The BES exemplars are a series of publications that make transparent the nature of:
- highly effective teaching
- professional learning and development
- educational leadership
- educationally powerful connections with families whānau, and
- communities that support such teaching.
They were created in response to requests from new Zealand teachers and principals for real-life examples. Wherever possible, the exemplars are derived, from research and development carried out in New Zealand schools and kura
BES Exemplar 2, ‘Ripene Āwhina ki te Pānui Pukapuka’ (RĀPP), describes a Māori-led intervention that has proven highly effective in raising reading and reading comprehension levels of students in Māori-medium settings. The intervention involves students listening to recorded te reo Māori as they read accompanying text. The success of the approach stems from its refinement over a long cyclical process of innovative research and development. The intervention has exciting potential to also support and normalise learning in te reo Māori for students, teachers, and whānau in English-medium settings.
The BES exemplars are intended to open up possibilities for working ‘smarter rather than harder’ in education. RĀPP provides a way to accelerate student achievement in relation to Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori (the National Standards for Māori-medium education settings) while supporting a range of other valued outcomes.