Implementation evaluation
21/07/08
Implementation of The New Zealand Curriculum is the subject of an intensive project called MECI (Monitoring and Evaluating Curriculum Implementation. The project is guided by the following conceptual framework:
- SUPPORT ENCOUNTERS – what people, web and publication supports are educators encountering and how valuable are they?
- RECEPTIVITY – do educators value the curriculum, feel that they are confident in implementing it and that it is feasible to do so?
- UNDERSTANDINGS – how do educators understand curriculum requirements and the changes that might be needed?
- PRACTICE – how is the NZC being implemented in schools/classrooms?
An important information source for the evaluation will be an online survey of principals, teachers and teacher educators.
Invitations will be sent after the July holidays to a random sample of schools, via email to the principal or school office. Principals who agree to participate will be asked to forward the invitation to their teachers. The first survey will be live between late July and early August.
The survey presents an opportunity for educators to reflect on curriculum implementation in their schools, and to gain access to reports that summarise their data across time and in comparison to national trends.
In the survey, principals and teachers will be asked about schools’ receptiveness to the curriculum, their progress in implementing it, their understanding of what it requires, and their views about support that has been offered.
The first survey will establish baseline data to be compared against results of further surveys in March and November 2009.
The surveys will be complemented by other evaluation methods including focus groups and interviews with selected teachers, principals and teacher educators.
GET INVOLVED
Educators interested in participating in the ‘touching base interviews’ should express their interest in an email to meci@auckland.ac.nz.
The project for the Ministry of Education is led by University of Auckland Faculty of Education researchers Drs Claire Sinnema and Graeme Aitken.