Learning Media - Te Pou Taki Kõrero

The National Standards provide nationally consistent reference points, or signposts, in reading, writing, and mathematics for students in years 1–8. They describe and illustrate the progress and achievement that will enable students to meet the demands of the New Zealand Curriculum, and they help teachers to make judgments about their students’ progress.

The brief

To produce four separate national standards books, two in English and two in te reo Māori, with supporting material for parents – all in a very tight timeframe. The books support the government’s policy of improving literacy (te reo matatini) and numeracy (pāngarau) skills by introducing standards that state clear expectations students need to meet in their first eight years of school.

Our solution

This was a complex, high-profile project that required careful thinking and quick responses. In close partnership with the Ministry of Education, our team committed themselves to this important project and produced rich, foundational resources. Our knowledge in literacy, numeracy, and pedagogy proved invaluable in addressing the varied issues that arose during development.

Learning Media worked with the Ministry of Education to develop and publish the National Standards in less than five months. Our writers’ and editors’ expertise ensured the text met exacting standards of clarity, and our designers developed an easy-to-use layout that incorporated numerous layers of information. For example, an important design element of the Reading and Writing Standards is the use of foldout pages; these describe the work that students may be doing at each level, and they include annotations that support teachers to assess students’ achievement in relation to the standards. Similarly, the Mathematics Standards include annotated examples of tasks and problems that illustrate how students need to meet the standard at each level.

Sixty-three thousand National Standards packs in English (containing one reading and writing book, one mathematics book, and one pamphlet with information for parents) were distributed to all New Zealand schools. Several reprints of the books soon followed. We also ran workshops to support teachers with the standards.

The Māori publishing team worked with Māori-medium leaders in te reo matatini (literacy) and pāngarau (numeracy) to develop Ngā Whanaketanga Rūmaki Māori (Māori National Standards). The standards are aligned to Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and the Te Reo Māori Draft Learning Progressions. Consultation and trialling of the draft documents with Māori-medium teachers, principals, board of trustee members, education sector groups, iwi, parents, families, and whānau began in March 2010 and was completed in May 2010.

“The National Standards had to be high quality, pedagogically sound, and illustrated with clear examples. This was an urgent, top-priority project for the Ministry of Education. We couldn't have done it without Learning Media.”

Ministry of Education project member