• the very dedicated staff of the Educational Assessment Research Unit
• Dr Lynne Whitney and Ms Jacky Burgon, Ministry of Education
• members of the Project's National Advisory Committee
• members of the Project's Health and Physical Education Panel
• educators who developed draft versions of assessment tasks
• principals, staff, and children of the schools where tasks were trialed
• principals, staff, and Board of Trustee members of the 252 schools included in the 1998 sample
• the 2872 children in the 1998 sample, and their parents
• the 96 teachers who administered the assessments to the children
• the 44 senior tertiary students who assisted with the marking process
• the 195 teachers who assisted with the marking of tasks early in 1999

Summary
New Zealand's National Education Monitoring Project commenced in 1993, with the task of assessing and reporting on the achievement of New Zealand primary school children in all areas of the school curriculum. Children are assessed at two class levels: Year 4 (halfway through primary education) and Year 8 (at the end of primary education). Different curriculum areas and skills are assessed each year, over a four year cycle. The main goal of national monitoring is to provide detailed information about what children can do so that patterns of performance can be recognised, successes celebrated, and desirable changes to educational practices and resources identified and implemented.

Each year, small random samples of children are selected nationally, then assessed in their own schools by teachers specially seconded and trained for this work. Task instructions are given orally by teachers, through video presentations, or in writing. Many of the assessment tasks involve the children in the use of equipment and supplies. Their responses are presented orally, by demonstration, in writing, or through submission of other physical products. Many of the responses are recorded on videotape for subsequent analysis.

In 1998, the fourth year that national monitoring was implemented, two areas were assessed: health and physical education, and the writing, listening and viewing components of the English curriculum. This report presents details and results of the assessments of students' skills, knowledge, perceptions and attitudes relating to health and physical education. The framework for health and physical education is presented in Assessing Health and Physical Development. The health and physical education framework has as its central organising theme Personal and community well-being through enhancing health practices and physical education. Three areas of knowledge and understandings are identified, together with three clusters of skills and students' attitudes and involvement.

Information about students' knowledge and beliefs relating to personal health and development is presented in Personal Health and Physical Development. The students showed substantial knowledge of the human body and of physical aspects of health such as nutrition, but tended not to extend their concepts of health to the social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual aspects which are also important. Considering only the seven tasks which allowed a fair comparison between the performance of year 4 and year 8 students, on average 22 percent more year 8 students than year 4 students gained high scores.

Relationships with other people presents the results for tasks about relationships with other people. Students were asked to show what they understood about how the attitudes, values, actions, and needs of people interact, and to suggest strategies for dealing with relationship problems. On five tasks which had a clear evaluative focus, about 30 percent more year 8 than year 4 students achieved high scores. There was remarkable consistency from year 4 to year 8 in some areas, but substantial change in others. In regard to dealing with bullying or put-downs, for instance, year 8 students were much more likely than year 4 students to suggest a strategy of avoiding situations where the problem was likely to occur.

Movement Skills reports the results achieved on tasks involving movement skills. The activities often involved the manipulation of equipment, such as balls, bats, and skipping ropes, in addition to physical co-ordination. On average, 25 percent more year 8 students than year 4 students gained high scores on these tasks. The largest margins occurred on tasks involving throwing and catching. Subgroup differences were particularly interesting, as reported in Chapter 8.

Information about students' knowledge of healthy communities and environments is presented in Healthy Communities and Environment. Particular emphasis is given to safety issues at home, in communities, and in outdoor recreation settings. Students' responses are a reflection of their ideas about how they might confront some real life happenings which have the potential to put their safety and well-being at risk. The results suggest that many students need ongoing opportunities to learn about possible risks and appropriate courses of action. On average, about 20 percent more year 8 students than year 4 students gained high scores.

Surveys reports the results of surveys of students' attitudes about and involvement in health and physical education activities. Students' attitudes, interests and liking for a subject have a strong bearing on progress and learning outcomes. Physical education was the favourite of twelve curriculum areas for year 8 students, and the second most popular (after art) for year 4 students. Health was the least popular subject at both year levels, yet about half of year 4 students and a quarter of year 8 students were very positive about studying health in school. For both health and physical education, preferred and disliked activities are reported.

Performance of Subgroups reports the results of analyses that compared the performance of different demographic subgroups. School size, school type (full primary or intermediate), community size or geographic zone did not seem to be important factors predicting achievement in health and physical education, or attitudes towards them. At both year levels, boys performed better than girls on most of the PE tasks that involved throwing, catching or dribbling balls, but girls performed better than boys on several other PE tasks. Girls also did better at Year 8 level on about 20 percent of the health tasks.

Non-Mäori students outperformed Mäori students on about one quarter of the health tasks at both year levels, but Mäori students outperformed non-Mäori students on a similar proportion of the PE tasks. This contrasting pattern for health and PE tasks was also evident to some degree for the remaining three demographic variables. Students attending low SES schools scored lower than other students on about 40 percent of the health tasks at both year levels, but higher on 15 percent of the PE tasks at year 4 level. Year 4 students attending schools with high proportions of Mäori students scored lowest on about 15 percent of health tasks, but highest on about 15 percent of PE tasks. Their year 8 counterparts scored lowest on about 20 percent of health tasks, with few differences found on PE tasks. Year 4 students attending schools with more than 5 percent Pacific Island students scored lower than other students on about 30 percent of health tasks, but higher on about 25 percent of PE tasks. Their year 8 counterparts scored lower on about 15 percent of health tasks, but higher on two PE tasks.

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