Starpath A University of Auckland Partnership for Excellence The Starpath Project Annual Report 2009
StarpathA University of Auckland Partnership for Excellence
The Starpath Project
Annual Report 2009
StarpathA University of Auckland Partnership for Excellence
Project Name:
Starpath Partnership for Excellence
Department:
Faculty of Education
Focus Area:
Project for Tertiary Participation and Success
Review Period:
1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009
Starpath Project
The University of Auckland
Epsom Campus
Faculty of Education
Private Bag 92019
Auckland 1142
www.starpath.auckland.ac.nz
On the cover: The Starpath TeamTop: Rolf Turner, Irena Madjar, Yoshiko Kawasaki, Seini Jensen, Elizabeth Clarke, Liz McKinley, Georgina Stewart.
Bottom: Meisong Li, Alice Van Der Merwe, Sam Smith, Johnson Yuan, Marianna Deynzer.
ContentsReports
FromtheChair 04
FromtheDirector 05
School-tertiaryresearchpartnerships 07
NavigatingNCEA 08
Usingdatatoclosetheachievementgap 10
Buildingstudentachievementdatabasesinschools 10
AcademicCounsellingandTargetSetting(ACTS) 10
Transitioningfromschooltouniversity 12
Buildingeffectiveliteracypracticesinsecondaryschools 14
Futuredirections 15
Projectoutputs 16
Projectmediacoverage 18
4 REPORTS
ReportsFromtheChairAsChairoftheStarpathBoard,IamprivilegedtointroducetheAnnualReportfor2008-09.TheworkofStarpath–tocarryoutresearchanddesigninitiativestoenhancetheparticipationandachievementofstudentsfromgroupsunder-representedintertiaryeducation–isoftheutmostimportancetoNewZealand.
Overthelastyear,StarpathandtheStarpathpartnershaveconcludedimportantresearchprojectsintotheimpactofsubjectstakenfortheNationalCertificateofEducationalAchievementoneducationalpathwaysandhowtarget-settingandcounsellingcanliftstudentaspirationsandachievement.Educationalagencies,themediaandschoolshavebeeninterestedinthesefindingswithattentionfocusingontheimportanceofinformation,understandingandappropriatechoicesatschool.Thesearenotindividualissues–theyinvolvefamilies,students,teachers,governmentandthecommunity.
Governmentsandcitizensinternationallyrecognisethedesiretoaccesshighereducationamonggroupsthathavetraditionallyfoundthisdifficultandtheneedforsuccessfulparticipationastheplatformforsocialandeconomicadvancement.HighereducationhasbeenameansoffulfillingindividualandcommunitygoalsinNewZealandforwelloverahundredyearsbutnotforeverybody.Withaglobalemphasisontheexpansionofhighereducation,weneedtoensurethatallyoungpeopleinourcountryhavethechancetoconsidertheir
optionsandmakeinformeddecisionsaboutthepathsthatwillberightforthem.
FortheBoard,oneofthebestaspectsofthelastyearhasbeentheenhancementoftheresearchanddevelopmentcapacityoftheStarpathteamandthestrongrelationshipsithasbuiltwithitspartnersecondaryschoolsandManukauInstituteofTechnology.Theenthusiasmandcommitmentoftheteamandthepartnersarebestdemonstratedinpartnerdayswhenthecurrentresearchfindingsarepresentedanddebated.
ThefinancialsupportoftheASBCommunityTrust,theWestCoastDevelopmentTrust,TheUniversityofAuckland,theTertiaryEducationCommissionandindividualsponsorsisimportanttotheProject.TheirsupportenablesStarpathtocontributetoourknowledgeoftheeducationaldynamicsinlowandmiddecileschoolsinNewZealand.
WeareenteringthelastperiodofStageIoftheStarpathProject.Workcontinuesindemonstratingtheeffectivenessoftheinterventionsusedinpartnerschoolsandhowthesemightbesustainedovertimeandacrossawiderrangeofschools.WelookforwardtomakingthecaseforthisimportantworktobeextendedintoStageIIwhenitsbenefitsmaybemadeavailabletomoreschoolsandmoreofouryoungpeople.
ProfessorRaewynDalzielChair,StarpathBoard
5THEUNIvERSITyOFAUCklANDStaRpath annual RepoRt 2009
FromtheDirectorWelcometotheStarpathProjectAnnualReportfor2008-09.WhenStarpathbeganin2005thekeyobjectivewastoidentifytheaspirationsandapproachesthatwillleadmanymorestudentsfromunder-representedgroupsintohighereducation.Starpathhasbeenchargedwithdeliveringstrategiesandinitiativesbasedonresearchevidencethatwilltransformcurrentpatternsofunderachievement.Theworkthisyearcontinuestogatherresearchevidencetoimproveourunderstandingofthebarrierstotertiarysuccessfordifferentgroups.Atthesametimewehaveevaluatedaninitiativetrialledinonepartnerschoolwithpromisingresults.Currentlyweareworkingonthetransferabilityoftheinterventiontootherschoolsandthesustainabilityofitintheoriginalpilotschool.Wehopetobeabletoreportontheresultsoftheseprojectsnextyear.
StarpathcontinuestoenjoythesupportofschoolsandmanyotherindividualsiftherequestsforinterviewsandinformationIreceiveareanythingtogoby.TheStarpathreportTowardsuniversity:NavigatingNCEAcoursechoicesinlow-middecileschoolsreceivedasignificantamountofpublicityandcreatedwidespreaddiscussioninthemediaandcommunity.WiththereleaseofthisreportIcarriedoutthreetelevisioninterviews,sixliveradiointerviews,andnumerousprintmediainterviewsonissuesofethnicityandNCEAresults,andtookpartinapaneldiscussiononopenentrytouniversityforMāoristudents.Furthermore,schoolsandcommunitygroups
contactedStarpathforfurtherinformation.ItisimportanttheNCEAissuesraisedbythisreportarediscussedinthepublicarenaandthatStarpathcontributestothisdebate.
TheNCEAassessmentsystemhasmanystrongpointsincludingitsgreaterflexibility,enablingittocaterforawiderangeofstudentability.However,withflexibilityincoursechoicescomesanincreasedlevelofcomplexity.ManyoftheinterviewersIspoketoidentifiedparentalunderstandingofNCEAasanimportantissue.ResearchshowsthatstudentslooktotheirparentsforguidancewiththeirsubjectchoicesandsoeducatingparentsandcaregiversmustbeapriorityforschoolsandtheNewZealandQualificationsAuthority(NZQA).ThisisnottosaythatschoolsandtheNZQAhavenotbeenattendingtothistask.However,thisresearchsuggeststheeffortsneedtobeintensified.ThecomplexityofNCEAalsomeansitisimportantthatschoolstakeonresponsibilityforprovidingdetailedandongoingguidancetostudents.Starpathhasbeeninvolvedwithtriallinganinterventioninonepartnerschoolthatsetsachievementtargetsandaddressesacademiccounsellingneeds,whichisshowingpromisingresults.Wehavebegunworkonscalingtheinterventiontootherpartnerschools.
WithMāoriandPacificstudentsachieving,onaverage,belowtheircounterpartsacrossalldeciles,itisimportantthatanyinterventionsforthesestudentsaccelerateimprovementsforthem.lastyearonly53percentofMāoristudentsand48percentofPacificstudentspassedNCEAlevel1,andthefiguresareevenlowerforMāoriandPacificstudentsinAuckland(48percentand44percentrespectively).Whiletherehavebeensomegainsinachievementforbothgroups,weneedtosendthemessagetoschoolsandotherinstitutionsthattheresultsarefarfromacceptableandtherateofprogressistooslow.However,ourabilitytomeasuretheeffectivenessofschool-basedinterventionshasbeenhamperedbythenationaldataavailable.Thisyear,forthefirsttimeever,NZQAreleaseddetailsonethnicityandNCEApassratesofallthenation’ssecondaryschools.ThisnewNZQAreportingwillenableStarpathtofurtherourdataanalysistoexaminewhethertheinterventionsbeingtrialledarehelpingtoclosetheachievementgapforMāoriandPacificstudents.
StarpathA University of Auckland Partnership for Excellence
lastyearkaitaiaCollegejoinedourotherfourpartnerschoolsinAucklandandWhangarei.kaitaiaCollege,adecile3school,istheFarNorthregion’slargestschoolwith850students.TheschoolispredominantlymadeupofMāori(67percent)andNewZealandEuropean/Pākehā(28percent)students.Inthisreportwefeatureoneoftheirstudents,whotellstheirstoryofmakingthetransitionfromaruralsecondaryschooltoabigcityuniversity.
