Thursday, August 11, 2016
MORE Maori 18-year-olds than ever are achieving NCEA level 2 in the Bay of Plenty, latest ministry of education figures show.
Last year 76.1 percent of Maori 18-year-olds in the Bay gained a minimum of level 2, a huge improvement on the 61.5 percent rate in 2011.
Level 2 achievement rates for all Bay students aged 18 rose by nearly 10 percentage points in the same period, to 84.3 percent.
Regional director of education Ezra Schuster said the result was pleasing.
“Every percentage point increase represents the hard work of students, schools, teachers, parents and whanau.”
He said there was a concerted effort in the Bay to improve student achievement, with 110 schools coming together to form 13 Communities of Learning. This involved 75 percent of the region’s students in plans to raise engagement, achievement and retention.
“The achievement challenges they are working on include the key areas of reading, writing, mathematics and NCEA level 2 achievement, as well as oral language, te reo Maori and science,” Mr Schuster said.
Pasifika student achievement in the Bay has shown encouraging improvement since 2012, with a 4.9 point rise in students gaining reading levels at or above national standards, and a 5.6 point increase in students achieving writing at those levels.
“Small decreases in reading and writing results at or above national standards for all Bay students since 2012 shows that we must continue to find new ways of lifting student achievement.”
The NCEA and national standards data was released on Tuesday.