National Standards: What difference are they making?

This paper analyses responses to questions about National Standards in NZCER's 2013 National Survey of Primary and Intermediate Schools. NZCER Chief Researcher Cathy Wylie presented the findings to the New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE) conference in Dunedin on Thursday 28 November 2013.

The paper discusses the intentions of the National Standards policy and then looks at the responses of principals, teachers, members of boards of trustees and parents to questions about National Standards. Questions include sources of evidence used to make overall teacher judgements (OTJs), parent views of the clarity of information in mid-year reports and changes in assessment practice because of National Standards.