School boards have particular responsibilities for the use of National Standards in 2010. They should take leadership in ensuring the use of the standards, that they support The New Zealand Curriculum, and involving the school community in the standards.
Providing leadership for your school
Boards should support their principals and teachers in establishing their school assessment practices, and gathering and analysing baseline data to develop targets in reading, writing and maths.
In 2010 boards should work with their school community including parents, families, whānau and iwi, to understand what information they would like to see in school reports.
School priorities
In 2010 schools will focus on:
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providing a plain language written report to parents in the chosen format at least twice a year. At least one of these should include:
- the student’s current learning goals
- the student's progress and achievement in relation to the National Standards
- what the school will do to support the student’s learning
- what parents, families and whānau can do to support the child’s learning.
- setting school charter targets for 2011 in reading, writing and mathematics in relation to National Standards. This should be led by boards, and should use student progress and achievement data
- using analysed progress and achievement data to prioritise the allocation of resources for 2011.
Board knowledge
Board members should be clear about:
- the links between The New Zealand Curriculum and National Standards
- the assessment practices in their school, including what the board can and can’t tell from analysed assessment information
- the level of analysis within curriculum reporting
- strategies for monitoring curriculum targets.
The Ministry of Education is providing regional forums and online webinar training for schools, including board members.
Work with your principal to understand
- What processes and tools, including the online self-review tool, will the school use to reflect on and develop plans in relation to the use of National Standards?
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How well current school practices enable:
- teachers to use assessment data to provide focused teaching
- teachers to make judgements about student achievement and rates of progress
- teachers to report accurately and in plain language to parents and students
- school leaders to benchmark achievement information to inform self-review and plan and report?
