Appendix 2: Information about student achievement, progress, and proficiency
This appendix summarises the sources of the information that the Ministry of Education has about student achievement, progress, and proficiency in Years 1-13.
Achievement information
The Ministry gathers student achievement information from two sources. They are:
- the Curriculum Insights and Progress Study (CIPS), which replaced the National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement and will assess each subject in The New Zealand Curriculum once every four years; and
- NCEA results, which assesses participating students every year for all subjects in The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.
| Year level | CIPS | NCEA Level 1 | NCEA Level 2 | NCEA Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | ||||
| Year 2 | ||||
| Year 3 | All subjects once every four years | |||
| Year 4 | ||||
| Year 5 | ||||
| Year 6 | All subjects once every four years | |||
| Year 7 | ||||
| Year 8 | All subjects once every four years | |||
| Year 9 | ||||
| Year 10 | ||||
| Year 11 | All subjects every year | |||
| Year 12 | All subjects every year | |||
| Year 13 | All subjects every year |
Progress information
The Ministry gathers student progress information from two sources. They are:
- assessments that relate to curriculum levels 2-6 for reading and maths (which correlate to students in Years 5-10) and levels 1-6 for writing (which correlate to students in Years 1-10); and
- CIPS, which from 2023 assesses the literacy and numeracy level of a cohort of students every year.
| Year level | The Assessment for Teaching and Learning tool | CIPS |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | ||
| Year 2 | ||
| Year 3 | Literacy and numeracy | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Year 5 | Reading, maths, writing, pānui, pāngaru, and tuhituhi | |
| Year 6 | Reading, maths, writing, pānui, pāngaru, and tuhituhi | Literacy and numeracy |
| Year 7 | Reading, maths, writing, pānui, pāngaru, and tuhituhi | |
| Year 8 | Reading, maths, writing, pānui, pāngaru, and tuhituhi | Literacy and numeracy |
| Year 9 | Reading, maths, writing, pānui, pāngaru, and tuhituhi | |
| Year 10 | Reading, maths, writing, pānui, pāngaru, and tuhituhi | |
| Year 11 | ||
| Year 12 | ||
| Year 13 |
Note: As discussed in paragraphs 3.36-3.37, from 2025 schools will be required to use the Assessment for Teaching and Learning tool or another form of assessment to test children in Years 3-8 in reading, writing, and maths twice a year.
Proficiency information
The Ministry uses periodic international comparative studies to measure student proficiency in reading, maths, and science. These studies do not measure students against The New Zealand Curriculum. They include:
- the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which takes place every four years and looks at student proficiency in maths and science at Years 5 and 9;
- the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), which takes place every five years and looks at reading literacy proficiency at Year 5; and
- the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which takes place every three years and assesses 15 year olds' proficiency in maths, reading, and science in English-medium education (generally Year 11).
| Year level | TIMSS | PIRLS | PISA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | |||
| Year 2 | |||
| Year 3 | |||
| Year 4 | |||
| Year 5 | Maths and science every four years | Reading literacy every five years | |
| Year 6 | |||
| Year 7 | |||
| Year 8 | |||
| Year 9 | Maths and science every four years | ||
| Year 10 | |||
| Year 11 | Maths, reading, and science every three years | ||
| Year 12 | |||
| Year 13 |