Enough already – no more tests please

Written By: - Date published: 5:00 pm, December 16th, 2008 - 15 comments
Categories: education - Tags:

When I went to my first parent/teacher interview I was amazed at the breadth of markers against which my daughter’s performance was being evaluated. I admired the commitment of the teacher to such a level of engagement. I felt fully aware and informed of my daughter’s strengths, and the areas we needed to work on. So when I read of National’s plans to introduce national testing I was agnostic to say the least. Now I see the NZ Principals Federation saying that the new Government’s bid to set national literacy and numeracy standards “totally unnecessary” and they want to work with the Ministry of Education to make sure no extra testing is put in place:

New Zealand Principals Federation president and Balclutha School principal Paddy Ford said schools already had testing tools to find under achieving pupils. Tests such as Assessment Tools for Teaching and Learning (ASTLE) (progress and achievement tests), Running Records (reading test) and STAR (school reading test) were used extensively, he said.

“We don’t need any more tests. We’ve already got enough tests in place – we’ve just got to use the ones we’ve already got. The Government is trying to do something that’s totally unnecessary.”

This government was elected on a platform of reducing compliance and red tape. Surely we have an inconsistency here? Perhaps that’s why they passed this legislation without allowing time through the select committee process for groups and individuals to make their contribution – and highlight that the changes were really not required in the first place.

Meanwhile what scenario awaits parents with children due to start school next year? I fancy the idea of an opt out clause myself……

15 comments on “Enough already – no more tests please ”

  1. Paul Robeson 1

    Where was this before the election?

    There was little or no defence of our current system. Now just like the 80s and 90s we’ve got some dumbfucks with half cooked ideas with their hands on the tiller, getting to use us as lab rats.

    I had got so used to competent government it was a complete shock to see that Nick Smith and Tim Grosser would actually disagree with each other over climate change. The government needs a clear position, and a mandated one.

    yikes. again.

  2. Janet 2

    Check Russell Brown’s Hard News post on Public Address (publicaddress.net) for 12 December. The thread went through the weekend and followed the debate in parliament and provides a lot of information about it.

  3. rainman 3

    I have kids in the school system, and have seen the primary, intermediate, and junior college systems up close and personal. My kids have been continually assessed since starting school, and provided with targeted activities to suit their capabilities, which vary by subject/competence. The school frequently reports progress to me in terms relevant to my needs. I’m one of those pushy parents who wants their kids to achieve as much as they can, so pick up on slacking 🙂 My partner’s a teacher, and spends vast amounts of her life delivering this assessment and development process.

    To describe this as better than the schooling system I grew up in (overseas), which was more one-size-fits-all to say the least, is a candidate for understatement of the century. There is no shortage of testing and assessment, at all, and little wrong with what is already in place. This is just the usual Nat wacko ideology at work. How it deserves to be legislated under urgency I cannot comprehend.

    We in NZ do not know how good our education system (and welfare, and health, and even police) is.

  4. Dancer 4

    Thanks Janet – it’s good to have the cross reference. And now back to convincing  the daughter (as mentioned above) to eat her dinner! Ah the big issues, the little issues. Such is the nature of existence…

  5. rainman 5

    Ok, just read the post about police spying on political parties – I withdraw my police reference above…

    The rest is pretty good though.

  6. burt 6

    rainman

    Your partner is a teacher and you are a pushy parent that has taken some responsibility for the outcomes of your daughters education. It’s undeniable that between yourself and your partner you understand and know how to get benefits from the assessment systems in place.

    The problem is that a lot of parents don’t take the same level of interest as you do and assessment systems that compare to national standards are optional in primary schools. This leaves parents who are struggling to get interested or concerned a perfect way to avoid taking any responsibility – IE: I don’t understand WTF this page of writing report is telling me.

  7. burt 7

    rainman

    Also, good on you for getting involved.

  8. deemac 8

    testing (and the school league tables that inevitably follow) have been thoroughly trialled elsewhere eg England and Wales, and have been an unmitigated disaster. So we don’t have to argue about their possible value, we can look at the results in Britain. The British government is now scrapping some tests precisely because of the deadening effect they have on education.
    Oh and the NZ police – for all their idiocies – are still better than the police in any other country I’ve lived in (google the recent police behaviour at Kingsnorth power station in the UK if you don’t believe me)

  9. Dale 9

    Yes im sure the universities are just loving having to teach their students how to spell and add.Something they are failing at school in very large numbers at the moment.Time to wake up people!Our education system is a mess.

