has budgeted $36 million over three years to provide support for schools with students who are not making expected progress.
[Question # 02197]
I like that question Gnat. We need to see their projections for NS over 12 months, 3 years 5 years etc… Are these available anywhere?