PAI measures the ‘big things’ about our education system’s performance. It tells us how many children are in early learning, and how children are doing at reading, writing and mathematics. It measures how many young people are achieving NCEA Level 2 in order to move successfully into work, higher education or further training.
But PAI is much more than a collection of statistics. It plays a vital role in raising student achievement, and in improving school and education system performance.
PAI data can be used by parents to ask what their school is doing to raise student achievement. In turn, schools can talk to parents about how they can help do that as well. Many of our best teachers and school leaders are already using PAI data to design programmes to help their students’ progress, especially those most at risk of underachievement.
For example, the use of PAI data in secondary schools is helping more of our young people achieve NCEA Level 2 than ever before.
In 2015, 51,299 students, or 83.3% of all students, achieved NCEA Level 2 or an equivalent qualification. That’s up 3,120 students since 2011. Last year, 271 secondary schools used their PAI data to identify around 4000 students at risk of not achieving NCEA Level 2. These students were given individual mentoring, tutoring, and group study assistance programmes to help them achieve the qualification. The Ministry estimates around 7,400 young people have achieved NCEA Level 2 with this sort of help since 2012.
National Standards PAI data is being used in more of our primary schools to allocate extra help to many students, especially with children ‘well below’ their age level for reading, writing or mathematics.
In 2014, 89% of our primary schools used PAI data to give more assistance to children in National Standards. This is up from 30% in 2012. In 2015, 12,000 to 19,000 more children achieved ‘at’ or ‘above’ the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics than in 2012.
Our 117 Communities of Learning (CoL) involve 1000 schools and 320,000 students. CoL use PAI data to set targets to raise student performance in areas such as maths, literacy and science, and for students at risk of not achieving. PAI data is also helping parents and whānau to support students to work towards their educational and career goals.
Using PAI data in our schools means we can get more help to more of our children and young people who need it most. It means we know where these kids are, and what they need help with. Not having this information, or not using it, just lets these kids down.
PAI data is helping teachers, school leaders and parents raise achievement throughout our schooling network. Every day, thousands of our children and young people benefit from its use.
Highlights: Public Achievement Information
- 83.3 percent, or 51,299, of students aged 18, achieved NCEA Level 2 in 2015. That’s up by 3,120 students since 2011.
- Between 2011 and 2015, the number of 18 year-olds with NCEA Level 2 rose in all regions by between 7.7 and 11 percentage points. NCEA level 2 achievement in Auckland increased by 1258 students over this period. Other regions showed good growth in NCEA Level 2 achievement as well, including Canterbury, by 482 students, and Waikato, by 467 students.
- Participation in early learning (ECE) has risen to record levels. 96.6 percent of children participated in ECE before starting school in the year to March 2016. This is 4812 more children than in 2011.
- In 2015, 89% of primary schools used PAI data to give more assistance to children in National Standards. This is up from 30% in 2012. In 2015, 12,800 to 18,400 more children achieved ‘at’ or ‘above’ the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics than in 2012.
- PAI data was used, last year, in 271 secondary schools to identify students needing extra support to achieve NCEA Level 2. Around 7400 young people have achieved NCEA Level 2 from this extra help since 2011.
- Student stand-downs, suspensions and exclusions are at their lowest levels since records began 16 years ago. Since 2008 the number of suspensions in state and state-integrated schools has fallen by 40.1 percent to 2,618. Over the same time stand-downs have dropped by 30 percent to 14,198, while exclusions have fallen by 35 percent to 883.