Tolley: national standards could be disaster

Written By: - Date published: 11:20 am, November 9th, 2009 - 23 comments
Categories: education - Tags:

Key and Tolley looking very smugThe man National credits with coming up with the idea of national standards has warned the incompetence of Education Minister Anne Tolley could make it a disaster and Tolley agrees.

John Hattie told the Sunday Star Times national standards:

  • Could be the most disastrous education policy ever formulated.
  • Will only barely raise student achievement, if at all.
  • Could “pervert the nature of teaching” by pitting schools and teachers against one another.
  • the standards themselves the targets students will be measured against are “untested and experimental” and need to be drawn up based on evidence, not committees
  • “My terror is that if we go down the wrong pathway, it will fail”

In response, Tolley said “We both acknowledge that this is a momentous moment in time, if you like, and that it can go either way.”

Well, that’s reassuring.

23 comments on “Tolley: national standards could be disaster ”

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  1. Pascal's bookie 1
    9 November 2009 at 11:37 am

    “We both acknowledge that this is a momentous moment in time, if you like, and that it can go either way.’

    She’s just lucky to be Minister in such exciting times, when the stars have not only aligned, but national standards have descended from them, like little gamma rays upon our children’s heads.

  2. Draco T Bastard 2
    9 November 2009 at 12:26 pm

    I expect it to go the wrong way because, well, National’s a walking disaster area.

  3. vidiot 3
    9 November 2009 at 12:38 pm

    “Tolley: national standards could be disaster”

    Nice twist MG, make it look like her saying that, when she didn’t. Talk about bias commentary. Stick to making graphs & figures up as misquoting is very parse.

    • Pascal's bookie 3.1
      9 November 2009 at 1:01 pm

      parse: fail

    • DeeDub 3.2
      9 November 2009 at 1:30 pm

      bias: fail

    • Draco T Bastard 3.3
      9 November 2009 at 2:25 pm

      Tolley said “We both acknowledge that this is a momentous moment in time, if you like, and that it can go either way.’

      That’s the actual quote which does actually say that national standards could be a disaster.

    • Craig Glen Eden 3.4
      9 November 2009 at 4:09 pm

      Comprehension is a great skill vidiot, its a shame you don’t or cant, or is it that you just want to attack the writer instead of debating the issue. If Tolley has been quoted correctly then the headline is fair enough, it could also say
      Tolley: National standards could be a success.

      Which statement is more correct? Neither ,but both are legitimate.

      Stop being so precious and lets hear what you think about the issue, will National standards be a success or not?

  4. Julie Fairey 4
    9 November 2009 at 12:44 pm

    Tell she didn’t really say “momentous moment”. Please. Minister for what now?

  5. Macro 5
    9 November 2009 at 8:21 pm

    I have little doubt that this so called “experiment” will be an unmitigated disaster. We have a person in charge who has no idea of what constitutes education. What Tolley has in mind is actually ‘Training”. You train an adult to screw thingiemebobs onto whatsits or what ever. You train a child to say “please” and “thank you” to be polite. But it is not education. Education is to bring to the child new ideas and understandings of the world in which they live. A teacher who is marking endless assessment sheets of “National Standards” will have neither the time nor the inclination to do anything other than train the children in their class for the next assessment hurdle. A class that achieves well in the assessment will be hailed as having done well, and the teacher will be lauded as a successful teacher – but the teacher – if she has any comprehension of what her profession is about, will well know that the children have been sold a dummy!
    The end result will be parrot learning of what Ann Tolley thinks is important. But children will not be ready for a changing world that even Ann Tolley has little conception.

    • Ianmac 5.1
      9 November 2009 at 8:44 pm

      Well put Macro. And if you are an unscrupulous lead teacher you can always be a bit choosy as to who is chosen for your class. “Just the bright, white, middleclass children please. I have standards to uphold you know. The rest of you can fit in some other poor beggars class.”

      If only the millions being put into testing were given to the programmes which have already identified those who are failing. We know who are in the bottom 20% now dammit!

      • Ianmac 5.1.1
        9 November 2009 at 8:47 pm

        Oh and the day that the funds were diverted into the needy, won’t that be a “Momentous Moment!” Well spotted Julie. Must use it more often.
        “It was a “Momentous Moment!” for the Minister of Education when….

      • Macro 5.1.2
        9 November 2009 at 9:04 pm

        Exactly!
        But doesn’t that happen already?

        • Ianmac 5.1.2.1
          9 November 2009 at 9:23 pm

          Macro If you men do they ID and then help those in need? Yes of course they do but it is far too little. Only a few lucky ones get helped. But imagine what could be done for Special Needs with the 80 odd Million being spent on Standards. Spose it would not be as politically rewarding for Tolley’s Momentous Moment!

      • Ari 5.1.3
        9 November 2009 at 9:11 pm

        But it’s not about identifying who’s failing, it’s about redirecting wealthy students from public schools to private schools by creating a league table.

        • Macro 5.1.3.1
          9 November 2009 at 9:19 pm

          Yes Ari – that is the hidden Agenda!
          And the extra $46 million will be there to support them! – but we have to can the science and PT advisors to fund this momentous moment.

  6. Macro 6
    9 November 2009 at 8:59 pm

    Does Singapore 84/85 mean anything to you Ianmac?

  7. Macro 7
    9 November 2009 at 9:20 pm

    Lots! I thought our paths may have crossed.

    • Ianmac 7.1
      9 November 2009 at 9:26 pm

      Macro: No to Singapore but next week I’m off to Abu Dhabi for 3 months. (Working off Dial up in a rural cottage until I go so limited access to Blog.) Cheers

  8. Macro 8
    9 November 2009 at 10:01 pm

    Wow sounds great! – not the dial up tho! but I guess you can’t have everything.
    Just long enough to get over the “culture shock!” But I think you will enjoy it all – none the less.

  9. Johnny 9
    10 November 2009 at 11:50 am

    The original post says:

    ” The man National credits with coming up with the idea of national standards has warned the incompetence of Education Minister Anne Tolley could make it a disaster and Tolley agrees ”

    I recall Bill English was always a champion of National Standards and National Testing when he was spokesman on Educaiton.

    It makes sense to me that Bill English came up with the policy. Along with Rodney Hide and Hone Harawira, he forms part of a triumvirate of privilege exploiters .

    • Ianmac 9.1
      10 November 2009 at 12:13 pm

      Do you think that the kids at Private schools will be obliged to undergo in National Standards. eg Bill’s or Tolley’s kids/grandchildren’s schools?

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