The government has unveiled a new style of school report it says will give families clearer information about their children.
It said the reports would ensure all primary and intermediate schools described children's achievement in reading, writing and maths twice a year in the same way.
The new reports would rank children's achievement on a five-point scale - emerging, developing, consolidating, proficient and exceeding - across several aspects of each of the three subjects.
The reports would also provide an overall percentage score for each subject, and descriptions of what children could do in each.
Schools were also expected to include student attendance in the reports.
The government said schools would report on other subjects and on student behaviour as they already did.
Erica Stanford and Christopher Luxon at Cockle Bay School, Auckland, February 2026. Photo: Marika Khabazi / RNZ
Education Minister Erica Stanford said the change delivered on an election campaign promise.
"If you look at what we have now in many reports that I've seen, they're not very detailed and it might just say 'maths, tick' - that's it. We are providing by strand - algebra, geometry, number… children's progress over time, and there is a key to explain what each of the descriptors mean.
"So it should be easy to understand... it is more detailed, more comprehensive, it gives them a far greater picture of their children's success."
Stanford said multiple agencies, including the Education Review Office, had called for nationally consistent reporting of student achievement and progress.
Students at Cockle Bay School, February 2026. Photo: Marika Khabazi / RNZ
She said schools would use a new test, the SMART tool, to measure children's achievement in Years 3-8 either online or in print, and schools could use AI to analyse children's results.
Schools could also use Progressive Achievement Tests (PATs) or e-asTTle to measure student achievement, though e-asTTLE would be discontinued next year.
Stanford said a common method for describing achievement ensured children's reports would remain consistent even if they changed schools.
She said parents should note that children would start each year at a "novice" level of achievement, because they were learning new information and would progress as the year went on.
The Ministry of Education had told schools their reports were expected to include the new progress descriptors, a narrative about why the progress descriptor was selected, and how parents and whānau could support their child's next learning steps at home
They were also expected to include assessment results, attendance information and a visual representation of progress over time.
Berkley Normal Middle School principal Nathan Leith told Checkpoint that making sure parents know where students' learning is at is vital so they can support them and help them learn at home.
Leith said the announcement was a surprise, but schools already have reporting systems in place.
"We are expected to report, and I think the wording used is 'in plain English' to parents twice yearly," he said.
Leith said there needs to be a pause so schools can properly understand and implement the new reporting.
"I do believe that we need to stop comparing students and children as products coming out of a factory," he said.
"There are so many variables when it comes to learning, and I think what we do need to be focusing on more is the social and economic issues that communities are facing. If we can get those right and fund those accordingly, learning will take place."
Erica Stanford and Christopher Luxon at Cockle Bay School, Auckland, February 2026. Photo: Marika Khabazi / RNZ
It comes as schools are opening up again for 2026 and must use new maths and English curriculums for students in Years 0-10 this year. Draft curriculums for other subject areas are out for consultation until mid-April.
By the end of 2025, nine percent of students in Year 13 and 15 percent of Year 12s had not achieved the literacy and numeracy co-requisite, figures provided to RNZ by NZQA show. The achievement rates were the lowest in the past five years.
They equated to about 5000 Year 13s and 10,000 Year 12s who would not receive any NCEA certificates because they had not yet met the requirement.
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