Navigating an Evolving Context: Assessment Reform in New Zealand

• In Event: 45.047 - The Current Context for Assessment Education in Preservice Preparatory Programs: A Symposium of International Perspectives

Abstract

Objectives: This paper analyzes the current state of assessment education for elementary teachers across New Zealand (NZ) teacher education programs. Specifically, we have analyzed the implications of recent changes to the graduating teacher standards and the removal of National Standards assessment at the primary school level. The implications of the intersection of these initiatives for student teacher assessment learning and assessment are discussed.
Perspective: Governments use policy and resourcing to shape and frame the context for teaching and learning (Cochran-Smith et al., 2018; Darling-Hammond & Lieberman, 2012). A double challenge exists for NZ teacher educators in the current context - how to adjust their programmes in response to the new policy context for children's assessment and how to assess their student teachers against a new code for professional conduct (MOE, 2017).

Methods: From June 2017, expectations for teacher professionalism in NZ are set out in the Code of Professional Responsibilities and Standards for the Teaching Profession. For initial teacher education programmes the Code replaces the Graduating Teaching Standards (GTS). The Code does not specify levels of achievement, student teachers are expected to meet the Code 'with support'. The Code and the previous GTS will be analysed to discern assessment competency implications.
Publically available documentation on student teacher programmes and student teacher assessment for 2018 has been collated and analysed to understand current assessment education in NZ. In early in 2019 additional documents will be collected and analysed to demonstrate any alterations in programmes in response to the Code - government guidelines for changes are due late 2018.
Publicly available commentaries related to National Standards have been collated and analysed to understand the wider context.
All documents were analysed for evidence of formative assessment strategies, of learning progressions, and summative assessment approaches using a constant comparison method.

Results: Graduating teachers need to meet the Code with support, which poses questions about what kind of support should be provided and what evidence would demonstrate an appropriate level of assessment literacy. Congruent with earlier work (Hill et al., 2013), we found considerable variation initial teacher education providers assessment education instruction. The complete paper will include a comparative analysis of changes in programmes.

Significance: The policy context for the assessment of student learning and teacher quality has implications for the qualities, capacities and skills student teachers can be expected to master and how this mastery is demonstrated. These changes have implications for teacher education programmes. Government policy therefore exerts indirect control over university initial teacher education programming raising questions about if and how policy is then a foundation for assessment education. The paper will provide an analysis of the impact of a substantial change in assessment policy away from more formalized and public reporting of students, one that in many ways runs counter to changes elsewhere, and of a longer-term and more seamless vision of teacher development.

Authors

• Bronwen Cowie, University of Waikato

• Beverley Cooper, University of Waikato

• Frances Edwards, The University of Waikato

• Kerry Earl, University of Waikato