Therehavebeenanumberofstaffchangesinthelast12months.WewelcomedbackMrsSamanthaSmithfromMasseyHighSchoolasaresearcherwiththeProject.Samspent12monthswithStarpathin2006.DrEarlIrving,DrDebbieDunsfordandMsCharlotteBurgesshavealsorecentlyjoinedtheteam.DrGeorginaStewartwasrecentlyfarewelledandwewishherwellinhernewpositionattheNewZealandCouncilforEducationalResearch.Starpathhasenjoyedastablecoreofstaffforthelasttwo-and-a-halfyearsandIwishtotakethisopportunitytothankeveryonefortheircontinuedhardworkandsupport.
lastlyIwouldliketothankthemembersoftheAcademicReviewGroups.Thefunctionofpeerreviewisextremelyimportantinprovidingrigourandrobustnessinallaspectsoftheprojects,fromconceptualisationtopublication.Themembersofthesegroupsgivetheirtimeintheinterestsofgoodresearch.ThisyearwewishtothankDistinguishedProfessorDameAnneSalmond,ProfessorsAlisonJones,JohnHattie,Alanlee,andChrisWild,AssociateProfessorBrianMcCardle,DrsMelaniAnae,MaryHill,MargieHohepa,TeTuhiRobust,PeterkeeganandEveCoxon,andMsMargaretTaurere(allUniversityofAuckland)andDrGavinBrown(HongkongInstituteofEducation)fortheinsightstheyprovide.
AsStarpathmovesforwardinto2010wearewellplacedtoconsolidateourworkandtestthesustainabilityandscalabilityoftheinterventions.Thisworkwillprovidetheevidencebaseforanyprogrammewerecommendforrolloutmorewidely.
AssociateProfessorElizabethMckinleyDirector,StarpathProject
6 ExECUTIvESUMMARy
7THEUNIvERSITyOFAUCklANDStaRpath annual RepoRt 2009
School-tertiary research partnerships
Researchonteacherprofessionaldevelopmentandcapacitybuildingindicatesthatthewayinwhichagenciesexternaltoaschool,suchasStarpath,workwiththeschoolwillhelpdetermineifinterventionsgettakenonboardandaresustained.TheStarpathProjecthasdevelopedasuccessfulmodelforpractice-researchcollaborationandproducedasignificantbodyofresearchandexamplesofpracticeinitiativesthathavebeentailoredtospecificsituations.Fundamentaltothishasbeen:
•developingcapabilityintheschoolssothatstaffhavetheknowledgeandskillstocarryoutspecificroles
•buildingcollaborativeandmutuallybeneficialrelationshipsbetweenschoolsandStarpath,and
•developingtrustandaccountabilitybetweenpartners.
Starpathhasuseda“scienceofperformance”approachwithinaresearchanddevelopment(R&D)process.Thegeneralapproachistouseevidenceaboutthe“problem”onthegroundtodevelopandtestchangescollaboratively.Inthiswaycapabilityisbuiltintheschoolstosustainchanges.TheR&Dmodeliscollaborativeandhasthreecomponents.
1.Anevidence-basedproblem-solvingcomponentwhereteachersandresearchersexamineevidencefromstudents’learningandteachers’and/orschoolpractice.
2.Averydetailedandspecificfine-tuningofpractice,designedfromtheevidence.Professionaldevelopmentwithalltheteachersthenprovidesknowledgeandpracticestomakeactualchangesininteractionswithstudents.
3.Buildingtheresearchanddevelopmentprocessintotheschools’everydayactivitiessothatteachersandschoolscansustaintheprocess.
IncludedintheR&DapproachadoptedbyStarpathisafocusontheecologyoftheschool.Thatis,anydevelopmentisadaptedtotheuniquecircumstancesoftheindividualschool,tappingintoexistingstrengths,developingareasofidentifiedneed,andempoweringschoolstoflexiblyuseinterventionsinresponsetolocalcircumstances.Thisensuresthatinterventionsarealignedwithotherschoolpoliciesandpractices.
In the following, the Principal of one of our partner schools talks about his school’s partnership with Starpath.
Bruce RitchiePrincipalofMasseyHighSchoolOneearlyshiftthatoccurredasaresultofMasseyHighSchoolbecomingaStarpathpartnerschoolin2004wasachangeinthe way the school managed students’ records of learning.“WehadadatabaseuniquetoMasseywhichhadbeensetuptomanagedataratherthantolookatthestudents’individualachievement,” Bruce says. Changing data managementsystemsandknowinghowtousedatatothebestadvantagehas been at the heart of the school’s academic counsellingprogramme, introducedin2007.HavingateacheronboardwithenhancedskillsindatauseisafurtherbonusaccordingtoBruce.HecreditsMassey’sStudentAchievementManager,SamSmith,whohasspenttimeworkingontheStarpathteamand as a teacher at the school, with increasing Massey’scapacitytoworkwithevidence-basedresearch.“Aswellasastructuredprofessionaldevelopmentopportunity,havingSamworkboth inauniversityanda school isagreatmodel forsecondaryteaching.”
Bruce describes how areas of concern have also beenidentifiedbyStarpath.“Thereisatrendofunder-representedgroups at tertiary choosing ‘soft options’ in NCEA – hereStarpath was instrumental in getting the school to lookcloselyatstudentchoiceonourdatabase,revealingwhichstudents were at risk of not gaining credits.” Every NewZealandschoolshouldgainfromhavingresearchhappeninginside it, according to Bruce. Such partnerships, however,can only flourish “when there is leadership to formulatesupportwithreleasetimeworkedin,sothateventuallytheresearchbecomesembeddedascorepractice”.
TheStarpathProjecthasworkedcollaborativelywithschoolsandtertiaryinstitutionstoenhancetheacademicperformanceofMāori,Pacificandotherstudentsfromlowdecileschoolsthroughasystematic,longitudinal,whole-schoolapproachtostudentperformanceandachievement.Inthefour-and-a-halfyearssinceStarpathPhase1began,theProjecthasworkedinclosecollaborationwith12schoolsandtwotertiaryeducationinstitutions,enrollingapproximately9,500secondaryand50,000tertiarystudentseachyear.Thishasincludedapproximately2,500Māorisecondaryand4,700Māoritertiarystudents,and2,350Pacificsecondaryand7,500Pacifictertiarystudents.
8 NAvIGATINGNCEA
navigating nCea
PreviousStarpathresearchhasshownthatMāoriandPacificstudentsandstudentsfromlowdecileschoolsaremorelikelythanotherstudentstotakefewersubjectsandstandardsfromtheapprovedsubjectlistfortheUEqualification,takefewerachievementstandards,beassignedtothelessacademicversionsofcorecurriculumsubjectssuchasEnglish,ScienceandMathematics,andbeenrolledinsubjectsmadeupsolelyofunitstandards.
Thestudyprogressedthisfurtherbyseekingtounderstandwhyandhowthiswashappening.TodothisStarpathinterviewedmorethan160students,parentsandteachersfromlowtomiddecilehighschoolsinAucklandandNorthlandaboutNCEAsubjectchoices.
Findingsindicatethatteachers,parentsandstudentsaregenerallypositiveaboutNCEA,inparticularitsabilitytomeetdiversestudentneeds.However,thesystem’sflexibility(which
allowsschoolstoofferaverywiderangeofcourses),anditscomplexity(whichmakesitdifficultforstakeholderstofullygraspalltheyneedtoknowabouttheimplicationsofparticularcoursechoices),canactasbarriers,preventingsomestudentsfromachievingtheirpotentialatsecondaryschoolandgettingthebestpreparationfortheirpost-schoolplans.
ParentsinparticularlackedconfidenceintheirunderstandingoftheNCEAsystem.Theyunderstoodsomeofitsbasiccharacteristics,suchasthethreelevelsofcertificatesandtheaccumulationofcreditsthroughinternalassessmentsandexternalexaminations.ButtheywerealsoawarethatthereisalotmoretotheNCEAsystemandhowitisimplementedinschools,andthatmuchofitwasamysterytothem.Specifically,parentswereunclearaboutthefollowingareas:
•understandingtheirchildren’sNCEAresults
(includingcommonabbreviations,howmanycreditswereneededto“complete”asubjectandthesignificanceofexternalversusinternalassessment)
•understandingthedifferencebetweenalternateversionsofsubjectsandthesignificanceoftheirchildrenbeingallocatedtooneofthese
•thedifferencebetweenunitandachievementstandards,theirlinktodifferentversionsofsubjectsandtheirrelevancetoadvancedstudy
•therequirementsfortheUniversityEntrance(UE)qualificationandwhatsubjectsandcreditsareneededtoenrolinauniversity
•thedifferencebetweenUEandmorespecificprogrammeentrancerequirements(eg,Engineering,Arts,law,etc)setdownbyindividualuniversities.