  10. lenore 10

    Most reports systems are pretty straightforward these days and most schools give out a letter of explanation about the report including the star test and stanines plus there are still the comments and the often two or sometimes three parent interviews during the year as well as a reasonable an open door policy by most teachers, senior teachers, DPs and principals to talk about our kids.

    How much more my 3 kids could be tested, I don’t know, but I think it is a complete waste of time. I would rather the teachers have more time on the “doing” ie actually teaching and more resources / money was spent on reducing class sizes.

  11. Tim Ellis 11

    It seems to me the problem isn’t with the majority of children who succeed in what is an otherwise pretty successful state school system for the majority of children in the majority of schools. My kids have been through or are in the primary school system and have done very well out of a decile 8 school in Auckland. They all sat literacy and numeracy tests, and that was well reported to the parents.

    There seems to be two issues here though. I haven’t seen anything to suggest that the nationwide literacy and numeracy tests will be in addition to the tests already being done in schools. From what I’ve seen from National they appear to be advocating that the tests that most schools use be applied nationwide. That isn’t happening now. We’re not talking about new levels of tests being applied to kids who already have them.

    The second issue appears to be a number of schools, and for a number of kids, who aren’t being tested, and who manage to make their way through primary and secondary school without adequate levels of literacy and numeracy. There is an alarming number of kids who are simply being failed by our school system. Twenty percent functional illiteracy just isn’t good enough.

    I’m not convinced that the answer lies just in providing a proper testing regime for those kids and reporting it to their parents, although I don’t see a problem with doing that. Those parents need to be more involved in their kids’ education. The issues of poverty and associated deprivations seem to wreak havoc on the education of far too many kids in our state system, particularly in South Auckland.

    At the moment most of the bleating about a nationalised system seems to be coming from middle class teachers and principals in middle class schools. It isn’t those kids who are at risk, and I’d like to see a broader solution tackling the issues of poverty and poor educational outcomes emerge from this. Identifying which kids are at risk through a nationwide testing regime seems to be a good start.

  12. Dancer 12

    Tim you raise a good point. My impression was that the testing system was already used widely around the country – but I’d be interested to know whether I’m actually correct in that assumption. However this is just the sort of question that should have been before a select committee. Then the sector and the policy people could have told us the answer before the law enforcing the changes was rushed through under urgency.

  13. lampie 13

    “Yes im sure the universities are just loving having to teach their students how to spell and add.Something they are failing at school in very large numbers at the moment.Time to wake up people!Our education system is a mess.”

    Yes let us increase our 80% pass rate. Let us really make it easy to pass than it already is!!!

  14. Ianmac 14

    Identify the problem group then resource it well. Simple. Hey! Wait a minute. How come everyone already knows that there is a group of about 20% who are under par? Because the diagnostic testing is already being done!
    Perhaps the funding would be used to identify causes: health, autism, bullying, lack of intelligence, lack of intervention at the right time, funding, overcrowded classrooms and so on.
    Surprise! The same kids underachieving are often those who are disconnected with school and become truants!
    Like if you tested car drivers each time you went for a warrant of fitness you would bring down accidents and car deaths! Yes. It would cost millions more to run but hey. Believe me. The more you test drivers the better they will be.

  15. Rodel 15

    I once dealt with a student from Texas who came to New Zealand with pages and pages of computer print-outs which presented all the results of all the tests she’d undergone at school in Texas.An unbelievable number of tests.

    There were pages of columns and rows and nearly all the marks were in the percentiles 95 -99. Her parents (maybe friends of George) couldn’t understand why she was well below kiwi kids of the same age in basic literacy and numeracy skills.

    They decided that the NZ education system must be faulty.

    I think the Texas education system worked on the principal that testing is the same as teaching and if a child was tested enough then that was equivalent to being educated.
    Is this what our Nactional party experts think?

