Only one in three kids meeting writing standards

The Herald reports:

The Government is pushing on with NCEA changes as planned despite critics calling for a pause as just a third of students in a pilot programme passed the new writing standard.

The Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) said the results showed more time was needed for students and teachers to adapt to the new standards before the rollout began at level 1 in 2024 progressing to level 3 by 2026.

The Government has set new literacy, numeracy, Te Reo Matatini (Māori language literacy), and pāngarau (Māori language numeracy) standards that will need to be taken alongside NCEA.

The standards are being introduced because a study found 40 per cent of students who got NCEA level 2 were not functionally literate or numerate.

Ahead of the nationwide rollout the Ministry of Education has conducted pilots last year and this year. A nationwide pilot will also take place in 2023.

More than 200 schools, kura, and tertiary providers took place in the first pilot this year online.

The results showed just 64 per cent passed the reading standard, 34 per cent writing and 56 per cent numeracy, Te Reo Matatini (Māori language literacy) at 24 per cent and Pāngarau (Māori language numeracy) at just 18 per cent.

They are terrible results. This is not about having kids get university entrance. This is about them being able to count, read and write after ten years of schooling.

We should not be accepting anything less than say 90% to 95% meeting basic literacy and numeracy standards.