All schools are expected to be preparing for full implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum by February 2010. As part of its regular reviews from Term 3, 2008 until the end of Term 2, 2009, ERO is investigating schools’ overall readiness to implement this curriculum, including the extent to which each school is considering vision, values, key competencies, learning areas and principles as part of its own curriculum review and design.
The evaluation also reports on how schools are deciding their immediate priorities for curriculum review and design, and the extent to which they are working towards offering opportunities for learning a second or subsequent language.
This is the first of two aggregated reports that that will give the Ministry of Education information on the progress that schools are making towards the full implementation of the curriculum. This report is based on information about the progress of 43 secondary schools and 141 primary schools.
Schools reviewed in Terms 3 and 4, 2008 are progressing well in their preparations for implementing the New Zealand Curriculum. Most schools are where they could realistically be expected to be at this stage, with over a year until full implementation. All secondary schools and most primary schools in this sample have begun the process of reviewing their curriculum, and about 40 percent of both secondary and primary schools are well under way in their readiness to implement the curriculum.
Most schools are now familiarising themselves with the key competencies and considering how these might be integrated into their curriculum frameworks to guide teachers’ classroom practice. Fewer schools have placed their priorities on integrating the principles and aligning their learning areas with the curriculum.
Four factors underline the good progress made by schools whose preparations are well advanced. In these schools:
- the transition process is being well led and communicated;
- all those involved share a common understanding of what the curriculum means in the context of their school;
- there is a planned approach to implementation; and
- good use is made of external development and training and the Ministry of Education implementation materials.
A few schools are finding it difficult to begin the implementation process because they typically lack someone to initiate and lead the process and are less likely to have forward or focused school planning. Board members or school managers may lack sufficient knowledge about the curriculum because they have not made use of the implementation materials. A combination of these factors leads to the perception that the process is too difficult.
The majority of secondary schools and a growing number of primary schools are already offering students opportunities for learning a second or subsequent language. The most commonly stated challenges in both primary and secondary schools were finding and/or retaining suitably qualified staff and building the capability and confidence of staff in teaching a language.