Earlierthisyear,StarpathreleasedthefindingsofamajorstudyintohowNCEAcoursechoicesaremadebyMāori,Pacificandotherstudentsinlowandmiddecileschools,andtheeffectsofthosechoices.TitledTowards university: Navigating NCEA course choices in low-mid decile schools,itrevealswhyandhowmanyacademically-ablestudentsarechoosingorendingupinsubjectsthatlimittheirchancesofenteringandsucceedingintertiarystudy.
9THEUNIvERSITyOFAUCklANDStaRpath annual RepoRt 2009
In their own wordsThe following statements made by parents, students and teachers during the Towards university study illustrate some of the confusion and frustrations around NCEA.
“yeah,that’smind-boggling.Istilldon’tunderstandaboutittothisday.AllIknowisyou’vegotlevels…thatyouneedtogothrough-level1,level2,level3,isthisallpartoftheNCEA?”(Parent)
“It’sveryhardformebecause…Ididn’tfinishschool...lastyearwewenttotheschooland…she[daughter]toldmethatsheselecthersubjectforthisyearfortheNCEA…including…socialstudiesandaccounting.Andshedidn’tdo…thecomputer,butshewasthetopincomputerlastyear.Wecameandaskedtheteacher‘Why?’Andthe teacher said ‘…because if she take computer she can’t takehistoryorsocialstudies.Shehadtotakeanotherchoice’.Itoldhim‘Why?’IjustaskbecauseIdon’tknowwhyshewasthetopinthecomputerlastyearandthisyear…theydidn’tgiveherachancetocontinueon…Thenteachersaid‘No,ifshetakecomputersshehastoleftaccounting,takethecomputerandhistory’…Ineedsomeonetohelpher…Choose the rightsubjects…Noonehelps… I feel, Imade a mistake [suggesting a particular subject], but like I said,[the teacher] just told me… ‘if she take that subject, it will gotogether with that subject, not that subject...’ Right now, I don’tunderstand…”(Parent)
“I’mnotsurethisyearhowitworks…Everyonesaysyougetcreditsfromlastyear,butI’mnotsurehowitworks.”(Student)
“Idon’treallyknowhowitallfitsin.AllIknowisthatyougottohavecertainamountsofcredits…togetintouniandI’mjustlookingtogetasmuchcreditsaspossible,likeexcellenceones.”(Student)
“Itwouldbegoodiftheytoldus,‘youneedthat,andthat,andthat,toget thatqualification’,but theydon’t tellus…It’sabit too lategettingintoyear13andsaying‘OhwhatdoIneedtogetintothis?’and they say ‘you need that and then that’. We don’t have it,becauseit’stoolateforustogetit.”(Student)
“I’dprobably say50percent actually understandhow thiswholesystem works, whereas some other students just look at theindividual credits. Just say they need 80 to pass level 2, orsomething like that. All they aim for is just 80. They don’t worryaboutwhetherit’sexcellenceormeritorachieved.”(Teacher)
“[Students] get halfway through the yearand they realise they’regoingtodoaCommercedegree[atTheUniversityofAuckland]andthey need 16 credits in their subjects and, ‘Oh hold on, I’m notdoing that’or ‘Idecided last term Iwouldn’tdo thatassignment‘causeitwastoohard,andnowI’mstuck’.”(Teacher)
“Ithinkpeoplehavegotsohunguponthetotalcreditsthattheyhaveforgottenaboutthesubjectpass…IhadafatheranddaughterthatIhadenrolledatthestartoftheyearwhereIsaid‘yeahshemight have her 95 credits… but she wouldn’t be able to do thissubject because she’s only got eight [credits] in that particularsubject, so we wouldn’t consider that she could go on in thatsubject’,andtheyhadn’teventhoughtofthataspectofit.”(Teacher)
Asaresult,parentsdidnotfeelconfidentintheirabilitytoadviseandsupporttheirchildrenintheirsubjectchoicesandinplanningthemosthelpfulandappropriateprogrammeofstudyinpreparationfortertiaryeducation,eventhoughtheyreportedthattheywantedtobeinvolvedinguidingtheirchildrenthroughNCEAandhadtakentimetotryandunderstandit.Importantly,parentssaidtheyneededmorehelpfromschoolsandteacherstounderstandNCEA,andappreciatedpersonal,informaldiscussionswithteachersthatallowedthemtheopportunitytoaskspecificquestionsrelevanttotheirchild’ssituation.
Students,ontheotherhand,tendedtobe“streetsmart”intheirknowledgeofNCEA.Inotherwords,theyknewhowtomaximisereturnsfortheefforttheyputintotheirschoolwork,butdidnotnecessarilyappreciatetheimpactofparticularchoicesontheirlong-termfuture,orthecostsofcuttingoffeducationaloptionstooearly.Studentsknewenoughtobeabletopicksubjectsthatwouldgivethemmorecreditsforlesseffort,tobeabletoavoidexternalexaminationsbygainingcreditsinternallyduringtheyear,andtoknowwhentheyhadfulfilledtheminimumrequirements
foraqualificationwithoutstrivingtodomoreortotesttheirabilitiestotheirfullpotential.Howeverthiscouldleadtostudentsnotmeetingtheprerequisitesformoreadvancedstudy,missingoutonimportantcontentareasinasubject,orjeopardisingtheirchancesofgainingtheUEqualificationorthelevelofachievementneededfortertiarystudyinafieldoftheirchoice.
ThestudyalsofoundthatknowinghowtheNCEAsystemworksisanecessarybutnotasufficientconditionforstudentsbeingabletoenrolinsubjectsoftheirchoiceorinsubjectsthatwouldprovidethebestpreparationforfuturestudy.Thefindingsindicatethatsubjectchoiceisnotnecessarilystudent-drivenbutthatschoolsplayaverystrongmediatingrole,determiningwhichsubjectsareavailableandhowtheyaretimetabled,whichstandardswithinindividualsubjectsareselected,whichpre-requisiteshavetobemetforprogressiontomoreadvancedstudy,andhowstudentsareselectedfordifferentversionsofsubjects.Eventhoughithastobeacceptedthatschoolsworkwithinexternallyimposedframeworksandoftenwithlimitedresources,itwasofconcerntoseehoweasilysomestudents(particularlyMāoriandPacificstudents)were“talkedinto”
orallowedtotakesubjectsinwhichtheywerenotinterested,orwhichdidnotprovidethestrongestpossiblefoundationfortertiarystudyinthefieldoftheirchoice.
keyrecommendationsfromthestudyaresummarisedbelow.•Thereisaneedforgreatertransparencyin
distinguishingbetweenacademicandvocationalsubjectsinNCEAandtheirintendeduses.
•Forstudentsintendingtogotouniversity,thereisaneedforcleareridentificationofsubjectstheyshouldnottake,orshouldtakeonlyinadditionto,ratherthaninplaceof,essentialacademicsubjects.
•Schoolsneedtobebetterresourcedtoprovidequalityacademiccounsellingandsubject/courseadvicetostudentsandtheirparents.
•Itisimportantschoolsidentifythecriticalpointswhenstudentswithacademicpotentialfindthemselvesfallingbehind,ormakeinappropriatesubjectchoices,andmaketimelycorrectionstotheirstudyprogramme.
10
BuildingstudentachievementdatabasesinschoolsItisfundamentaltoStarpath’sworkthatschoolskeepgoodlongitudinaldataonstudentparticipationandperformance.Schoolscollectandstoreagreatdealofdatarelatedtostudentattendance,performance,andachievement.Mostlythedataareusedforofficialreportingpurposes,andarepresentedintheformofcross-sectionalsnapshotsofaschool’syear-by-yearprofileandperformance,suchashowmanystudentspassedNCEAlevel1.Dataaresometimesusedtoplacestudentsintoabilitygroupingsforyeargroupsand/orsubjects.Teachersalsocollectdataonstudents’performanceinindividualsubjectstoinformtheirownpractice.
Currentlytheredonotappeartobestandardisedwaystostore,checkandanalysedatainschools.Noristhereaconsistentsystemforassuringthequalityofschooldatabases.DifficultieswithdataqualityandorganisationthatStarpathhasencounteredinclude:
• data being kept manuallyeg,onpaperinworkbooksorfolders
• data not being kept in a centralised mannereg,beingkeptinteachers’backroomsoroffices
• a lack of systems to ensure complete collection of data
• data being incompletely recordedeg,variables(fields)beingomittedinclassrecords,orcertaintestresultscompletelymissingforaparticularclass
• data being incorrectly enteredeg,beingenteredwithtwocolumnsoffiguresunderasinglecolumnheading
• incorrect structuring or formattingeg,onestudentbeingassignedtwodifferentIDnumbers;ethnicitybeinginconsistentacrossyears
• lost dataeg,onepartnerschoollostthePATscoresfor2005;anotherlostalltheirrecordsduetochangingStudentManagementSystems(SMS).
