ERO raps monitoring process in schools

The watchdog of school performance, the Education Review Office (ERO), reported last month that about two-thirds of school leaders in their sample used “limited or poor processes to monitor the progress and achievement” of Year 1 and 2 pupils.

These findings are dire when so much of children’s success at school depends on the foundations laid during these early years.

Monitoring student progress and achievement adequately is important as it shows us whether children are succeeding, as they should be; if not, monitoring gives us the chance to do something about it.

This is a timely concern as it coincides with schools preparing to implement national literacy and numeracy standards this year.

The ERO report strengthens the case for such standards, as it indicates that many schools need to develop better processes for assessing and reporting pupils’ educational achievement.

Monitoring student progress and achievement is important as it has multiple flow-on effects for pupils’ education.

Research indicates that feedback is useful for pupils so that they can understand how they are doing and where they need to improve.

Teachers can also benefit from feedback since they can see how effective their teaching has been over the years.

Research suggests that pupils do better when schools have a culture of collecting and sharing information and using it to reflect on quality teaching.

The new national literacy and numeracy standards will require all schools with Year 1 to Year 8 pupils to report to parents and Education Ministry about their pupils’ progress in relation to standards based on the New Zealand curriculum.

This means school leaders will have to develop monitoring and reporting processes if they do not already have them.

The standards are therefore likely to have a good impact on the concerning findings of the ERO report.

While the findings support the case for the standards, they do not invalidate concerns voiced by some principals and academics about the rushed introduction of the standards. If their introduction is substandard (like that of the NCEA), it could be a massive setback for a generation of pupils.

The Government has promised an extra $36 million to support the standards.

Given the ERO’s findings, the Government could use some of that money to provide assistance to schools that need the most help in improving the way they monitor and report on pupils’ achievement.

This would help school leaders make the most of the opportunity that national standards presents.