An introduction to student achievement
Under Section 127 of the Education and Training Act 2020open_in_new, your board’s paramount objective is to ensure that:
“… every student at the school is able to attain their highest possible standard in educational achievement.”
To help this happen, boards must meet a range of supporting objectives.
In this collection of articles, we’re going to focus on the paramount objective and the supporting objectives that directly relate to student achievement and progress:
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Ensuring the effective implementation of the National Curriculum
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Monitoring and evaluating student progress and achievement.
Keep reading to learn more.
Note: The terms “student achievement” and “educational achievement” often mean the same thing. While encompassing academic scores and grades, they both refer to a learner’s holistic development as a person.
What is the National Curriculum?
The National Curriculum outlines what ākonga (students) are expected to learn and provides guidance on how teaching and learning should be structured.
Alongside subject learning, it includes broader “capabilities” such as communication, relating to others, self-management and self-regulation, problem-solving, and creativity. These support students to become confident and capable lifelong learners.
What is your board’s role in student achievement?
Boards are not expected to be education specialists. Instead, your role is to focus on governance – setting direction and expectations, resourcing, asking the right questions, and seeking assurance that the school is doing a good job.
To set direction, your strategic and annual plans should reflect the community’s aspirations (heard during consultation) and the Education and Training Act 2020. They should be focused on improving outcomes for all ākonga, including priority groups and students with special education needs.
To set expectations for the principal, your board uses policies. These expectations include the curriculum being delivered effectively and that teaching and learning programmes meet legislative requirements.
Resourcing means ensuring that staff have the time, tools, and capability to support learning effectively. Students should have the opportunity and support to achieve, remembering that what’s best for one student may differ from what’s best for another.
A key part of asking the right questions and seeking assurance happens during the principal’s reporting to your board. You should get clear information about student progress, achievement, and any areas that need attention.
What information should your board be receiving?
To understand what is working and what areas need attention, your board needs to gather good information throughout the year, mainly through the principal’s reporting to your board.
Discussing reporting with the principal can help everyone know what to expect, if the reports are being presented clearly, and how the data is being gathered.
The information in these reports should be broader than just academic achievement – it should also include data on things like attendance, engagement, progress, and how priority learners are performing.
If there is any information your board would like to receive, you are allowed to request it, especially regarding students with particular needs and risks.
Questions your board could ask
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Does our board understand its objectives under the Education and Training Act 2020?
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Are students at the centre of every decision we make?
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Is our strategic planning process focused on improving educational outcomes?
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Do we have a teaching and learning policy (or policy statement) that sets out our board’s expectations for the principal?
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Is the curriculum engaging and meeting the needs of all students?
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How do we know we’re receiving the best available data?
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Have we discussed reporting with the principal?
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Are the principal reports easy to understand?
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Can we provide better support for teaching and learning by (re)allocating resources?
Templates, resources, and references
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