Starpathhasdiscoveredthatstudentdataareseldomstoredlongitudinallyinawaythatallowsfortrackingofstudents’performanceoverthedurationoftheirsecondaryschool
careers,orforsystematicinterventionsthatwouldensuretheyreachtheirfullpotential.Moreover,wehavefoundthatthedatamanagersinschoolsareoftenunawareoftheusefulnessofdataforeducationalpurposes.Asaresult,thecapacityforschoolstoappropriatelyanalysedatavariesconsiderably.
Afundamentalneedisforaccurate,detailedandwell-documentedlongitudinaldatabasestobeestablishedsothatpatternsofprogressandachievementcanbemonitoredandusedbyschoolsforinstructionalpurposes.Suchdatabasesneedtoencompassstudents’recordsthroughouttheirhighschoolcareers.Inordertosetupsuchdatabases,itisvitalforthosewhocollectthedatatobeabletotrackstudentsfromcontexttocontext(ie,fromyeartoyear,fromclasstoclassetc).Thatis,itisvitaltobeabletomatchstudentrecordsaccuratelyand,forthis,uniqueidentifiersarerequired.
Starpathhasbeguntoworkwithpartnerschoolstodevelopandpilotbetterdatacollectionandstoragepracticesinordertobuildandorganisealongitudinalevidentialdatabaseofstudentachievementineachschool.Thereareanumberoforganisationalissuesthatneedtobeattendedto.Theseincludetheappointmentofastudentachievementmanagerandtheinitiationofacommitteetodealwithissuesofdatamanagementanduse.Thiscommitteeshouldincludeseniormanagementmembersandotherstaff.ThePrincipalneedstobefullyinformedandsupportiveevenifhe/sheisnotamemberoftheteam.
School-specificprotocolsneedtobedevelopedbuttherearegeneraltenetsbywhichwecanoperate.Theseprotocolsneedtoincludeschool-specificproceduresfor:
•identifyingrelevantdatatocollect,andtheirsources
•establishingqualityassuredsystemsfordatacollection
•establishingschoolwidesystemsforcollationandcollection
•developingpoliciesarounddata,and
•establishingtheuseoftheevidentialdatabase.
Thisprocesstakesuptotwoyearsbeforeachievementtargetscanbesetusingspecificschooldata.Thereisanurgentneedto
developdatabasesinschoolsmorewidelyifevidence-baseddecisionsabouttheeducationalprogressofindividualstudentsaretobemade.
Puttinginplacethecapabilitytocollect,manageandsystematicallyinterpretrichschool-specificdatainStarpath’spartnerschoolshasallowedpatternsofstudentprogressandachievementtobemonitoredandschoolandstudentneedstobeidentified.Thisevidencethenprovidesthebasisfortargetedinterventionsandprofessionaldevelopmenttoeffectimprovedstudentoutcomes.longitudinalstudentperformancedatabasesalsoallowsuchinterventionstoberigorouslyevaluatedintermsoftheirimpactonstudentoutcomes.
AcademicCounsellingandTargetSetting(ACTS)AtMasseyHighSchool,theestablishmentofacomprehensivelongitudinalstudentachievementdatabasehasformedthebasisforanAcademicCounsellingandTargetSetting(ACTS)programmethathasbeeninplacesince2007.Thisinitiativewasdesignedtoincreasetheschool’sacademicperformancethroughasystematic,whole-schoolapproachtostudentachievement;improvecommunicationbetweentheschoolandparents/caregiversabouttheirchild’slearning;andprovideappropriateadvicetostudentsonacademicpathwaysbasedontheiracademicachievementrecordsandaspirationsforthefuture.
Therearethreeaspectstotheintervention:
•targetsetting,includingthesettingofwhole-schoolachievementtargets(eg,forthepercentageofMäori,Pacific,female,maleandallyear11studentsachievingNCEAlevel1),aswellasindividualtargetsforeachyear11studentintheirMathematicsandEnglishexternalachievementstandards
•academiccounselling,whichinvolvesameetingbetweeneachstudentandtheirDeantwoorthreetimesintheyeartodiscusstheiracademicprogress,aims,andplans,and
•restructured“parent-teacher”evenings,inwhichparents/caregivers(alongwiththeirchild)meetwiththeirchild’sformteacherfor20-25minutesforanin-depthoverview
USINGDATATOClOSETHEACHIEvEMENTGAP
using data to close the achievement gap
11THEUNIvERSITyOFAUCklANDStaRpath annual RepoRt 2009
TheStarpathannualreportfor2008reportedsomepromisingresultsfromthisprogramme,namelysignificantimprovementsintheschool’sNCEAresults,aswellasadramaticincreaseintheturnoutofparents/caregiversattheparent-teacherevening.SincethattimeStarpathhascompletedastakeholderevaluationoftheprogramme,whichlookedattheexperiencesandimpactoftheACTSinterventiononthe2007year11studentcohort,theirparents,theirMathematics,Englishandformteachers,theschoolDeans,andcertainotherkeystaff.Focusgroups,interviewsandquestionnaireswereusedintheevaluation.
keyfindingsfromtheevaluationaresummarisedbelow.•Targetsettingfortheschoolhasbeen
successfulinthateightoutofthetenschooltargetswereachieved,andsignificantgainsweremadeinthetwotargetsnotattained.
•SettingindividualachievementstandardtargetsforNCEAlevel1EnglishandMathematicshadapositiveeffectonstudentoutcomes,bothinthequantityofNCEAcreditsgainedandthequalityofperformanceinthosecreditsasmeasuredbyNCEAgradepointaverage(GPA).Thegainswerestatisticallysignificantfor:
» maleswhencomparedtothenationalstudentbodyandthenationaldecile6studentbody,and
» theMHSstudentbodywhencomparedwiththenationaldecile6studentbody.
•Seventy-sevenpercentofparents/caregiversand63percentofyear11studentssaidtheprogrammeshouldcontinue,whileonlyonepercentandfivepercentrespectivelythoughtitshouldnotcontinue.Positivecommentsmadebyparentsandstudentsincludedthattheprogrammehelpedstudentstosetandrealisetheirgoals,letthemkeeptrackofwheretheywereatwiththeirstudies,showedthemwheretheyneededtoimprove,helpedtomotivatethem,helpedthemtodecidewhatsubjectstotake,gavethemdirectionandfocusbyencouragingthemtothinkaboutwhattheymightliketodointhefuture,andallowedparents/caregiverstobemoreinvolvedintheirchild’seducation.
•Therewasresoundingsupportfromallstafffortherestructured“parent-teacher”interviewdespitethefactthatthepreparationforitincreasedteacherworkloads.
•Allstakeholdersreportedthewholeinterventionhelpedthemestablishbetterrelationshipswitheachother.
» Formteacher-parent/caregiverrelationshipsimprovedbecauseparentsidentifiedonepointofcontactintheschoolthatwasabletogivethemapersonalisedandin-depthassessmentoftheirchild’sacademicperformance,andteacherscametoknowthestudentsandtheirparents/caregiversbetter.
» Dean-studentrelationshipsbecamemorepositiveandfocusedonachievementratherthanbehaviour.ThiswasparticularlygoodintimesofstudentcrisesasitimmediatelyallowedDeanstoconstructtheirtalkmorepositively.
» Mathematics/Englishteacher-studentrelationshipsimprovedwiththediscussionofindividualtargetsforspecificexternalachievementstandards.
» Formteacher-studentrelationshipsimprovedasaresultofimprovedrelationshipswiththeirparents/caregivers.
» Staffrelationshipsstrengthenedasaresultofworkingtogethertoimplementtheprogrammeandcommunicatingmorearoundstudentachievement.
•Thebuildingofcomprehensiveindividualstudentacademicprofilestookstaffalotoftime,especiallythepreparationforthe
parent-teachermeetings;howeverstaffagreedthe“pay-off”exceededeffort.Theavailabilityelectronicallyoftheindividualstudentlongitudinaldataprofilesallowedeveryone(eg,Principal,formteachers,subjectteachers)toaccessthemeasilyandatanytime(eg,toallowstudentstoviewtheircreditsinformtime).
•Staffreportedanincreasedawarenessofandappreciationforaschool-wideapproachtodatamanagementandacademicperformance,whichwasevidentintheamountofinformationtheyhadonwhichtobasetheirdiscussionswithparents/caregivers,andthetargetsetting.
•Increasedstudentengagementwiththeiracademicprogresscreatedacultureintheschoolofstudentsbeingawareof,talkingabout,andcompetingovertheircredittotals,whichaugmentedtheschool’sfocusonacademicachievement.Staffalsoreportedstudentstakingownershipofwhattheywantedtogetoutofschool.
•StaffsaidtheprogrammehasintervenedwherepoorandinappropriateNCEAchoiceswerebeingmadeearlyinstudents’schoolcareers,andhasalsohelpedstudentsunderstandtheNCEAsystembetter.
