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In 2008, the Forum Comment,
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Main Index for Focus / Forum


Introduction to Focus / Forum


He Whakaputanga Whakaaro –
Introduction for Mäori Medium forums

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Forums by year of assessment
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Science
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Information Skills
Social Studies
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Health & Phys. Ed.
Writing
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Forums for Mäori Medium
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Science
Art
Graphs, Tables & Maps
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Music
Aspects of Technology
Reading & Speaking
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Information Skills
Social Studies
Mathematics
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Health & Phys. Ed.
Writing
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National Education Monitoring
ISSN 1174 - 247X
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NEMP Logo

Contact details:
Email : earu@otago.ac.nz  
Freephone 0800 808 561
Fax 64 3 479 8561

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Last updated October 2008
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CLICK on reports above to go directly to comments

2006 FORUM
PARTICIPANTS


Sandra Aikin
Kaye Ballantyne
Sylvia Barber
Sue Callaghan
Sandra Cubitt
Fiona Ell
Laurel Fitzgerald
Gwen Gawith
Mary Hill
Rhys Hill
Sheena Holding
Malcolm Hyland
John Laurenson
Nila Lemisio
Anna Little
Lynne McGovern
Rosemary Neal-King
Liz Patara
Beth Scarlett
Robyn Shaw
Wayne Southgate
Gillian Thomas
Diana Tregoweth
Amanda Van Rooy
Helen Walters
Seth Willingham
Susan Young

 

The third four-year cycle of national monitoring started in 2003. Results from this third cycle allow comparisons with performances in the previous cycle of assessments.

The three reports on the 2005 assessment results were considered by a national forum of teachers, subject specialists, representatives of national organisations and government agencies. Their comments highlight what students are generally doing well, and those areas where improvements are desirable.

The help of principals, teachers and Boards of Trustees in making NEMP reports and this Forum Comment widely known is encouraged and appreciated.

. Click the Access Task icon for more information about the tasks which will be available to schools from November 2006.
INFORMATION SKILLS 2005
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.CLICK for full report
GOOD NEWS 

• Most year 4 students, but particularly girls and Pasifika students, were enthusiastic about looking for information.

• Most year 4 and year 8 students were successful in using the index of an atlas.

• Most year 8 students showed that they were able to use computer catalogues and find information in a reference book.

• Most year 8 students were successful in taking notes from visual sources (e.g. video) when headings were provided for them.

• Most year 8 students could combine arguments and material from two or more paragraphs of information.

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CONCERNS

• Many year 4 and year 8 students found it difficult to select/reject information relevant to a topic and to make decisions or develop arguments based on that information.

• More than 50 percent of both year 4 and year 8 students struggled to ask two or three ‘strong questions’ for an enquiry, even when working collaboratively.

• Few year 4 and year 8 students could describe a coherent process or strategy for finding and using information for a research or study topic.

• Year 8 students often performed well on simple single step task components but were challenged by tasks that required multiple steps and simple reasoning.

• The internet is seen as the most preferred source of information for students. The declining use of libraries is a concern given the value of resources they can provide.

• While the internet was the most preferred source of information, there is evidence in the report that students lacked skills of discernment and discrimination in their use of internet information.


LOOKING AHEAD –

• Students need modelling to help them develop an argument and make decisions based on information. They would also benefit from constructive teacher-student dialogue to help them to ‘mine’ information more deeply, to analyse and interpret it.

• There is evidence that many students are only able to process information in a superficial way. Students need guidelines to help them to process this information more effectively.

• Students need help in recognising and knowing when information is relevant, appropriate and authoritative.

• More emphasis needs to be placed on teaching students to summarise and paraphrase when taking notes.

• Information skills have relevance across the curriculum. Students would benefit particularly from teaching, modelling and guided practice in the process of finding and using information within authentic contexts of science, social studies, technology and health at all levels.

• The NEMP information skills framework (p10 of report) provides a useful outline of skills and processes that are important for students to learn.


MATHS 2005
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.CLICK for full report
GOOD NEWS 

• Scores were generally maintained at both year 4 and year 8 over the four-year trend period (2001 – 2005) on the majority of the 38 trend tasks in areas of number, algebra, geometry and statistics

• For some tasks the gains were strong. Some small yet worthwhile gains were made in tasks involving reasoning, logic, finding patterns, estimation and identifying sequences. Useful gains from year 4 to year 8 were made across almost all tasks.

• Year 8 students showed moderate growth in their overall ability to use effective strategies and processes in multiplication.

• There were few differences in achievement on the basis of gender. Boys and girls performed similarly on the majority of tasks.

• There have been reduced disparities from 2001 to 2005 in overall scores between Pakeha and Pasifika students, and Pakeha and Mäori students.

• Disparities between performances of students in high, medium and low decile schools have reduced from 2001 to 2005.

• The percentage of year 4 students who did not know what their parents thought of their mathematics achievement reduced markedly from 2001 to 2005.

• Both year 4 and year 8 students rated mathematics as one of the top three subjects
in popularity, which suggests positive attitudes towards the subject.
 
