Narrow focus on standards 'overwhelms'

New Zealand's "world class" wide-ranging curriculum had been devised over decades if not centuries, says MPS principal Sue Walters.

Schools are losing focus on subjects like art and music because of increasing pressure to push reading, writing and maths, a Wairarapa principal warns.

New Zealand's "world class" wide-ranging curriculum had been devised over decades if not centuries, said Masterton Primary Principals' Association president Sue Walters.

"[But] it's come down to literacy and numeracy."

Her comments follow the release of the latest report from the Research, Analysis and Insight into National Standards (Rains) project which analysed how six schools had fared with national standards.

Waikato University professor Martin Thrupp, who led the study, said worrying trends had popped up in schools since the standards for reading, writing and mathematics were implemented in 2010.

Schools were finding it tough to make time for subjects such as art, history and social studies, because of the pressure to focus on core national standards skills.

Ms Walters, of decile three Masterton Primary School, said high-decile school students with professional parents probably faced more "ferocious" pressure to do well in national standards.

"Our parents are really pleased that their kids come first in the kapa haka, and that they can read.

"But what is forced on you ... is this narrowing of the curriculum."

In September an Education Ministry-commissioned report found Kiwi teachers' use of the standards last year lacked dependability, ranking children's reading, writing and maths correctly only about 60 per cent of the time.

Professor Thrupp said there was a need for immediate change in the policy to help students and teachers because national standards assessment was becoming too dominant in schools.

The New Zealand Educational Institute commissioned the Rains report.

President Judith Nowotarski said the rigorous research presented indisputable evidence that national standards were damaging primary school education. "For us, key findings are that already national standards have started to have a negative impact on primary schools and the teaching of children - despite the best intention of staff to continue to provide a rich and creative curriculum for children."

Time spent measuring, testing and assessing standards was taking teachers away from real teaching and learning, and other vitally important areas of the curriculum were given less attention, she said.

"We know that subjects such as science, for instance, will be vital for the economy yet national standards do not encourage any focus on that subject.

"But overall, an important principle to remember is that not all children learn the same way or progress at the same rate, or at the same time, so it is wrong and misleading to place an arbitrary measure at a particular point in a child's age and say they are failing if they do not meet a certain point at a certain time."

Education Minister Hekia Parata told Radio New Zealand last month that national standards were a response to previous concerns with the education system.

- Additional reporting Vaimoana Tapaleao, APNZ