StarpathisnowworkingwithfourotherpartnerschoolstoimplementtheACTSprogrammeintheseschools.ThisisonlypossiblebecauseofthepreviousworkStarpathhascompletedintheseschoolstoimprovetheirdatamanagementpractices.
12 TRANSITIONINGFROMSCHOOlTOUNIvERSITy
transitioning from school to university
Thestudyinterviewed44studentsuptofivetimesbetweenOctober2007andAugust2008,startingwhentheywereintheirfinalyearofhighschoolandplanningtoattenduniversitythefollowingyear.Twenty-ninestudentsremainedinthestudyuntilitscompletion(withtheremainderwithdrawingpartwaythroughthestudybecausetheydidnotendupgoingtouniversity,lefttheircourseduringthefirstsemester,orbecameuncontactable).Studentswerealsoencouragedtosubmitjournalentriesandphotographsrelatingtotheirtransitionexperiencesthroughoutthestudy.TheparticipantsweredrawnfromschoolsinWestandSouthAucklandandruralNorthland.
AmajorresearchreportissoontobereleasedbyStarpathonthefindingsofaprospective,longitudinal,qualitativestudyontheprocessoftransitionfromsecondaryschooltouniversityforstudentsfromcurrentlyunder-representedgroups.Thestudyinterviewed44studentsuptofivetimesbetweenOctober2007andAugust2008,startingwhentheywereintheirfinalyearofhighschoolandplanningtoattenduniversitythefollowingyear.Twenty-ninestudentsremainedinthestudyuntilitscompletion(withtheremainderwithdrawingpartwaythroughthestudybecausetheydidnotendupgoingtouniversity,lefttheircourseduringthefirstsemester,orbecameuncontactable).Studentswerealsoencouragedtosubmitjournalentriesandphotographsrelatingtotheirtransitionexperiencesthroughoutthestudy.TheparticipantsweredrawnfromschoolsinWestandSouthAucklandandruralNorthland.
keyfindingsfromthestudyaresummarisedbelow.•Therewasconsiderablevariabilityamong
thestudentsbothintheiracademicpreparationforuniversityandintheclarityandfirmnessoftheirgoals.Somehadfirmpersonalcareerandstudygoals,whileotherswereinfluencedbyfamilyorcommunityaspirationsforthemtoattenduniversity.
•Forsomestudents,therewasamajordisconnectionbetweenNCEAsubjectsandstandardstheycompletedatschool,their
careeraspirations,andtheprogrammestheywantedtotake,orenrolledinatuniversity.Studentswhohadnotcompletedthemostrelevantsubjectsatschool(sometimesbecauseofexternalfactorssuchasinadequateinformationandinappropriateadvice)wereoftennotacceptedintotheprogrammeoftheirchoiceorfoundtheywereinadequatelypreparedfortheiruniversitycourseonceitbegan.
•ManystudentsacrossallgroupsexperiencedconsiderabledifficultieswithenrolmentproceduresandStudylink,suchaswithusingonlineandotherautomatedservices,findingoutiftheyhadbeenacceptedforlimitedentryprogrammes,understandingwhatfinancialassistancetheyqualifiedfororapplyingintimeforthestartofthefirstsemester.
•Fewstudentsattendedtheacademicorientationactivitiesprovidedbytheuniversitiesinwhichtheyhadenrolled.Thosewhodidattendfoundsmallgrouporientationactivitiesconductedbyanolderstudent,andsmallerfacultyorschool-specificsessions,moreusefulthanlarge,generalsessionswhichleftmoststudentsfeelingoverwhelmedbytheamountofinformationprovided.
•Somestudents,especiallythosefromWestAuckland,aswellassomefromNorthland,andafewfromSouthAuckland,hadasenseofreadinessforuniversitystudyandevenunexpectedexperiencesdidnotworrythem.Theirfirstencounterswithuniversitylecturesandtutorialsweregenerallypositive.Theywereexcitedbytheirnewenvironmentandabletocastacriticalgazeontheirlecturers,tutorsandotherstudents,andreflectonwhattheyneededtodotobesuccessfulatuniversity.ThiscontrastedmarkedlywiththeexperienceofmostPacificstudentsinthestudy,whoreportedfeelingsofdisconnectionanddiscomfortintheuniversityenvironment.
•Althoughstartingwithgoodintentions,manystudentsfoundthemselvesfallingbehindwithrequiredreadingsandstudy.Somealsobegantomissclasses,althoughmosttriedtomodifytheirbehaviour.
•Therewasagroupofstudentsforwhomthetransitiontouniversityprovedparticularlyproblematic.Thesestudentsneeded(butdidnotalwaysreceive)helptobecomeacademicallyengaged.Theyoftenmissedsomeoftheirearlyclassesbecausetheywerenotorganisedenough,couldnotlocatevenues,orweredistractedbyotheractivities.Negativeexperiences,suchasbeingputonthespotandnotbeingabletoansweraquestiondirectedtothembyalecturerortutor,resultedinsomeofthesestudentschoosingnottoattendanyfurtherclassesinthatsubject.Inothercasesstudentsdescribedbeingboredbythecontent,ormissingaclassandnotbeingabletofillinthegaps.Somestudentswerealsoeasilyswayedbyotherstomissclasses.
•veryfewstudentsinitiatedcontactwithlearningsupportservices,andmanywerealsoreluctanttoapproachtheirlecturersandtutorsforhelp.Itwasmorehelpfulwhenacademicsupportwasbuiltintoregularclassesorwhereattendingorganisedsessions(eg,onliteraturesearching)wasaclassrequirement.Studentswereabletogettoknowtheirtutorsandhadlesshesitationinapproachingthemwithrequestsforhelp.Asystemof“peertutors”linkedtoindividualcoursesatoneuniversityreceivedpositivecomments,asstudentsfoundthetutorsapproachableandcouldgotothesamepersoneachtimetheyneededhelp.
•Moststudentsmanagedtomakenewfriendsandestablishasocialnetwork,althoughthedepthoffriendshipsvariedconsiderably.
Overall,thisstudyhashighlighted:
•theneedforstudentstoplanearly,developcleargoals,andstayonthemostrelevantNCEApathwayatschool
•theneedforschoolstoassiststudentstoleavewithastrongacademicrecordandlearningskills
•theneedforuniversitiestorecognisethenatureandlevelofsupportwhichdifferentgroupsofstudentsarelikelytoneed
AmajorresearchreportissoontobereleasedbyStarpathonthefindingsofaprospective,longitudinal,qualitativestudyontheprocessoftransitionfromsecondaryschooltouniversityforstudentsfromcurrentlyunder-representedgroups.
13THEUNIvERSITyOFAUCklANDStaRpath annual RepoRt 2009
•theneedforuniversitiestofacilitateearlyacademicengagementforallstudents,and
•theneedforuniversitiestoprovidemorelearner-centredsupportservicesthatareintegratedwiththecorecurriculum.
Starpathisnowlookingatdevelopingandtriallingacomprehensiveandintegratedwhole-curriculumapproachtosupportingfirst-yearuniversitystudents.
Starpathisalsocompilingabookoftransitionstorieswrittenbysomeofthestudentswho
tookpartinthestudy.Thebookwillbedistributedtoschoolsanduniversitiesasaresourcetootherstudentsmakingthetransition.
Feature: Student StoryMyJourneyThe following is a shortened version of a piece written by one of the participants in the transitions study for the book of transitions stories Starpath is planning to publish.
I come from a small rural town in the Far North. Although it’s abeautiful place, life is very laid-back and many of my peers didn’tbotherwithuniversity.ThisisastoryaboutthejourneyImadefromkaitaiatoAuckland,fromsecondaryschooltouniversityandfromthecountrytothebigsmoke.
WhenIwasatschoolIdidn’treallyknowwhatIwantedtodowhenIgrewup.Mycareerpathchangedseveraltimes,andeveninmylastyearatschoolIwasn’tsurewhatmyfocusshouldbeatuniversity,orbeyond,soImadesureItookawiderangeofsubjects.
Receivingascholarship fromTheUniversityofAucklandthatwouldpay my fees and help with the cost of accommodation was whatultimatelymadeupmymindtostudyatTheUniversityofAuckland.IwasalsoluckytohaveanoldercousinwhowentfromkaitaiaCollegeto The University of Auckland and took up a conjoint degree inCommerceandArts. I decided to followher into the samedegree,drawingonherknowledgeandexperience.
The task of organising my transition to university, includingaccommodation at O’Rorke Hall, was slightly daunting, and Iremember the endless process of filling out application form afterapplicationformforvariousthings.IwasalwaysapprehensivethatIhadfilledthemoutwrong.
