National and international research

The National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement is a collaboration between NZCER, the Educational Assessment Research Unit (EARU) of the University of Otago and the Ministry of Education.

The aim of NMSSA is to assess and understand student achievement. It will show what New Zealand students know, think, and can do, what they aspire to, and how they are realising their goals. It will provide timely information and analyses to the Ministry of Education, the sector and the public on how well the educational system is delivering important educational outcomes.

NMSSA monitors nationally representative samples of students in years 4 and 8 in English-medium schools, using a combination of survey assessments (involving 2000-4000 students) and in-depth assessments (600–800 students). These assessments will cover all learning areas of the New Zealand Curriculum over a four year cycle, as well as key competencies.

The NMSSA study builds on the strengths of the previous National Education Monitoring Project (NEMP). What makes this study innovative and different from NEMP is that alongside the in-depth assessment tasks, there will be, for some of the learning areas, a survey of a greater sample of students. The collection of contextual information to enhance our understanding of student achievement is another feature. Specific attention will be given to how Māori and Pasifika students are succeeding in English-medium schools and research will be conducted to better understand achievements among students with special learning needs.

The National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement: Wānangatia te Putanga Tauira is a 2017 report from Charles Darr of NZCER, taking a quick look at NMSSA and describing how it works, summarising some of the results from the NMSSA studies in different achievement areas and discussing how teachers and principals might draw on NMSSA’s work to make sense of achievement in their own schools.

Reports are produced annually by NZQA summarising the results of New Zealand's senior secondary students achieving the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) and New Zealand Scholarship.

Annual Report on NCEA & New Zealand Scholarship Data & Statistics

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an educational research study on children’s reading literacy achievement conducted in countries around the world. Administered every five years, the study is designed to measure trends in the achievement of middle primary school students as well as providing countries with a snapshot of achievement at each cycle. The study involves New Zealand’s year 5 students. As well as assessing students, PIRLS also collects background information from the students, their parents/caregivers, their reading teachers, and from school principals.

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an educational research study on student achievement in mathematics and science around the world. It is designed to measure and interpret differences in national education systems in order to help improve the teaching and learning of mathematics and science worldwide. In 1994, TIMSS began the first study in a regular cycle of studies at four-year intervals. TIMSS assesses achievement in mathematics and science at middle primary (year 5) and lower secondary (year 9) levels and collects background information on student, classroom and school contexts through questionnaires.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international study that is administered on a three-yearly basis. The study assesses how well 15 year-old are prepared to meet the challenges of today’s society.  PISA assesses three key areas of knowledge and skills: reading literacy, mathematical literacy and scientific literacy.

PISA focuses on whether young adults can use their knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges, rather than whether they have mastered a specific school curriculum. This vision ties in with the goals and objectives of the New Zealand school curriculum, which is concerned with the development of skills and what students can do with what they learn rather than just content knowledge.

• View a YouTube presentation by the OECD about PISA.
• Information at Education Counts about PISA.

The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) investigates the ways in which young people are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens in a world where contexts of democracy and civic participation continue to change. The study was first implemented in 2009 with a follow-up cycle in 2016 and one in progress for 2022. New Zealand was one of 38 countries that took part in the ICCS in 2008.

This study measured student achievement through testing knowledge, conceptual understanding and competencies in civic and citizenship education. It also collected data about student activities, dispositions and attitudes relating to civics and citizenship.

• Reports on Education Counts based on the ICCS study in 2008.

New Zealand participated in the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL) in 2006. ALL measures the prose literacy, document literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills of a representative sample of respondents aged 16–65 from participating countries. ALL built on the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) which was undertaken in 24 countries, including New Zealand, in 1996.