Writing

Writing 2006

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The Project directors acknowledge the vital support and contributions of many people to this report, including:

• the very dedicated staff of the Educational Assessment Research Unit
• Heleen Visser and other staff members of the Ministry of Education
• members of the Project’s National Advisory Committee
• members of the Project’s Writing Advisory Panel
• principals and children of the schools where tasks were trialled
• principals, staff and Board of Trustee members of the 255 schools included in the 2006 sample
• the 2878 children who participated in the assessments and their parents
• the 96 teachers who administered the assessments to the children
• the 46 senior tertiary students who assisted with the marking process
• the 205 teachers who assisted with the marking of tasks early in 2007.

New Zealand’s National Education Monitoring Project (NEMP) 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 2006, the fourth year of the third cycle of national monitoring, 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 writing.

ASSESSING WRITING

Chapter 2 presents the NEMP framework for writing. It has as its central organising theme creating, constructing and communicating meaning in written forms for various purposes and audiences. Within it are listed nine understandings, five main purposes for writing (and 17 specific ways of achieving them) and 20 skills, together with student attitudes toward and involvement in writing.

EXPRESSIVE WRITING

Chapter 3 focuses on expressive writing, in which students were given freedom to write inventively, within task guidelines. Characteristics sought included ability to write coherently, to communicate personal feeling, to communicate stories or ideas clearly and vividly, and to follow conventions associated with particular forms of writing.

Averaged across 36 task components administered to both year 4 and year 8 students in 2006, 24 percent more year 8 than year 4 students succeeded with these components. Year 8 students performed better on all of the components. Medium proportions of year 4 students and higher proportions of year 8 students followed the task guidelines quite well, but most students were not able to achieve the clarity, richness, and personal feeling or humour that distinguished top quality writing.

Trend analyses showed a substantial improvement since 2002 for year 4 students and a modest improvement for year 8 students. Averaged across 17 task components attempted by year 4 students in both years, eight percent more students succeeded in 2006 than in 2002. Gains occurred on 16 components, with no change on the remaining component. At year 8 level, again with 17 task components included in the analysis, on average five percent more students succeeded with the task components in 2006 than in 2002. Gains occurred on 12 components, with losses on two components and no change on the remaining three components.

FUNCTIONAL WRITING

Chapter 4 explores functional writing. Students were asked to present information clearly and accurately in written form. They acted as reporters, gave instructions, prepared advertisements, filled in forms and wrote letters, descriptions, messages and formal reports.

Averaged across 102 task components administered to both year 4 and year 8 students, 18 percent more year 8 than year 4 students succeeded with these components. Year 8 students scored higher on 89 components, lower on seven components and no different on six components.

Trend analyses showed a small improvement between 2002 and 2006 for year 4 students and a slight improvement for year 8 students (the latter probably too small to be judged significant). Averaged across 47 task components attempted by year 4 students in both years, just over three percent more students succeeded in 2006 than in 2002. Gains occurred on 35 components, with losses on 11 components and no change on one component. At year 8 level, again with 47 task components included in the analysis, on average two percent more students succeeded with the task components in 2006 than in 2002. Gains occurred on 29 components, with losses on nine components and no change on the remaining nine components.

WRITING CONVENTIONS

Chapter 5 examines students’ performance in spelling, punctuation and grammar, using tasks specifically designed for this purpose. These skills were also assessed more indirectly within some of the tasks in Chapters 3 and 4.

Averaged across 77 task components administered to both year 4 and year 8 students, 15 percent more year 8 than year 4 students succeeded with these components. Year 8 students performed better on all except five of the components. Punctuation of text involving speech and recognition of verbs in text (especially those associated with “to be” and “to have”) were areas of particular weakness.

Trend analyses showed slight improvements between 2002 and 2006 for both year 4 and year 8 students, but these were too small to be judged significant. Averaged across 39 task components attempted by year 4 students in both years, 2.5 percent more students succeeded in 2006 than in 2002. Gains occurred on 29 components, with losses on four components and no change on six components. At year 8 level, with 63 task components included in the analysis, on average one percent more students succeeded with the task components in 2006 than in 2002. Gains occurred on 33 components, with losses on 18 components and no change on the remaining 12 components.

WRITING SURVEY

Chapter 6 presents results for eight time, continuity and change tasks. Averaged across 28 task components administered to both year 4 and year 8 students, 23 percent more year 8 than year 4 students succeeded with these components. There was evidence of useful improvement between 2001 and 2005 on the single trend task for year 4 students and the two trend tasks for year 8 students. Because the improvements were mainly associated with four components of a single task (Rodney’s Window), these results should be interpreted with caution. Averaged across the four trend task components attempted by year 4 students in both years, nine percent more students succeeded in 2005 than in 2001. At year 8 level, with 15 trend task components included, seven percent more students succeeded in 2005 than in 2001.

Most students at both year levels could identify visible changes that had occurred across time. Year 8 students were much better able than year 4 students to explain good and bad implications of these changes for people living in the different times. Substantial numbers of year 8 students showed significant knowledge of New Zealand history, but only a minority had reasonable knowledge of the timing of major events. Understandably, year 4 students had very limited historical knowledge. About half of year 8 students could talk about one or more current world issues, with most of the remainder mentioning at least one national or local issue instead. Faced with the same task, about half of the year 4 students were not able to articulate any relevant issue (local, national or international).

PERFORMANCE OF SUBGROUPS

Chapter 7 presents results for nine resources and economic activities tasks. Averaged across 58 task components administered to both year 4 and year 8 students, 10 percent more year 8 than year 4 students succeeded with these components. On the trend tasks, there was no meaningful evidence of change between 2001 and 2005. Averaged across just seven trend task components attempted by year 4 students in both years, three percent fewer succeeded in 2005 than in 2001. At year 8 level, again with seven trend task components included, on average one percent fewer students succeeded in 2005 than in 2001.

Understanding of resource and economic issues proved a major challenge for both year 4 and year 8 students, and was clearly beyond the reach of a majority of year 4 students. By year 8, many students are starting to grasp these issues, but it is probably fair to say that the issues still have limited perceived relevance for them at this stage in their lives. It appears that environmental issues have captured their attention and understanding to a substantially greater extent than issues of economics and scarcity of resources.