From this term, a new national reporting framework will give parents standardised report updates on their children’s progress in reading, writing and maths across primary and intermediate schools.
The changes, being promoted by Education Minister Erica Stanford, introduce nationally consistent assessment and reporting “regardless of which school their child attends”.
Under the changes, parents of students in Years 0–10 will receive reports with one of five progress descriptors describing learning progress in subjects, and an explanation of why that descriptor was chosen and how parents can support their kids’ next learning steps.
The five progress descriptors were: Emerging, Developing, Consolidating, Proficient, and Exceeding.
Major changes to the way parents will track children’s learning – Watch on TVNZ+
Additionally, parents would also receive information on students’ progress over time, on attendance, and phonics achievement.
“For too long, New Zealand has lacked consistent, reliable information on how students are progressing in the basics,” Stanford said.
“The Education Review Office and Assessment Institute have been clear that without nationally consistent assessment and reporting, parents can be left without information they need, and the system cannot respond early when children need support.”
Stanford added: “Parents have long called for clearer, more detailed reporting on academic achievement, and this new framework delivers that clarity.
“It supports parents to understand their child’s progress over time and to be active partners in their learning.”
School reports on other learning areas, values, and behaviour would continue as it does now. Many schools already provide strong reporting and may continue using their existing templates where these meet the new expectations, a spokesperson said.
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NZEI Te Riu Roa Principal’s Council chairperson Stephanie Madden described the introduction of the assessment tool “rushed” and raised questions about its readiness.
“Teachers want to ensure they can continue using a range of tools that are fit for purpose for our curriculum, appropriate for our context in Aotearoa, and provide both teachers and parents with useful information to inform future learning,” she said.
“Furthermore, teachers seek to guard against the over-use of standardised assessments for young learners and want water-tight guarantees regarding data privacy to prevent the creation of school league tables.”
The Government said its new report framework responded “directly to expert advice and long-standing concerns about assessment and reporting.”
Year 3-8s to have twice-yearly progress check-ins
The second part of the change this year was the introduction of twice-yearly progress check-ins for students in Years 3–8 in reading, writing and maths using specified tools.
The progress check-ins will align with mid-year and end-of-year reporting, “helping parents see how their child is tracking across the year, not just at a single point in time.”
This was supported by the new SMART – standing for Student Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting Tool – progress monitoring system. Schools had the choice of tools between SMART, PATs (Progressive Achievement Tests), and e-asTTle.
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“The SMART tool is a low-stakes, light-touch way to support consistent assessment. It is not designed to replace teacher judgment,” Stanford said.
“Teachers will continue to use their professional expertise, drawing on classroom work, observations and assessments. These tools support that judgement and help ensure parents receive clear, consistent information.”
Schools and kura have been provided with resources to help implement these changes, including information sheets and guidance documents, with webinars and videos to come by the end of March, according to the Ministry of Education.
“These changes ensure parents are better informed, teachers are supported, and students get help earlier when they need it. That is how we lift achievement and ensure every child can reach their potential,” Stanford said.
“I wish all students and teachers the very best as they return to school this year.”