Ian McKelvie: Ditching National Standards 'crazy'

Not everybody loved National Standards. Masterton teachers and parents marched in 2013 against education reforms and National Standards. Photo / File

National Standards provided a universal platform whereby teachers, parents, whānau and caregivers could track a child's progress.

With National Standards it was easy to determine how a child was getting on at school, when intervention was required — or alternatively, when a child showed exceptional ability and needed extension.

The system also catered for children who changed schools, because National Standards were universal.

Labour has dropped National Standards but hasn't got a better idea or an alternative, despite nine years to think about it. In fact, it has no plans to replace them with anything.
Apparently the teachers' union (the New Zealand Educational Institute — NZEI) is happy with the decision.

What this Labour-NZ First-Greens Government seems to have forgotten is one of the main reasons why National Standards were introduced in the first place. National Standards were born to address widespread concern voiced by teachers regarding their Year 9 students starting secondary school who were well below where they should have been for literacy and numeracy levels.

It made it very difficult, if not impossible, they said, to get them up to speed in three years and capable of achieving NCEA level 1, let alone levels 2 and 3.

It is important to note that essentially the premise behind National Standards was that it drew a line between the point where each individual Kiwi kid started school through to where that same child achieved NCEA level 2 by the end of their 12th year in the education system. Level 2 is the level of qualification required to start an apprenticeship or join the armed forces.

By reporting a child's progress — or lack thereof — against National Standards, it was possible to ensure they were on the right trajectory. It was also possible, regardless of which or how many schools they attended, to intervene if they dropped below the line.

While it may not have been perfect, it proved a great resource for parents and teachers alike. More importantly, it had a significant effect on achievement levels at secondary school.

In 2008, before the introduction of National Standards a year later, the average pass rates for NCEA levels 1 and 2 were 71 per cent and 76 per cent respectively. Four years later, in 2012, pass rates for level 1 were 79 per cent and level 2 was 84 per cent.

By 2016, pass rates increased further to 88 per cent and 90 per cent respectively. This represents a staggering 17 per cent increase in the number of students achieving level 1 in the space of eight years, while the increase in the number of students gaining a level 2 qualification was 14 per cent.

In percentage terms, it's impressive, but when you talk about these results in terms of people and families and lives and potential, the difference is huge.

Education is not a tool to be used to play petty politics — it's far too important for that.
And to get rid of National Standards without a viable alternative is crazy. It will have a detrimental effect on young New Zealanders as they chart the course of their futures.