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Greens say data for schools is unreliable

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Greens say data for schools is unreliable

3News NZ

Green Party education spokeswoman Catherine Delahunty said treating education as if it was a competitive sport was not the way forward

Green Party education spokeswoman Catherine Delahunty said treating education as if it was a competitive sport was not the way forward

The Green Party is warning that information about standards in primary schools is unreliable.

Education Minister Hekia Parata released the first set of national standards data for primary schools yesterday, which showed 76 percent reached, or exceeded, the national standard for reading, 72 percent for maths and 68 percent for writing.

Today, Fairfax Media published data it compiled for more than 1000 individual schools.

Green Party education spokeswoman Catherine Delahunty said treating education as if it was a competitive sport was not the way forward.

"Schools throughout New Zealand are tackling complex issues, many relating to wider socio-economic problems. Some schools are achieving amazing results that are not captured in the way the national standards data is collated."

The publishing of standards failed to take the wider issues into account, she said.

"The Government's ideological policies and the desire by some in the media to come up with ranking systems will harm the long-term educational prospects of our children."

New Zealand Educational Institute national president Ian Leckie said the decision by Fairfax to publish their own version of data extracted from schools' annual reports was a business decision for a media organisation.

NZN

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Comments

23/09/2012 7:58:30 a.m.

Nellie Morri wrote:

In 2010 and 2011, our kids missed many many hours of schooling becasue of the earthquakes, and they were shuffled either into different schools or from school to school, sometimes coming home late in the evening... yes national standards do not reflect the wonderful work that teachers, parents and students have done to overcome these difficulties....

23/09/2012 7:29:33 a.m.

Mike wrote:

Its also saying that the teachers who vote mostly opposition are deliberately saboaguing the data and not doing their jobs properly.

Now if you worked in the private sector and sabotagued stuff at work, what would happen to your job?

22/09/2012 10:19:24 p.m.

Jim Seaview wrote:

QUOTE: "Green Party education spokeswoman Catherine Delahunty said treating education as if it was a competitive sport was not the way forward. "Schools throughout New Zealand are tackling complex issues, many relating to wider socio-economic problems. Some schools are achieving amazing results that are not captured in the way the national standards data is collated." @ERM I agree with you. The National Standards data is not produced as competitive sport to see which school is best - it produces the hard data to see if a school is reaching a certain level against a National benchmark. Even if we allow for some defects it will show which schools require more support in terms of further teacher training or more resources whatever. The worst part is that I am not sure what Green Party education spokeswoman Catherine Delahunty is waffling on about especially when she says National Standards data will harm the long-term educational prospects of our children, but doesnt give any examples of alleged harm or what the Green Party would do (with National Standards) if it formed a Government with Mana, NZ First, Labour and their Unions - all led by Winstone Peters. It is very easy to moan and groan without putting forward any other options or plans for the intelligent voters to peruse and challenge.

22/09/2012 6:54:51 p.m.

Erm... wrote:

So what the Greens are saying is that data is no use and that parents are not intelligent enough to work things out. Thanks Greens - we'll just vote for your nanny state where you can tell us what to do without telling us why.