New Zealand First
Tracy Martin MP
Spokesperson for Education
National Standards – a Debacle Like Novopay?
There is increasing concern National Standards results are flawed and the Government is using flawed data to make
educational achievements look better than they actually are says New Zealand First.
Education spokesperson Tracey Martin says the Ministry of Education is set to publish National Standards for reading,
writing and mathematics this month and questions whether these results can be trusted.
“Many principals are alarmed to see that last year’s adjustment to the test has caused inflated results, with students
achieving far higher than expected.
“It’s particularly noticeable in some of the lower decile schools, where I’ve been told results are 20 to 30 per cent
higher than in the past.
“This shows there’s a massive flaw in the testing, producing inflated results and wrong data.”
Ms Martin says no one can argue with the need to have a high standard of achievement but even the Ministry has
acknowledged there’s a problem.
“How can schools trust the data? They need accurate information to target support where it’s needed the most and this
can’t happen when test results don’t match reality.
"The Government will relish the chance to claim its National Standards have made a difference when voters head to the
polls in 2014, but parents want to know the true picture and they’re not getting it.
“With the National Standards publishing date fast approaching we urge the Government to stop National Standards becoming
another debacle like Novopay,” says Ms Martin.
ENDS