Inmid-JanuaryIreceivedaletterfromNZQAwithallofmylevel3NCEAresults. Ihadgot thecredits Ineededtoget intoCommerceand Arts at Auckland Uni, so I was now able to enrol in my firstsemester classes. My all-knowing cousin enrolled me into threecompulsory papers for Commerce, and I chose a Political StudiespaperformyArtsdegreeasmyfirstchoiceofArtspaper(Philosophy105) was already full and my second choice (Māori 106) wasn’tofferedinSemesterOne.IalsofoundoutIwouldqualifyforaStudentAllowance,whichwasabighelp.
Februarycameandwentalltooquickly,andsuddenlyitwastimetomakethetriptoAuckland.ImovedmystuffintoO’Rorkeadayearlytoavoidthemassesofpeopletryingtodothesamethingthenextday.AttheofficialO’RorkeopendaythefollowingdayIquicklyfoundsomebrownboysthatIcouldtalkwithaboutsportsandManukorero,soIwas happy. I had my first O’Rorke meal with three hundred otherO’Rorkiansandthenmyfirstsleepinmynewroom.Wewerewokenearlythenextmorningforatogabreakfast(sheetsandpinsanyway).O-week1hadstarted.
Inthefirstfewweeksofthesemester,everylecturewaspackedwith600keenandexpectantfreshers,halfofthemwithChineseorIndian
faces.ThiswasanewsightforaboyfromtheFarNorth.Afterafewweeks many students stopped coming to the lectures and emptyspacesbecamemoreevident.
ThefirstessayIwroteatuniversity,Iratedasworthan“Agrade”.ItcamebackasaB+,somethingthatannoyedmeimmensely.Butafterreadingsome‘Agrade’essaysIsoonrealisedwhichstrategiesweremost successful. “keep it simple” and “spell it out” – two rules ofthumbthatIwillholdontofortherestofmystudies.AsIprogressedthroughthefirstsemester,IgraduallygothighergradesformyessaysuntilIgotmyfirstA+attheendofSemesterOne.ThelongerIspentatuni,themoretricksIlearned,especiallyintermsofessaywriting,study techniques and exam strategies. For me, these lessons werelearnedthroughexperienceand,sometimes,throughfailure.
The other dominant aspect of being at university is the social life.Therearemanysocialclubsoncampus,andofcoursetheAucklandnightlife.IsignedupforafewdifferentclubsinSemesterOne,buttheone that I got right into was Ngā Tauira Māori (NTM), a group ofMāoristudentswhonurturedmethroughmyfirstyear.Ifinishedmyfirstsemesterwithsolidgrades(B+average)andagoodunderstandingofhowIcouldimproveforSemesterTwo.
Thesecondsemesterstartedmuchmoreintenselythanthefirst.Eventhe O’Rorke parties were more intense. I took on a few morecommitments in Semester Two, and coupled with a girlfriend therewasnotimeleftforidlenessorboredom.Iworkedhardandstartedstudyingforexamsearlysincemyfinalexamswereallcrammedintooneweek.AftertwosemestersatuniIhadgotintothefullswingofthings,andfinishedSemesterTwowithtwoA+sandtwoB+s.Ivowednever to take an Economics paper again, and to focus instead onCommercial law and Accounting – two subjects in which I hadexcelled.IalsodecidedtodoublemajorinArts–withPoliticalStudiesand Māori Studies. I thought that this would give me a widerappreciationofhowtheworldfunctionspolitically.
Overall, my transition to university was really important for mydevelopment.Mylifestylecompletelychanged,aswellasmysenseoffashion, and my acceptance of others. living in a hostel in CentralAucklandbroughtme closer toawider rangeof people, eachwithuniqueideasandvalues.
It’swhenIseemyschoolmates,stillinkaitaia,workinginlow-wagejobsordoingapprenticeshipsthatmakesmegladIleft.Andtheyareawareofittoo.Manyaskmeaboutuniandsaytheywishtheytoohadleftratherthanstayingintheirhometown.Hopefullytheirchildrenwillmakethemovetotaketheireducationpastsecondaryschool,becausethespin-offeffectsaredefinitelyworththefewextrayearsofslavingoverbooksandsittinginlectures.
Note: Having realised “the benefit of having a law degree over aCommercial law major” this student is now pursuing a conjointdegreeincommerceandlaw–BCom/llB.
1O-weekreferstotheOrientationWeekduringwhichstudentsaregiveninformationabouttheircoursesanduniversityservices,aswellasengageinarangeoforganisedsocialactivities.
14 BUIlDINGEFFECTIvElITERACyPRACTICESINSECONDARySCHOOlS
Building effective literacy practices in secondary schools
Theresearchanddevelopmentmodelusedintheprogrammeinvolvesgatheringandanalysingevidenceinordertodescribetheproblem;developingpossibleexplanationsfortheproblemandtestingthesehypothesesagainstthedata;usingthefindingstodevelopaprofessionaldevelopmentplan;andmonitoringitsimpactonachievement.Byanalysingbothstudentachievementdataandobservationsof31classroomlessons,theCentrehasnowdevelopedandtestedseveralhypothesesaroundthepossibleeffectsoftransitiontosecondaryschool,pathwaysinthefirsttwoyearsandthequalityofinstruction.
keyfindingsfromthisphaseoftheprojectaresummarisedbelow.•Ithasbeenconfirmedthattheachievement
ofWestCoaststudentsinNCEA,andtheproportionofstudentsstayingatschoolandattemptingNCEAlevels2and3,islowerthannationalaverages,andlowerthanwouldbeexpectedfromstudents’readingachievementattheendofyear8.
•Thisdoesnotappeartobeduetoanimmediatetransitioneffectonentrytosecondaryschooling.Achievementofstudentsatthebeginningofyear9wassignificantlyabovenationalnorms.NorisitduetohigherachievingstudentsleavingtheWestCoastforsecondaryschool,orlowerachievingstudentscomingintotheWestCoastareaforsecondaryschool.
•Rather,thereisevidencethatthecausesforthedropinstudentachievementrelatetostudents’experiencesofsecondaryschooling.Studentachievementgenerallyworsenedagainstnationalnormsthroughoutbothyears9and10.Atthebeginningofyear9,studentswereachievingabovenationalnormsbutbytheendofyear9wereachievingbelownationalnorms.Atthebeginningofyear10studentsachievedbelownationalnormsandwerefurtherbelownationalnormsbytheendofyear10.
•Specificaspectsofclassroompracticelikelytocontributetoexistingpatternsofstudentachievement,identifiedthroughanalysisofclassroomobservations,include:
» alackofexplicitliteracyinstructionacrossthecurriculum(explicitreadinginstructionandexplicitwritinginstructionwereeachevidentinonlyaroundaquarteroflessons,andvocabularyinstruction,whilemorecommon,wasmainlyrestrictedtosubject-specificterminologyandtoreceptive,ratherthanproductivevocabulary)
» alackofalignmentbetweenstudents’academicabilityandlevelsofacademicchallengeprovidedbyteachers(evidencedbyteachers’tendencyintheobservedlessonstoaskclosedratherthanopenquestionsandtheinfrequencyofrequestsforstudentstoelaborateonanswersgiven)
» teacher-studentrelationshipsthatarenotsufficientlyacademicallyfocused(forexample,whilenumerousexchangesthatdemonstratedthatteachersknewandrespectedtheirstudentsasindividualswereobserved,therewererelativelyfewerteacherrequestsforstudentstoimprovetheoutputorqualityoftheirwork).
Aprofessionaldevelopmentplantoimproveinstructionintheareasindentified,withaparticularfocusonfosteringeffectiveliteracypractice,hasbeendevelopedinconsultationwithschoolprincipals.Workshops,alongwithvideoconferences,arenowbeingheldwithschoolleadersandliteracyleaders.Thecontentofworkshopssofarhasfocusedondiscussionofresearchfindingstodate,principlesofeffectiveadolescentliteracyinstruction,andhowtousedata(particularlyasTTledata)toinforminstructionaldecision-making.
Theliteracyleadersarenowbeginningtodeliveraprofessionaldevelopmentprogrammetoteachersintheirrespectiveschools,usingmaterialsdevelopedbytheWoolfFisherResearchCentre,whichtheyhavebeentrainedtouse.Earlyfeedbackfromthesesessionsisverypositive.
In2010,whole-schoolprofessionaldevelopmentwillcontinueinasimilarveinto2009,butwiththeadditionofastrandfocusingspecificallyoncontent-arealiteracyteachinginthelearningareasofMathematicsandEnglish.Ongoingmonitoringofstudentachievementwillevaluatetheeffectivenessoftheprofessionaldevelopmentinitiatives.
