This article from the New Zealand Education Gazette re-emphasizes the success of New Zealand 15 year old students in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). What I particularly like about this article is how it takes a more positive spin on the concerning gap between the highest and lowest achievers, as highlighted in this quote:
“The size of this spread is not only because of the under performance of our lowest achieving students but also due to the great success of students at the highest level.”
Although the gap is a concern, it is good to see a glass half full view.
I read somewhere several years ago that we are the only country to include our special needs students in these results. If this is true then wouldn't that have a very large bearing on the long underachievement tail?
ReplyDeleteI agree. I know that parts of China (Hong Kong, for example) are often referred to in similar types of research as independent states, yet are only a small part of the country as a whole; whereas in New Zealand we tend to take all students into account.
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