More Smoke and Mirrors from Erica Stanford
Erica Stanford is celebrating a maths “breakthrough”, but critics say the numbers are being spun harder than the truth. The Ministry’s own data suggests the dramatic drop in achievement is largely due to changing the benchmark—not a collapse in student performance.
Today she has posted on Facebook about the amazing progress being made by Year 8 students in a Maths Acceleration Trial.
‘Erica Stanford MP BREAKING: Our new maths acceleration trial has proven successful in boosting learning. Year 7 & 8 students in the 12-week trial, who were a year or more behind made double the progress of their peers.
Follow-up testing has shown that learning was largely maintained.
When we entered Government, only 22% of Year 8 students were at the expected standard for maths. We refused to accept that this is good enough.
By delivering targeted, in-person support, we are finally turning the tide. We are now rolling this proven model out nationwide to teach the basics brilliantly and give every Kiwi kid the chance to succeed.’
The benchmark changed — not the children
Wow, isn’t that fantastic. Seems I have been so wrong about her educational genius.
Oh, what’s this, also posted on Facebook?
‘I Am Brie Elliott
Listen to the Ministry, not the Minister.
Because the Ministry’s own report includes the part Erica Stanford keeps leaving out:
the benchmark changed.
In 2022, 42% of Year 8 students met the old expectation.
In 2023, 22% met the refreshed one.
And the Ministry’s own report says:
“student performance has not changed from 2022 to 2023, but rather the curriculum expectation has changed with the refresh.”
On its own website, the Ministry says Year 8 writing showed “no statistically significant change” over time. It also says:
“While the New Zealand curriculum has changed over time, underlying student performance has not changed from previous years’ assessments.”
That is the context.
That is why the number dropped from 42% to 22%.
Not because Year 8 students suddenly collapsed overnight, but because they were being measured against a refreshed expectation.
The Ministry’s documents say that.
Erica’s Facebook posts don’t.
Teachers already knew the answer
The tutoring trial results are impressive.
But they show that targeted, small-group, additional support can accelerate learning for a specific group of Year 7-8 students.
Teachers already know that. It is why they keep asking for smaller class sizes, more staffing, and proper learning support – instead of being told to clap for a “breakthrough” that mostly proves what classrooms have been saying all along.
Again: the problem is not evidence.
It is political overreach.’
Oh dear, seems I was right after all about Stanford.
However we must concede that she is very talented at political spin, turning straw into gold.
Another National policy destroying our educational system they already did a lot if damage from their last national standards policy
Talk about racism the educational changes hark back to the old days when many kids failed and Maori kids were over represeted in the faillue rates.. Stanford is so arrogant and has an I know best attitude when in fact she really knows f all she has no background in pedagogy and is taking advice from old racist farts.