This is some of the most important information from the Term 4 Assessment News, our once-per-term pānui about all things assessment. To stay up to date with it as it is released, click here to subscribe.
Tēnā koutou, and welcome to our Term 4 pānui
Progressive Achievement Tests (PATs) - updates for Term 4 and 2026
There is plenty happening in the assessment space at the moment for schools - including for the PATs. We have a few important updates for those looking at their Term 4 assessments, as well as doing their planning for 2026.
A reminder: PATs will continue to be available next year
We have received many queries about this with the upcoming introduction of the SMART tool, and would like to reiterate our commitment to the Progressive Achievement Tests in 2026 and beyond.
PATs have supported teachers for more than 50 years now, providing a consistent, evidence-based way to understand student learning and progress. This will continue in 2026 and beyond, with NZCER providing continual updates to our assessments alongside the introduction of our new PAT Tuhituhi | PAT Writing tool.
Further reading: Understanding a trusted tool in a changing assessment landscape, by Chief Researcher Charles Darr.
Price increases for PATs in 2026
The prices of online PATs will increase by 10 cents per online assessment from the beginning of 2026. Every year, NZCER reviews the pricing of PATs, which is reinvested in the ongoing development and refresh of PATs. This year that has included whānau reporting, item reporting, the introduction of PAT Tuhituhi | PAT Writing, and the expansion of Te Urungi that you can read about further down.
These increases will not apply to PAT Tuhituhi, our survey products, or subscription and subject fees. You can find a full table of the increases below, which will come into effect from January 1, 2026.
| Product | Current price (including GST) | 2026 Price (including GST) |
| PAT Tuhituhi online assessment session | $3.50 | No change |
| All other online assessment sessions | $2.40 | $2.50 |
| NZCER Assist annual subscription | $300.00 | No change |
| PAT subject subscription | $30.00 | No change |
| Me and My School subscription | $250.00 | No change |
| Me and My School online session | $2.00 | No change |
| Teacher Workplace Survey subscription | Based on roll size | No change |
Curriculum alignment for PATs
A quick reminder that we will be aligning PAT reporting to the new curriculum, once the new curriculum is finalised and gazetted. Watch this space!
PAT Tuhituhi | PAT Writing - summary of new features
The last few months have seen many new updates for PAT Tuhituhi | PAT Writing, with the latest of these being released this week. We’ve seen just over 17,000 assessments sat so far - thank you to everyone using this new tool!
And a reminder that the PAT Tuhituhi Assist Users Guide is now available through our Freshdesk support site. The guide outlines the set up and use of PAT Tuhituhi assessment option on the NZCER Assist platform. It covers background / development, getting subscribed, creating and sitting PAT Tuhituhi assessments, understanding auto-scoring, and marking and reporting. We will update the guide and associated supporting information as we receive feedback from you all.
PAT Listening Comprehension: Tests 6 and 8 are no longer available
We are planning some updates to our PAT Listening Comprehension content for 2026. As part of this refresh, Tests 6 and 8 will no longer be offered in either online or paper format. This decision reflects both regular content review and feedback we’ve received from schools and whānau, and you can read more about the decision here.
Te Urungi - new items are here!
We have now released more than 70 new items for Te Urungi, our assessment for beginning learners of te reo Māori! These items sit across stages 4 and 5 of the assessment, providing more challenging content at the upper end of the Te Urungi scale.
Also, remember that Te Urungi isn’t just a great assessment for English-medium schools - we work with many non-school organisations use Te Urungi to build their internal capability as well. Contact us at tereo@nzcer.org.nz or check out Te Urungi here for more information.
Wellbeing@School: Reporting updates and what to do in Term 4
Term 4 is the perfect time to review your W@S data and/or prepare for data collection in Term 2 or 3 next year. Key steps in the process for this Term include:
- Next Step Planning – interpret reports, use planning templates and modules, and develop an action plan.
- Taking Action – put plans into practice by allocating resources, making changes, offering learning opportunities, and monitoring progress.
- Reviewing and Next Steps supports schools to reflect on progress and re-use W@S tools to continue the cycle.
Wellbeing@School updates to reporting
We have finalised new sub-aspects for Resilience strategies and Fairness and racism. These sub-aspects will be visible in the School Overview report and item report from Week 3 of Term 4.
Free aggregate reporting and data consultation
Has your Kāhui Ako or cluster used W@S in 2025? Are you interested in aggregate W@S reporting? There are still opportunities available to access free aggregate reporting and data advisory consultation for 2025. Contact wellbeing@nzcer.org.nz for support and further information.
New PLD workshop for 2026! Analysis: The progress story
Measuring progress through assessment can be a difficult task. You can use assessment data to identify whether student have made progress, but this remains one piece of the overall puzzle.
In this new PLD workshop from NZCER, our Education Advisors will support you to analyse data in the context of an overarching progress story. It will help you understand whether teaching and learning programmes are making a difference for all students, and to understand what assessment information can do to inform your strategic direction.
Intended for Senior Leadership Teams (including learning area and curriculum leads), this is a one-hour Zoom workshop (bookable between 9am and 3pm) that explores the progress story in your data.
To book one of these workshop sessions, register at the form here or contact education.adviser@nzcer.org.nz for more information!