TheWoolfFisherResearchCentre(WFRC),StarpathProjectresearchassociates,iscurrentlyconductinganinnovativelarge-scaleresearchanddevelopmentprogrammeincollaborationwithsevensecondaryschoolsontheWestCoast(SouthIsland).Itsoverallaimistoraiseachievement,particularlyinliteracy,intheseschools.TheprojectarosefromaconcernatanapparentmismatchbetweentherelativelyhighachievementlevelsofWestCoaststudentsattheendofyear8andtherelativelylowachievementofWestCoaststudentsinallthreelevelsoftheNationalCertificateofEducationalAchievement(NCEA).
15THEUNIvERSITyOFAUCklANDStaRpath annual RepoRt 2009
Future directions
AcriticalcomponentofthenextphaseoftheEDBandACTSinitiativesistodeterminetowhatextenttheimprovementsreportedatMasseyHighSchoolcanbeachievedinotherschools.Therefore,Starpathhasaresearchagendathataddressesarangeofimportantquestionsrelatingtoscalability,sustainability,thedegreeofautomationoftarget-settingprocesses,theroleofkeypersonnel,capabilityinmanagingandusingstudentachievementdata,andanytheoriesofchangethatunderpintheimplementationandhowtheseinformactionandimpactonoutcomes.TheresultsoftheMasseyHighSchoolworkhavebeenpromisingandwehavebeguntotransfertheideasfurtherafieldtoaclusterofpartnerschools.
Theeffectiveliteracypracticesinsecondaryschoolsinitiative,beingundertakenbyourresearchassociatesfromtheWoolfFisherResearchCentre,willfocusonfurtherprofessionaldevelopmenttoimproveinstructionintheareasidentifiedintheirbaselineanalysis.Ithasbeenfoundthattheschools’underachievementinNCEAismostpronouncedinthosestandardsthatrequirehigh-orderreadingandwritingskills(particularlyexternallyassessedstandards),
anditisevidentfromclassroomobservationsthatratesofeffectiveliteracyinstructionhavebeenlessthanoptimal.Thefurtherprofessionaldevelopmentbeingcarriedoutwillhelpdetermineifaliteracyfocusisabletoactasavehicletoaddressotherneedsidentifiedinthebaselineanalysis,suchasthoserelatedtoinstructionalpracticesthatappeartoarisefromteachers’lowexpectationsofstudentacademicattainment.
Andlastly,MāoriandPacificstudentachievementinScienceandMathematicshasbeenidentifiedasanareaofparticularconcern.WhileNCEAhassignificantlyincreasededucationalequityinNewZealand,withfewerstudentsthanbeforeleavingschoolwithnoqualificationsandimprovementsparticularlyevidentin“target”populations,theachievementgapremainsinthetwokeyareasofScienceandMathematics.ThisisespeciallyevidentaboveNCEAlevel1,inexternalexaminations,andinMeritandExcellencegrades.Starpathiscurrentlyexploringopportunitiesforresearchinthisarea.
Forthenext12monthsStarpathwillcontinuetobuildontheresearchfindingsanddevelopprogrammescurrentlybeingtrialled.Buildingstudentachievementorevidentialdatabases(EDB),academiccounsellingandtargetsetting(ACTS),andbuildingeffectiveliteracypracticesarebeingtargetedforparticularattentioninordertogatherfurtherevidenceanddeveloprigourandrobustnessintheresultsoftheinitiatives.
16 PROJECTOUTPUTS
project outputs(1July2008–30June2009)
TechnicalreportsMadjar,I.,Mckinley,E.,Jensen,S.,&vanDerMerwe,A.(2009).Towards university: Navigating NCEA course choices in low-mid decile schools.StarpathProject,UniversityofAuckland(126pages).
Mckinley,E.,Madjar,I.,vanDerMerwe,A.,Smith,S.,Sutherland,S.,&yuan,J.(2009).Evaluation of an academic counselling and target setting intervention at Massey High School.StarpathProject,UniversityofAuckland(108pages).
Journalpaperslai,M.k.,McNaughton,S.,Amituanai-Toloa,M.,&Turner,R.(2009).Cansustainedaccelerationofachievementinreadingcomprehensionbeachievedthroughschoolingimprovement?Reading Research Quarterly,44,30-56.
Mckinley,E.,Grant,B.M.,Middleton,S.,Irwin,k.,&Williams,l.T.(2009).SupervisionofMāoridoctoralstudents:Adescriptivereport.MAI Review, 1(6).Onlineathttp://ojs.review.mai.ac.nz/index.php/MR/issue/view/6.
Mckinley,E.(2008).Fromobjecttosubject:Hybrididentitiesofindigenouswomeninscience.Cultural Studies in Science Education, 3(4),959-975.
Mckinley,E.&keegan,P.J.(2008).CurriculumandlanguageinAotearoaNewZealand:Fromsciencetopūtaiao.L1 – Educational Studies in Language and Literature, 8(1),135-147.
Shulruf,B.,Hattie,J.,&Tumen,S.(2008).Individualandschoolfactorsaffectingstudents’participationandsuccessinhighereducation.Higher Education, 56(5),613-632.
Shulruf,B.,Hattie,J.,&Tumen,S.(2008).Thepredictabilityofenrolmentandfirstyearuniversityresultsfromsecondaryschoolperformance.Studies in Higher Education, 33(6),685-698.
Shulruf,B.,Tumen,S.,&Tolley,H.(2008).Extracurricularactivitiesinschool,dotheymatter?Children and Youth Services Review, 30(4),418-426.
Shulruf,B.,Hattie,J.,Turner,R.,Tumen,S.,&li,M.(2009).Enhancingequalopportunitiesinhighereducation:Anewmerit-basedadmissionmodel.Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 4,15-32.
Shulruf,B.,Turner,R.,&Hattie,J.(2009).Adualadmissionmodelforequityinhighereducation:Amulti-cohortlongitudinalstudy.Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1(1),2416-2420.
Smith,S.&Timperley,H.(2008).PotentialchokepointsintheNationalCertificateofEducationalAchievementforattainingUniversityEntrance.New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 43(2),63-72.
Tumen,S.,Shulruf,B.,&Hattie,J.(2008).Studentpathwaysattheuniversity:Patternsandpredictorsofcompletion.Studies in Higher Education, 33(3),233–252.
PapersinreviewShulruf,B.(inreview).Doextra-curricularactivitiesinschoolsimproveeducationaloutcomes?Acriticalreviewandmeta-analysisoftheliterature.International Review of Education.
Shulruf,B.,Hattie,J.,&Tumen,S.(inreview).TheNewZealandstandardbasedassessmentforsecondaryschools(NCEA):Implicationsforpolicymakers.Asia Pacific Journal of Education.
Shulruf,B.,Hattie,J.,&Tumen,S.(inreview).Therelativityofsuccess:Measuringachievementsoftertiaryeducationstudentswithinamodularqualificationsystem.Applied Measurement in Education.
Shulruf,B.,Tumen,S.,&Hattie,J.(inreview).StudentpathwaysinaNewZealandpolytechnic:keyfactorsforcompletion.Community College Review.
Shulruf,B.,li,M.,Mckimm,J.,&Smith,M.(inreview).Breadthvs.depthoflearning:Whatisthebestpredictorofachievementinclinicalandhealthscienceprogrammes?Studies in Higher Education.
Turner,R.,Shulruf,B.,li,M.,&yuan,J.(inreview).TheimpactofadjustingUniversityEntrancecriteriaontheenrolmentofpopulationsubgroups.Higher Education.
ChaptersinbooksMckinley,E.,&Stewart,G.M.(inpress).Fallingintoplace:IndigenousscienceeducationresearchinthePacific.InS.M.Ritchie(Ed.),Science education research in Australasia.Rotterdam,TheNetherlands:Sense.
Mckinley,E.,&Stewart,G.M.(inpress).Outofplace:Indigenousknowledge(Ik)inthesciencecurriculum.InB.Fraser,k.Tobin&C.McRobbie(Eds.),Second handbook of science education.Springer.
Mckinley,E.(inpress).Tothehighestdegree:ImprovingoutcomesforMāoristudentsintertiaryeducation.Inl.Meyer(Ed.).Proceedings of the Symposium on Tertiary Assessment and Higher Education Student Outcomes: Policy, Practice and Research. Wellington,NewZealand:victoriaUniversityofWellington.
InvitedkeynotesMckinley,E.(2008,November).Tothehighestdegree:Mäori students’ outcomes in tertiary education.PaperpresentedatAkoAotearoaSymposiumonTertiaryAssessmentandHigherEducationStudentOutcomes:Policy,PracticeandResearch,Wellington,NewZealand.
StarpathA University of Auckland Partnership for Excellence
17THEUNIvERSITyOFAUCklANDStaRpath annual RepoRt 2009
ResearchthesesDeynzer,M.(2009).The transition to university of Pasifika students from low to mid decile schools.Unpublishedmastersthesis,TheUniversityofAuckland,Auckland,NewZealand.
