The government is talking up its mandated approach to structured literacy for new entrants, pointing to statistics showing double the number of students exceeding expectations.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford touted the results at the weekly post-Cabinet briefing.
Stanford said data from phonics tests in Term 3 for children after 20 weeks of schooling showed 58 percent of students at or above expectations, up from 36 percent in Term 1.
Phonics tests identify how well a child can decode and sound out both real and made up words.
Structured literacy is a teaching approach which focuses on teaching students to read using the relationships between letters and sounds, and became mandatory for primary schools from Term 1 this year.
Stanford said the number of students who exceeded expectations in Term 3 was 43 percent, more than double the rate for Term 1.
“The increase in achievement has resulted in a reduction in the number of students that need targeted support, dropping from 52 in Term 1 to 33 percent in Term 3,” Stanford said.
The number of Māori students at or above the expected level had increased from 25 percent to 43 percent, children in high equity (low-decile) schools went from 18 to 35 percent, and Pacific students went from 27 to 43 percent.
“This is an incredible improvement in reading scores in less than half a year and reflects the brilliant work teachers are doing. These results are evident our structured literacy reforms work for everyone, all schools, all ethnicities, all deciles. Raising reading achievement right from the first year of school gives our young people the best chance of success at school.”
It comes on the same day Luxon blamed the teachers’ union for ongoing strike action.
He has accused unions of driving an increase in industrial action by prioritising politics over priorities, as secondary school teachers are set to strike from Tuesday following stalled collective agreement negotiations.
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