ERO Praises Primary Teacher Success

March 3, 2005

From NZEI Te Riu Roa

ERO Praises Primary Teacher Success In Teaching Children To Read

An ERO report praising primary teachers on how well they’re teaching reading to children aged eight and 12 shows what teachers can achieve when they are given good support by the education system says NZEI Te Riu Roa National President, Colin Tarr.

He was commenting on a survey by the Education Review Office of 112 primary schools in Term 3 last year on how well they taught reading to Year 4 and Year 8 students.

The report found that nearly two thirds, 63%, of all schools in the sample were effective or highly effective in the design and implementation of their reading programmes. And that:

73% of the teachers were effective or highly effective in applying their subject and teaching knowledge to their reading programmes. 81% were effective or highly effective in their use of reading resources. 84% were effective or highly effective in their assessment of student achievement. 80% were effective or highly effective in their ability to engage students in learning to read.

The ERO report concludes: “Overall it appears that students not only enjoy and participate in reading but their teachers provide them with real and meaningful opportunities for success in reading.”

“This is high praise from ERO,” says Colin Tarr. “They have found that these children are motivated and switched onto reading and that’s a testament to the quality of the work their teachers are doing in this area.”

The report also states that: “almost without exception” the teachers involved in the survey felt confident and capable at teaching reading; over two thirds felt their initial teacher education had prepared them to teach reading; and over two thirds had undertaken some professional development in the teaching of reading since starting their teaching career. The report also states that students were being provided with a good range of appropriate teaching and learning texts.

“This show what teachers can achieve when the education system provides them with good initial teacher education, effective professional development and good teaching and learning resources,” says Colin Tarr.

ENDS

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