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CONCERNS

• There was a marked decline in recall of basic number facts and in solving simple number problems, particularly at year 4.

• Ability to calculate with fractions continues to be a weakness for a large number of students (e.g. less than half of year 8 students could calculate 1⁄2 + 1⁄4 or 1 – 1/3).

• Many students were unable to calculate simple percentage discounts on prices (e.g. 10% off $4.50).

• Many students were able to calculate uncomplicated, single step problems but stumbled when problems involved multiple steps or subtleties.

• There are continuing disparities in achievement for students in low decile schools.
• Only about half of year 8 students knew how to answer division tasks involving remainders, such as 14 ÷ 3.

LOOKING AHEAD –

• Help students to improve and maintain their recall of basic facts. This will aid their ability to perform arithmetical processes.

• Place emphasis on students discussing, explaining and clarifying their mathematical ideas, understandings and processes.

• Place additional emphasis on students’ abilities to calculate with simple fractions.

• Help students develop strategies for approaching and solving mathematical problems that require more than simple, one-step processes.

• As with all subjects, identify individuals and groups of students who have weaknesses in key skills and processes and direct teaching and regular instructional guidance to those students.


SOCIAL STUDIES 2005
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.CLICK for full report

GOOD NEWS 

• Year 4 students have shown moderate improvement over two consecutive four-year periods.

• A high proportion of students indicated that they had opportunities to learn about Mäori culture and protocols, although performance in this area was not strong.

• Year 4 and Year 8 students were moderately successful in identifying issues in school conflict situations.

• Students’ ideas about good citizenship focused predominantly on personal and interpersonal qualities – qualities that are important in the classroom and the wider community.

• Boys and girls achieved equally well in social studies.

• Mäori and Pasifika students showed particularly positive attitudes towards social studies. They out-performed Pakeha students on tasks that were particularly related to their life experiences.

• Most year 4 students were positive about doing social studies at school and about learning and doing more social studies in the future.

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CONCERNS.

• From 1997 to 2005 there was no change in overall performance for year 8 students.

• Students’ understandings of issues and situations tend to be at the superficial, rather than deeper, conceptual level.

• There is a marked decline between year 4 and year 8 in how much students feel they are learning in social studies.

• The Resources and Economic Activities strand has been identified as particularly challenging for teachers and students.

• Only about half of the year 4 students were able to talk about any current issues or events (local, national or international).

 

LOOKING AHEAD –

• There is a continued need to make social studies teaching and learning more explicit.

• Students perform well when they perceive contexts for learning or assessment to be within the scope of their social experiences (e.g. Mäori students scored higher than Pakeha students on tasks where they had more experience).

• “Living in the future” was highly regarded by students as something in which they have great interest. This area holds potential for school-level programme development because students do not see it as a current strength of their programmes.

• The NEMP assessment framework shows the interrelatedness that exists across social studies knowledge, understandings, processes, and attitudes. Explicit recognition of these connections could usefully support teaching and learning.


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INFORMATION SKILLS

.GOOD NEWS
• There was a moderate difference between Mäori and Pakeha achievement at both year levels, but the difference was smaller for year 8 students.

• Year 8 Mäori students performed particularly well on 10 tasks covering library skills. They also performed well on six tasks involving classifying and organising ideas.

CONCERNS
• Mäori students had great difficulty using information and criteria to make and justify appropriate decisions. In this area, the disparity between Mäori and Pakeha students increased from year 4 to year 8 (over 11 tasks). The same applied to identifying valid points and constructing an argument.

• Mäori students had difficulty with processes of identifying and linking relevant information.
MATHEMATICS
GOOD NEWS 
.• Averaged across all tasks, there were moderate differences between Mäori and Pakeha performance at both year levels in mathematics.

.• The percentage of tasks on which year 4 students in low decile schools scored lower decreased from 85 percent in 1997, and 87 percent in 2001, to 62 percent this time. An improvement of about half this size occurred for year 8 Mäori students.

• Year 4 Mäori students remain more positive than Pakeha about learning mathematics at school.
CONCERNS 
• Those concerns identified for non-Mäori students apply equally to Mäori students.
SOCIAL STUDIES
GOOD NEWS
• Averaged across all tasks, there were moderate differences between Mäori and Pakeha performance at both year levels, with small reductions in disparity at both year levels between 2001 and 2005.

• The percentage of tasks on which year 4 students in low decile schools scored lower than students in high decile schools decreased by 14 percent compared to the 2001 assessments.

.• Mäori students performed better than Pakeha students on tasks that related to their particular life experiences.

• Year 4 Mäori students had more positive attitudes than Pakeha students in wanting to do more social studies and learn about people and their livelihoods.
 
CONCERNS 
• Despite the gains being made by Mäori students, continuing disparity between Mäori and Pakeha student achievement remains a concern.


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ISSN 1174-247X


 
Contact Details:   Email : earu@otago.ac.nz   |   Freephone 0800 808 561   |   Fax 64 3 479 8561   |   October 2008