Good progress on the curriculum compromised

21 July 2011

Good progress on the curriculum compromised by National Standards

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa warns much of the good progress being made on implementing the New Zealand Curriculum is being compromised by the government’s narrow focus on National Standards.

An ERO report “Directions for Learning: The New Zealand Curriculum Principles and Teaching as Inquiry” shows the vast majority of schools are making good progress in implementing the eight principles of the revised curriculum and the processes that it sets out.

“School leaders are very committed to the curriculum and the principles on which it is based because it was carefully developed, and there was full and lengthy consultation with the sector. It is innovative and creative in its approach and encourages children to be independent, inquiring learners,” says NZEI’s Immediate Past-President Frances Nelson.

“However the reality is that full implementation of the curriculum is being compromised as schools are forced to put their curriculum work on the back-burner to concentrate on implementing a rushed set of narrow National Standards which they have no confidence in.”

“National Standards are an unwanted distraction and are completely at odds with the curriculum and the inquiry learning it promotes,” she says.

In its push to implement National Standards the government has also made big cuts to the school advisory service. Specialist curriculum advisors, who help schools improve the quality of their science, art or physical education content have been let go. The funding has been redirected towards National Standards to boost the numbers of advisors in literacy and numeracy.

“That means for those schools which want or need additional curriculum advice, the support and professional development opportunities are no longer there. There is now a shortage of advice in key curriculum areas,” Ms Nelson says.
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