At the end of this term (Thursday, 19 June), you will receive your children’s Mid Year Report via your HERO Portal.

As part of the Government’s educational initiatives, a brand new national curriculum has been introduced in Maths and English (Reading, Writing & Oral Language). This means that all schools are currently changing from the old to the new curriculum. This is a huge shift for schools as these new curricula have only been in place since the beginning of this year.

As a result of these changes, what will your students Mid-Year Report look like? The good news is…..most of your children’s 2025 Mid Year Report will look the same.

What’s the same? Within your child’s Mid Year Report the following information will still be present:

• 2025 Values Goal(s)

• Current & Achieved Learning Goals in Reading, Writing & Maths (these goals will now align with the new NZ Curriculum)

• Learning samples in Literacy (Reading or Writing) and Mathematics. These samples will align with one of the goals your child(ren) have been working on.

• A Learning Journey Comment and sample, which will provide an overview of other learning that has occurred outside of Literacy & Mathematics

• A general comment about your child

What’s different?

• You can now view your child’s Termly Attendance at the bottom of the report.

• The biggest change is the milestone graphs, which show your child(ren)’s current progress and achievement.

  Under the old curriculum, learning was split into Levels 1-4 (most appropriate for Primary Schools), and “normal” student progress was defined as completed on Curriculum Level across two years, eg, Level 2 – Year 3 & 4 students.

  The new curriculum learning is split into Phases. Phase 1 (Y 0-3), Phase 2 (Y4-6) & Phase 3 (Y 7&8). Within each Phase, expected learning is then narrowed down to each Year Group, eg, students in Year 4 are exposed and assessed on specific “Progress Outcomes” within their current Year Group.

  As we are no longer comparing “apples with apples,” every student will have a brand new milestone graph aligned to their current Year Group. This means that regardless of your child’s age, they will have ONE DOT only on their graph.

  

• As a result, you could see a change in your student’s progress or achievement compared to previous years.

  BUT WHY?

  1. Remember, we can’t compare the old curriculum level system with the new phases of learning

  2. Some of the “progress outcomes” expected now at each Year Group is more complex.

  3. This is a brand new curriculum for all teachers and students across New Zealand. It is unrealistic to expect our teachers and students to be able to learn a new Maths and English curriculum so quickly….it will take time.

A message from the Government

• The Government wishes to acknowledge that schools and kura have only been using the new curricula from the start of 2025, which includes new teaching and assessment methods and content.

Handy Hint

With such big changes it is more important than ever to book a Learning Conference with your classroom teacher. They can help you explain the curriculum changes and impact on your children’s learning.

Any questions, please feel free to ask.