Schools sought for national trial

In September we are conducting a national trial as part of our Wellbeing@School project. We are looking for schools with students in Years 5/6, 7/8, or 9-12 to take part. The trial is of two tools, a student survey and a school self-review tool for staff. The tools assist schools to consider new ways of promoting a caring and safe social climate and reducing student bullying. The trial is a vital step in ensuring we develop robust tools and collect data that can be useful to New Zealand schools. Schools taking part will receive a summary report of their data.

If you are interested in being part of the national trial, please contact Rachael Kearns on:   rachael.kearns@nzcer.org.nz     or phone  (04) 802 1430

First paper from NZCER moderation research

NZCER has begun a research project on the learning that can happen as teachers moderate student work. The project will explore what happens as schools enact moderation, and how moderation processes might be enhanced to support teacher professional learning that leads to changes in practice. Primary school teachers now need to assess student work in relation to National Standards benchmarks. Moderation conversations that provide rich professional learning about possible avenues for lifting achievement in the classroom will be needed to support that work. Chief researcher Rosemary Hipkins and researcher Sally Robertson’s literature synthesis, Moderation and Teacher Learning, explores opportunities for professional learning that might occur when teachers work together to moderate their judgements about students’ work.

Changes to NZCER website

Regular users of our website may have noticed we have made some changes. We have moved to a new content management system and enhanced our e-commerce capability. Work is continuing on the project and we know we haven’t got it right yet – so we apologise if you have had difficulties placing orders or finding information. If you or your organisation has a credit account with NZCER, you will need to get authorisation in order to add items to your account through online purchases. This is the case even if you have made online purchases in the past and added them to your account. This is to ensure your account is fully protected in the online environment. A form Access your credit account online is available online for this purpose.

If you need help to log into the site or to make purchases, please contact Ben Stone at sales@nzcer.org.nz or call (04) 802 1452.

Sale of STAR tests

Now is the chance to buy STAR (Supplementary Test of Achievement in Reading) at a bargain price. We are selling all our stock of the test during the third term or until stocks run out. Prices are up to 50 percent off this popular test. The reason for the sale is that we have fully revised STAR  and the new edition will be available for sale in term four. Results on the old version can be compared with results of the newly revised version. You can purchase the sale items online or by filling out the form.

NCEA book a big seller

Parents and schools are responding enthusiasically to a book we published recently on NCEA. Understanding NCEA: A relatively short and very useful guide for secondary school students and their parents is written by Irena Madjar and Elizabeth McKinley of the University of Auckland's STARPATH project. It's intended to help students and their parents understand the qualification system and make good choices at each stage of their education. It's a must-have for school libraries and for families with students at NCEA level or approaching it.

Early childhood education travel fellowship open

Applications are open until 30 September for the 2011 Margaret M Blackwell Travel Fellowship. The award is for $16,000 in 2011 and is for travel and accommodation for a period of up to three months. This year, applications must be on the topic of children and physical risk. Details of the topic and the application process are on the NZCER website.

Shifting thinking workshop postponed

We had planned to hold a shifting thinking workshop on 25-26 August but have postponed it until next year. Our apologies to those who had planned to come. Details of next year's event will be included in the next issue of this newsletter.

Essential Skills Assessments withdrawn from sale

NZCER has decided to no longer sell Essential Skills Assessments. They were developed more than a decade ago, and the way in which we source and use information has changed significantly since then. In that time New Zealand has moved to a new curriculum document, leaving behind the framework of Essential Skills that formed a part of earlier curriculum documents. NZCER has a commitment to providing high quality research-based products and we don’t believe Essential Skills continues to meet that standard. We are investigating whether we could develop or source an alternative test or resource.

set 2011, no. 1

This edition of set:Research Information for Teachers has a rich mix of articles and a special focus on mathematics education. There are articles on fractions, statistical literacy for Year 9 students, and supporting addition strategies. NZCER’s Charles Darr looks at the use of test results for making Overall Teacher Judgements, and Rachel Bolstad suggests a new way of thinking about the concept of student voice. There are also findings from research into engaging whānau with children’s science learning, using drama to engage Pasifika boys and helping students understand the concepts underpinning social studies. Plus a report on the issues facing beginning teachers, and an editorial from NZCER chief researcher Rosemary Hipkins.

Early Childhood Folio out soon

The first of two issues of the educational journal Early Childhood Folio for 2011 will be on its way to subscribers shortly. Now edited by Linda Mitchell of the University of Waikato, the journal is a must-read for New Zealand early childhood practitioners, students, researchers and policy makers. You can subscribe to Early Childhood Folio at any stage by going to our website.

News from the NZCER library

We have extended our online survey on the New Zealand Educational Theses database until September. The database contains more than 10,000 theses and we would like to hear about how useful you find it for your research. Please take a few minutes to fill in the survey.

NZCER Publications

Looking for NZCER publications? We have catalogued NZCER books and indexed NZCER Journal articles from 1934 when the organisation was founded. This database complements our research publications and NZCER Press sections on the website, where the focus is on the more recent work.