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Undertaking a school literacy review
By Rosie Clarke, Editor
Learners are failing to meet literacy standards at an alarming rate, prompting schools to review their literacy programs. Among the concerning trends are growing gaps between literacy levels of boys and girls, with boys more likely to fail standards in reading and writing, as well as declines in the number of high achieving literacy learners, reported in a 2022 review of available statistics by The Education Hub titled, “Now I Don’t Know My ABC”. Further distressing, is that Pasifika students with low
What changes are schools implementing to improve outcomes?
English literacy scores are 35 percent more likely to become excluded from school, according to recent data analysis by the University of Canterbury. Immense pressure has been placed on kaiako to improve literacy outcomes by taking
a more structured literacy approach. At the same time, the Ministry of Education has promised additional funding and resources to fill teachers’ knowledge gaps around evidence-based literacy pedagogy and has designed new standards to strengthen
Providing the knowledge and tools to implement a STRUCTURED LITERACY approach in your school. iDeaL is a complete, comprehensive, and costeffective approach that lifts literacy outcomes ˙ˢ˥ ʴʿʿ ͓˞ˢˡ˚˔ʡ
Professional Learning
Assessments
literacy education and the NCEA system. While yet to be implemented formally, more than 200 schools are currently piloting these new NCEA standards, with evaluations set for release in Term 1, 2023.
Progress Monitoring
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In the meantime, how should schools review their existing approach? What changes are schools implementing to improve outcomes? We sought these answers from some leading literacy programs on these issues. “There has always been diversity in our classrooms,” asserts Learning Matters Founder and Managing Director Carla McNeil: “COVID hasn’t intensified this, it has put a spotlight on it, which I believe is a good thing.”
We have made the move to Structured Literacy and could not be more pleased with the iDeaL Approach. The money we have invested vs outcome is an easy decision.” - School Principal
Resources
To find out more head to www.learningmatters.co.nz
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EDUCATION
Term 4, 2022 | schoolnews.co.nz