the starpath project annual report 2009 · 2018. 10. 1. · the university of auckland starpath...

StarpathA University of Auckland Partnership for Excellence

The Starpath Project

Annual Report 2009


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

[email protected]

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.


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


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.


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


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.


•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).


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.



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


Radio 14May2009 RadioNZ(Checkpoint). WaateaNewsupdate. A/ProfMckinley’sNCEAcommentsincluded

www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/20090514

Print 15May2009 NewZealandHerald(pA2).

“Passratesarehigherforlesstraditionalacademicsubjects”.

A/ProfMckinleyprovidesfollow-upcommentsonNCEAsubjects


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)


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


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

[email protected]

www.starpath.auckland.ac.nz


the starpath project annual report 2009 · 2018. 10. 1. · the university of auckland starpath...

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