- Hon Erica Stanford
The Government's mandating of structured literacy is transforming the reading achievement of new entrants nationwide, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.
Since Term 1, structured literacy and the new English curriculum are taught in all primary schools. Alongside this, new entrants have been tested after 20 weeks at school through a phonics check to see how their reading is tracking.
"New phonics data shows a significant boost in reading success right across the country. Our relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly is delivering. We followed the science, data and evidence, and in less than a year we are growing more confident readers and reversing the decades of decline in student achievement," Ms Stanford says.
Term 3 phonics data taken at 20 weeks at school shows:
- 58 per cent of students were at or above expectations, up from 36 per cent in Term 1.
- 43 per cent of students exceeded expectations in Term 3, more than double the Term 1 rate.
"I want parents to know that we are ambitious for your children. We want them to be confident readers. That's why we took bold action to mandate structured literacy, and it's working."
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 per cent in Term 3.
"This is crucial, evidence shows the younger children master learning to read, the more likely they are to succeed at school."
Māori students performing at or above what's expected have increased from 25 per cent to 43 per cent in just two terms. Tamariki needing additional support fell from 62 to 47 per cent over the same short period. These results are a significant step in raising Māori achievement and closing the equity gap.
In high equity (low-decile) schools, children meeting expected levels has gone up from 18 per cent to 35 per cent, and Pacific students, from 27 per cent up to 43 per cent.
"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," Ms Stanford says.
