National Curriculum Statements

The national curriculum statements are the documents which schools will use to ensure that teaching and learning programmes enable all students to meet the requirements of the New Zealand Curriculum.

The national curriculum statements spell out in greater detail the required learning described in The New Zealand Curriculum Framework.Other publications will deal with elements of the framework, such as assessment, gender and cultural issues in the curriculum, and the essential skills.
The national curriculum statements are developed by the Ministry of Education following widespread consultation with teachers, other educators, boards of trustees, and the wider community, including the business community. In this way, all statements build on the best of New Zealand experience and research. Drafts are sent to schools for comment and trialling before final statements are published for implementation.

The statements define in more detail the knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes, and values which are described in The New Zealand Curriculum Framework. They specify the learning outcomes for all students. In each statement, several strands of learning are identified, each with one or more achievement aims. For each of these strands, sets of specific objectives, referred to as the achievement objectives, are denned. These objectives are set out in a number of levels, usually eight, to indicate progression and continuity of learning throughout schooling from year 1 to year 13.
The following diagram gives an example of how this structure might be expressed in the national curriculum statements.

The Learning Strands

In any one class, students may be working at a range of levels, both in the different learning areas, and within a single learning area. They will work at their own rate while being encouraged to strive for higher goals.

The national curriculum statements also suggest assessment procedures, and provide assessment examples. Furthermore, they contain guidelines on appropriate teaching and learning approaches.
The statements are sufficiently broad and flexible to allow for local interpretation and elaboration. Such flexibility will empower schools and teachers to design programmes which are relevant to the learning needs of their students and communities. At the same time, the statements are sufficiently specific to provide students, teachers, parents, and communities with clear information about what is to be learned and achieved during the years of schooling.

		Assessment

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School-based Assessment

Records of School Achievement

National Monitoring of Standards

Assessment for Qualifications

Assessment is an integral part of the curriculum. The New Zealand Curriculum builds on the close relationship between leanirng and assessment. It provides clear learning outcomes against which students' progress can be measured.

Assessment in the New Zealand Curriculum is carried out for a number of purposes. The primary purpose of school-based assessment is to improve students' learning and the quality of learning programmes. Other purposes of assessment include providing feedback to parents and students, awarding qualifications at the senior secondary school level, and monitoring overall national educational standards. Assessment also identifies learning needs so that resources can be effectively targeted.

To meet these different purposes, a range of assessment procedures is required. Such procedures will build on established classroom practices, and will draw on research and experience in New Zealand and overseas.

Assessment will recognise the differences in gender, culture, background, and experience that students bring to their learning. Every effort will be made to ensure that assessment procedures are fair to all students, and clearly understood by students and their parents. Procedures will be developed to address the specific learning needs of all students.

		School-based Assessment

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Assessment of individual students' progress is essentially diagnostic. Such assessment is integral to the learning and teaching programme. Its purpose is to improve teaching and learning by diagnosing learning strengths and weaknesses, measuring students' progress against the defined achievement objectives, and reviewing the effectiveness of teaching programmes. The information which teachers record from these assessments enables clear profiles of individual students' achievement to be built. These profiles are used to inform teachers about each student's learning and development and to provide the basis for feedback to students and parents.

Existing school-based assessment methods which are known to be effective cover a range of formal and informal procedures. These include diagnostic surveys, running records used in reading programmes, checkpoints in mathematics programmes, a range of formal and informal tests, observations, anecdotal records, and self-assessment by students. National curriculum statements provide assessment examples which suggest a range of appropriate assessment procedures for classroom teachers to use and build on.

		Records of School Achievement

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Primary school records, together with results of assessment procedures in the secondary school and information about students' involvement in school activities, provide cumulative information on a student's school achievement, which is passed on from year to year and from school to school.
The primary school records system is based on the assessment of an individual student's level of achievement rather than on comparisons between students. Students' progress is assessed against the sets of learning objectives in the national curriculum statements, which identify broad levels of achievement in knowledge, understanding, skills, and attitudes. The system also records students' personal and social development.

A record of achievement at secondary school provides a profile of the school leaver. This record will include an assessment of the student's level of achievement in relation to the learning objectives and the development of the essential skills. It will also include a statement of the student's performance in national examinations and qualifications, a section on personal qualities, and a summary of involvement in school activities. The record of achievement can be used by the student for various purposes, such as seeking employment or pursuing further education and/or training.

		National Monitoring of Standards

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Assessment for national monitoring is designed to evaluate overall educational standards. It focuses on the national system rather than the individual student or school. The New Zealand programme for national monitoring will use standardised procedures, will take place at a set time during the year, and will involve a light sample (probably five percent) of students at ages eight (year 4)and twelve (year 8). It will take place on a three- or four-year cycle, and will build up a national picture of students' achievement over time. The purpose is to provide information on how well overall national standards are being maintained, and where improvements might be needed.

		Assessment for Qualifications

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Curriculum and assessment policy for all years of schooling is based on the New Zealand Curriculum documents, and is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education. Examinations and assessments for the purpose of awarding senior secondary school qualifications are the responsibility of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. Standards for such examinations and assessments will be based on the learning outcomes of the national curriculum statements.

Foreword | National Curriculum | The Principles | Essential Learning Areas |

The Essential Skills |Attitudes and Values | National Curriculum Statements | Context

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