School reports will tell it how it is

Parents could be warned their children are performing well below expectations in a proposed move to "plain language" on school reports.

This week the Ministry of Education opened its proposed set of national standards for consultation, setting national standards for numeracy and literacy achievement and the way students' progress should be reported.

In the past parents have been confused by the language in school reports but the ministry is advocating "plain language reporting" - telling parents whether a child is achieving at the standard they should be, or whether they are just below, well below, just above or well above the national standard.

President of Auckland Primary Principals' Association Marilyn Gwilliam said parents needed to be told, in plain and simple language, how their child was doing. When they understood the areas in which their son or daughter struggled, they could work more constructively alongside the school to lift the child's achievement.

"You speak to any principal and they will say that as soon as you get the parents on board and the three parties are working together, it is so much better," she said.

Parents, educators and the broader public have until June 3 to send the ministry their submissions.

Mrs Gwilliam said most schools would not notice a difference when the Government rolls out the national standards.

"Good teachers and good schools are already doing it," she said.

Fiona Ell, mathematics education researcher at the University of Auckland, said the numeracy standards were based on work that had developed out of the Numeracy Development Project, which began in 2000.

"They haven't fallen from the sky or come out of someone's back pocket, they have been pretty much developed from resources with which teachers and researchers are familiar," she said.

Dr Ell said it was also important to note the standards had not been introduced to fix a failing system.

Dr Libby Limbrick, head of the school of arts, languages and literacy at the University of Auckland's education faculty, said the literary standards were "not perfect" but they were descriptive and more constructive than a pass or fail test.

Camilla Highfield, who heads the University of Auckland's professional development arm where trained educators go out into schools to provide ongoing training and support to existing teachers, said it was important educators at all levels of the system provided feedback.

"Constructive feedback during the consultation phase will be crucial in order to iron out any immediate issues and concerns," she said.