Literacy standards trialled at Kaiapoi
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Kaiapoi High School is hoping to ‘‘get ahead of the game’’ on proposed new literacy standards.
The school has been participating in a Ministry of Education pilot of proposed new literacy and numeracy standards.
‘‘We are so glad we joined it early on because we want to get ahead of the game,’’ principal Jason Reid said.
‘‘It gives you an inside view into the criteria and what is required of our teaching staff and to know where the challenges are for our students.’’
The pilot involved around 40 percent of Kaiapoi’s year 10 students, with students achieving the curriculum levels 3 to 4 at the start of the year.
The aim was to bring the students up to a literacy ‘‘pass’’ at level 5, principal Jason Reid said.
‘‘There was specific teaching developed for this group targeted at raising them to the desired level 5 by the end of the year.’’
An online tool, e-asTTle, was used to track the students’ progress, alongside the pilot assessment. Data collected was passed on to the Ministry of Education.
Reid said the proposed model, as a co-requisite, would have a detrimental effect on students earning NCEA qualifications.
‘‘Every school we have discussed this with, who are also in the pilot, share the same concerns.’’
He said there could be merit, if new literacy and numeracy standards were introduced, in assessing students at year 9 and 10.
Students who ‘‘passed’’ could then concentrate on NCEA in later years, leaving schools to concentrate on bringing the remaining students up to the required level in year 11.
The trial was continuing this year, and if adopted all students would need to pass the literacy and numeracy tests as a co-requisite to NCEA qualifications.
While the literacy and numeracy standards were focused on high school students, Reid said learning needed to start at primary school.
He was grateful for the strong relationships with local primary schools in Te Kāhui Ako Kātote (Kaiapoi learning cluster).
Kaiapoi North School is one school which has embraced structured literacy to give children a head start.
‘‘It all starts at age 5,’’ principal Jason Miles said.
‘‘It is essential for children to develop foundational skills in literacy as it gives them the confidence to give things a go.’’
The school’s approach revolved around phonetics, or sounding out letters and words, which ultimately led to improved spelling, writing, and reading.
The learning cluster played a vital role in information sharing between the high school and local primary schools to better meet the needs of students, Miles said.
Miles is the New Zealand Principals Federation vice-president and a spokesperson for Lifting Literacy Aotearoa.
*Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Here's Thursday's thinker!
I am lighter than air, but a hundred people cannot lift me. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
-
47.9% Yes
-
50.2% No
-
1.9% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
Loading…