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  • MICHAEL BASSETT: A new Ministry – at last
    Michael Bassett writes – Like most people, I was getting heartily sick of all the time being wasted over the coalition negotiations. During the first three weeks Winston grinned like a Cheshire cat, certain he’d be needed; Chris Luxon wasted time in lifting the phone to Winston ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • Luxon's Breakfast.
    The Prime Minister elect had his silver fern badge on. He wore it to remind viewers he was supporting New Zealand, that was his team. Despite the fact it made him look like a concierge, or a welcomer in a Koru lounge. Anna Burns-Francis, the Breakfast presenter, asked if he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL:  Oranga Tamariki faces major upheaval under coalition agreement
     Lindsay Mitchell writes – A hugely significant gain for ACT is somewhat camouflaged by legislative jargon. Under the heading ‘Oranga Tamariki’ ACT’s coalition agreement contains the following item:   Remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 According to Oranga Tamariki:     “Section ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record. Brian Easton writes – 1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • Cathrine Dyer's guide to watching COP 28 from the bottom of a warming planet
    Is COP28 largely smoke and mirrors and a plan so cunning, you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel? Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: COP28 kicks off on November 30 and up for negotiation are issues like the role of fossil fuels in the energy transition, contributions to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Monday, Nov 27
    PM Elect Christopher Luxon was challenged this morning on whether he would sack Adrian Orr and Andrew Coster.TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am on Monday November 27, including:Signs councils are putting planning and capital spending on hold, given a lack of clear guidance ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the new government’s policies of yesteryear
    This column expands on a Werewolf column published by Scoop on Friday Routinely, Winston Peters is described as the kingmaker who gets to decide when the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded but equally important role as the ...
    7 days ago
  • The New Government’s Agreements
    Last Friday, almost six weeks after election day, National finally came to an agreement with ACT and NZ First to form a government. They also released the agreements between each party and looking through them, here are the things I thought were the most interesting (and often concerning) from the. ...
    7 days ago
  • How many smokers will die to fund the tax cuts?
    Maori and Pasifika smoking rates are already over twice the ‘all adult’ rate. Now the revenue that generates will be used to fund National’s tax cuts. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The devil is always in the detail and it emerged over the weekend from the guts of the policy agreements National ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • How the culture will change in the Beehive
    Perhaps the biggest change that will come to the Beehive as the new government settles in will be a fundamental culture change. The era of endless consultation will be over. This looks like a government that knows what it wants to do, and that means it knows what outcomes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago
  • No More Winnie Blues.
    So what do you think of the coalition’s decision to cancel Smokefree measures intended to stop young people, including an over representation of Māori, from taking up smoking? Enabling them to use the tax revenue to give other people a tax cut?David Cormack summed it up well:It seems not only ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #47
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 19, 2023 thru Sat, Nov 25, 2023.  Story of the Week World stands on frontline of disaster at Cop28, says UN climate chief  Exclusive: Simon Stiell says leaders must ‘stop ...
    1 week ago
  • Some of it is mad, some of it is bad and some of it is clearly the work of people who are dangerous ...
    On announcement morning my mate texted:Typical of this cut-price, fake-deal government to announce itself on Black Friday.What a deal. We lose Kim Hill, we gain an empty, jargonising prime minister, a belligerent conspiracist, and a heartless Ayn Rand fanboy. One door closes, another gets slammed repeatedly in your face.It seems pretty ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • “Revolution” is the threat as the Māori Party smarts at coalition government’s Treaty directi...
    Buzz from the Beehive Having found no fresh announcements on the government’s official website, Point of Order turned today to Scoop’s Latest Parliament Headlines  for its buzz. This provided us with evidence that the Māori Party has been soured by the the coalition agreement announced yesterday by the new PM. “Soured” ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • The Good, the Bad, and the even Worse.
    Yesterday the trio that will lead our country unveiled their vision for New Zealand.Seymour looking surprisingly statesmanlike, refusing to rise to barbs about his previous comments on Winston Peters. Almost as if they had just been slapstick for the crowd.Winston was mostly focussed on settling scores with the media, making ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • When it Comes to Palestine – Free Speech is Under Threat
    Hi,Thanks for getting amongst Mister Organ on digital — thanks to you, we hit the #1 doc spot on iTunes this week. This response goes a long way to helping us break even.I feel good about that. Other things — not so much.New Zealand finally has a new government, and ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • Thank you Captain Luxon. Was that a landing, or were we shot down?
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Also in More Than A FeildingFriday The unboxing And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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