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No school rankings but data available to public - Parata

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No school rankings but data available to public - Parata

3News NZ

Hekia Parata says she doesn't plan to rank schools but school achievement data will be available publicly

Hekia Parata says she doesn't plan to rank schools but school achievement data will be available publicly

By Lloyd Burr

The Minister of Education has remained cagey about the introduction of school league tables today, taking a swipe at the media instead.

Hekia Parata says she has no plans to rank schools based on achievement but says each school’s achievement information would be publicly available.

“The data is public data and is published in the annual reports of every school, every year,” she says.

And despite there being no tables which ranks schools, parents will be able to look at school achievements and draw conclusions themselves.

The notion of ‘league tables’, Ms Parata says, is something the media have created.

 “You are talking about league tables, the media are talking about league tables,” she says.

“I accept there is concern in the sector about media reporting…the media are the only ones talking about this,” she says.

But education academics are also talking about the issue, with 100 of them signing a letter opposing league tables, calling them “educationally harmful” and the political argument for them “unreliable and flawed”.

Ms Parata says she hasn’t seen the letter, other than what has been reported, but says there needs to be an “informed conversation” so all parties are on the same page.

Last month Prime Minister John Key said parents were “desperate” for a way to measure school quality and league tables could be the best solution. 

"Measuring the progress of your child and seeing whether they are, in fact, achieving the national standard is absolutely critical information,” he said.

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Comments

19/07/2012 6:10:11 p.m.

Teacher wrote:

The whole National Standards thing is a joke...they are waffly statements that are "aspirational" ...not "standards". They have been proven to fail overseas...BUT wait...NZ will do it better....how you ask? Well the government have made them OTJs...what is this you ask? Overall teacher JUDGMENT .....hmmmm, so my opinion vs the teacher down the road, in the same school we can't agree where to place children according to these waffly statements....how do you think 2 schools can come up with the same judgements let alone a nation! I o
Love that the media won't explain these in their league tables, we all use different tests as it is, so the data you will see will be comparing pears with apples. And the best bit, when we drop from being 5th -7th ( because yes that is where we sit internationally) you can guarantee teachers will be blamed! We are about to witness the dumbing down of a nation...Thanks National!

17/07/2012 11:30:09 p.m.

David wrote:

Since when do Hekia or Key know what they are doing. If ACC is anything to go by then the government is only paying lip service and really doesnt care what experts have to say at all.

17/07/2012 7:14:23 p.m.

Mel wrote:

I am going to put a complaint into the Privacy Commissioner. Why? Because when Hekia releases the data from my school it will impinge the privacy of many of my students. I teach at a small, rural school, with less than 50 students. I only have one Y8 and one Year 7, and seven each in Years 5&6, and so on. Everyone in the WHOLE district will know who has achieved what. Is that fair on each individual child? No. Has Hekia, John and their cronies thought this one through, especially in regards to small schools? No. Have they listened to the teaching profession who live and breath this daily with passion? No!!! They treat us with contempt and belittle the expertise we have, then tie both hands behind our back and force unresearched right-wing GERM idealogy on children and teachers and rubbish us as self serving when we point out the errors of their ways. If you think teachers are a bunch of whingers who should shut up and do as they are told, come and spend a day or two in a class and then stand up and justify your position, because I am over the teacher bashing and I am over the danger that my students' education is in because of this National led government full of people who know stuff all about education but proceed to tell me (with a four year education degree and a post grad diploma and 17 years of teaching experience) that I don't know what I'm doing and I am the reason we have a tail of underachievement. That that brings me to another lie... it isn't 1/5 or 20% failing - it is less than 14% according to proper research conducted by the NZCER.