The Right Honourable Erica Stanford is the current Minister of Education in the National Government. In this keynote address she speaks of what is being done at the system level to achieve our common goal of raising achievement and increasing equity. She signals a multi-faceted approach to system change: curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, creating the workforce of the future, learning support, data and evidence. The emphasis is on the levers of long-term change.
She speaks about the resources being provided to support teachers with numeracy and literacy and the professional learning and development that is being and will be provided in those areas. Highlighted are the trials being conducted in phonics checks at 20 and 40 weeks, the assessment trials at year 10, and the necessity for that data to be available at the highest level so that budget can be allocated into the areas that need it. She emphasises the need for a consistent measurement tool to enable that to happen.
She wants to dispel the negative myths around assessment and ensure that it is understood to be about monitoring progress, celebrating success and giving support to those who need it.
