National Standards
Official Advice to Principals Regarding Interim Arrangements.
STATEMENT
Peggy Burrows & Associates, Senior Associate Marlene Campbell rejects claims from a Christchurch principal that principals lacked
support and direction regarding interim strategies for managing the dumping of National Standards in 2018.
Campbell disputes the assertion that principals lack alternative assessment tools, citing guidance published in the
November 2017 issue of Principal Matters as a strong starting point for Boards and Principals in 2018. According to
Campbell, following a meeting with the new Minister Chris Hipkins in December 2017, advice to principals at that time
was to focus on the whole curriculum, free from data collection and reporting.
Campbell, an experienced principal herself, stated she was confident that Boards of Trustees that avoided top down
approaches and governed with a firm focus on providing rich learning environments and culturally safe approaches would
have the greatest positive affect on student achievement in 2018 and beyond.
Those principals needing support, Campbell suggests, should explore the electronic link provided by the Ministry of
Education to the online community focussed on professional support for assessment or visit the education.govt.nz website
for further support.
Campbell stated that “this is the time for the teaching profession to stand up and proudly deliver the essence of the
New Zealand Curriculum that was heralded as world leading but never got oxygen due to the fiasco that became National
Standards.”
END