ConferencepresentationsMckinley,E.,Grant,B.M.,Middleton,S.,Irwin,k.,&Williams,l.T.(2009,April).To the highest degree: Mäori doctoral students’ experiences of supervision.PaperpresentedattheAmericanEducationResearchAssociation(AERA),SanDiego,CA.
PresentedattheNewZealandAssociationforResearchinEducation(NZARE)Conference,November2008,PalmerstonNorth,NewZealand.
StarpathNZARESymposium1:Addressing student achievement in low-mid decile secondary schools
1.I.Madjar&S.Jensen:NCEA course choices – Who is making them, how, and why?
2.E.Mckinley,S.Sutherland,S.Smith&B.Ritchie:Academic counselling and target setting: A case study.
3.R.Turner,M.li&J.yuan:The effect of the availability of standards upon the success rate of students on NCEA Level 3 qualifications.
4.J.yuan&R.Turner:Relationships between University Entrance success rate and school decile.
5.S.Jensen:“We want our kids to do better than us”: Pasifika parents and NCEA course choices.
StarpathNZARESymposium2:Transition from school to university
1.I.Madjar&E.Mckinley:The journey from there to here is not the same as the journey from here to there: A prospective, longitudinal, qualitative study of transitions from school to university.
2.M.Deynzer:Greatexpectationsandnewterritory:The transition of Pasifika students to university.
3.B.Black:Becoming an engineer: A critical review of literature on first-in-the-family students and their experience of the first year of university study.
4.E.Mckinley,R.Turner&I.Madjar:Limited entry and equity: A discussion on universities’ undergraduate students admission policies.
Conferencesattended•ICSEI(InternationalCongressonSchooling
EffectivenessandImprovement),January2009.vancouver,Canada(A/PElizabethMckinley).
•FyE(FirstyearExperience)Conference,February2009,Brisbane,Australia(DrIrenaMadjar,MariannaDeynzer).
•kAMARconference,March2009,Rotorua,NewZealand(SamSmith,Johnsonyuan).
•ACSPRI(AustralianConsortiumofSocialandPoliticalResearchInc),June-July2009,Brisbane,Australia(SamSmith).
OtherpresentationsandseminarsDeynzer,M.(2009,April).Lost in transition: Pasifika students’ transition from school to university. PresentationtothePasifikaFono,MinistryofEducationNorthernRegion,Auckland,NewZealand.
Madjar,I.(2009,February).Research ethics.PresentationtotheFacultyofEducationstaff,TheUniversityofAuckland,Auckland,NewZealand.
Madjar,I.(2009,April).The Starpath Project: Helping to identify and overcome barriers to educational success for students from groups currently underrepresented in degree-level education.PresentationtothePasifikaFono,MinistryofEducationNorthernRegion,Auckland,NewZealand.
Madjar,I.(2009,May).Qualitative research methods: Principles and an example from
Starpath research.PresentationtoMasterofEducationstudents,FacultyofEducation,TheUniversityofAuckland,Auckland,NewZealand.
Mckinley,E.&Madjar,I.(2008,November).From today’s schools to tomorrow’s workforce: Ten ways to make it happen for our tamariki. PresentationtostaffoftheRangatahiProgramme,AucklandDistrictHealthBoard,Auckland,NewZealand.
Mckinley,E.&Irving,E.(2009,May).Ethnicity and achievement.Presentationto“EDUC211:Race,ethnicityandeducation”students,UniversityofAuckland,Auckland,NewZealand.
MinisterialmeetingsandvisitswithStarpath• Mr Ezra Schuster,NationalManagerfor
PasifikaEducationandtwoteammembers,MinistryofEducation,July2008.
•StarpathrepresentativesinvitedbyHon. Chris CartertoattendlaunchofPasifikaEducationPlan2008-2012,August2008.
• Mr Thomas Haapu,SeniorAdvisor,EconomicDevelopment/visionMātauranga,MinistryofResearch,ScienceandTechnology,October2008.
• Mr Perēri Hathaway,StrategyManager,MāoriResearchandInnovation,FoundationforResearch,ScienceandTechnology,October2008.
• Mr Conrad Herewini and Mr Tokanui Ihaka,TeMana,Pouwhakataki,NCEAPresentation,MinistryofEducation,December2008.
18 PROJECTMEDIACOvERAGE
Type Date Media Title Details Link
Print Spring2008 IngenioMagazine.(p12).
“Campaign,OurDonors:ASBCommunityTrust”.
StarpathmentionedinprofileoftheASBCommunityTrust
www.alumni.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/home/alumni/af-benefits-and-services/af-publications/af-ingenio
Print 08-14Nov2008 Thelistener(vol215,No3574,pp20-24).
“Doublestandards:IsNCEAwideningthegapbetweenMāoriandPākehāachievement?”.ByleahHaines.
Coverstory www.listener.co.nz/issue/3574/features/12204/double_standards.html
Print 09May2009 WeekendHerald “Aplaceamongtheworld’selite”.ByCatherineMasters.
StarpathmentionedinprofileofAnneSalmond
www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10571257
Print 13May2009 NewZealandHerald(pA5).
“RacegapexposedinNCEAresults”.ByJacquelineSmith.
A/ProfMckinleyisinterviewedonethnicityandNCEAresults
www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10571960
Radio 14May2009 RadioNZ(Checkpoint). WaateaNewsupdate. A/ProfMckinley’sNCEAcommentsincluded
www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/20090514
Print 15May2009 NewZealandHerald(pA2).
“Passratesarehigherforlesstraditionalacademicsubjects”.
A/ProfMckinleyprovidesfollow-upcommentsonNCEAsubjects
www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10572430
Radio 15May2009 Radio531pi Morningtalk-backprogramme.
liveinterviewwithA/ProfMckinley
N/A
Radio 15May2009 WaateaNews Paakiwahasegment. liveinterviewwithA/ProfMckinley
http://waatea.blogspot.com/2009/05/ethnic-data-helps-maori-education.html
Tv 15May2009 MāoriTv(Tekaea) Clipis12minsin. A/ProfMckinleycommentsinNZHeraldrepeatedasanewsitem
www.maoritelevision.com/Default.aspx?tabid=278&pid=151&epid=1388
Radio 15May2009 RadioNZ(MorningReport)
A/ProfMckinleyNCEAcommentsincludedinWaateaNewsupdate
www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/20090515
Radio 18May2009 WaateaRadio Currentaffairsprogramme. A/ProfMckinleyisinterviewedbyWillieJackson
N/A
Print 23-29May2009 Thelistener(vol218,No3602,pp
“leagueplayers”Standardscountandsodoescountingstandards.
A/ProfMckinleyisquotedinEditorial
www.listener.co.nz/issue/3602/columnists/13331/leagueplayers.html
Radio 02June2009 RadioNZ(NinetoNoon)
FeatureinterviewwithlizasaresultofTowardsUniversitymediarelease
www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/20090602
Tv 02June2009,4.00pm
03June2009,5.36am
TvOne,Tekarere Currentaffairsprogramme. leadstory,interviewwithA/ProfMckinleyonresultsofTowardsUniversity
http://tvnz.co.nz/te-karere/2009-tuesday-video-1028654
project media coverage (1July2008–30June2009)
StarpathA University of Auckland Partnership for Excellence
Type Date Media Title Details Link
TV 04 June 2009 TV One, Breakfast Features in Breakfast reporters’ regional round-up.
Starpath research and A/Prof McKinley mentioned in news piece
http://tvnz.co.nz/breakfast-news/breakfast-thursday-4-june-2767490/video?vid=2768408
Print 04 June 2009 NZ Herald (pA2). “Minority groups in dark over NCEA”. By Jacqueline Smith.
A/Prof McKinley is interviewed and quoted in the article
www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10576322
Print 05 June 2009 NZ Education Review “NCEA courses – choose wisely”.
Brief piece on Starpath http://archive.educationreview.co.nz/?iid=25932
Print 08 June 2009 Education Weekly “Concern for disadvantaged students making poor NCEA choices”
Article from Towards University media release
N/A
Print 11 June 2009 Northland Age (p9) “Many nobbled by poor NCEA choices”.
Article based on Towards University media release
N/A
Print 12 June 2009 NZ Education Review “System failing students, studies show”
Longer article on Towards University media release, tied in with Waikato study
http://archive.educationreview.co.nz/?iid=26176
Radio 18 June 2009 Radio NZ (Nine to Noon)
“Open access for Maori to University”
A/Prof McKinley joins live interview panel to discuss open entry to university for Mäori
www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/20090618
19THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND STArPATh AnnUAl rEPorT 2009
Contact
Starpath Project
The University of Auckland
Epsom Campus, Faculty of Education
Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142
www.starpath.auckland.ac.nz
StarpathA University of Auckland Partnership for Excellence