Number crunching: Changes in new maths curriculum explained

The Government is prescribing a new formula for the way New Zealand’s children learn maths. 1News breaks down the proposed changes.

New Zealand’s maths curriculum for Year 0-8 students is facing a shakeup in response to continued poor results in the subject.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced the plans during the National Party’s conference yesterday, revealing the introduction of structural maths for primary and intermediate students was being brought forward a year earlier than planned.

The Government said it was accelerating the changes to the maths curriculum after fresh data revealed many New Zealand children were still struggling.

The data from the Curriculum Insights and Progress Study (CIPS) showed less than a quarter (22%) of Year 8 students were at or above curriculum level in 2023. That number dropped to 12% for Māori students and 8% for high equity index students. (A high equity index school is one that faces greater socio-economic barriers to learning and achievement.)

Sixty-three per cent of all Year 8 students were more than one year below curriculum level.

“That means, last year, around 50,000 children in Year 8 did not meet the expected curriculum benchmark for maths. There’s no way to describe those results as anything other than a total system failure,” Luxon said.

The first three parts of the new maths action plan will take effect from Term 1 next year, Education Minister Erica Stanford said, with the introduction of the structured maths curriculum for Year 0-8 students.

“To support teachers to make this change, the Government will be working with a range of providers to introduce teacher guides and student workbooks that will go into classrooms across New Zealand,” she said.

“The expectations for what children must learn each year will be clearly laid out, so parents know exactly what their kids will be learning from the start of next year.”

Twice yearly standardised math assessments will be introduced in primary schools from next year, with small group interventions for students who are found to be significantly behind.

The Government is allocating $20 million towards teachers’ professional development in maths ahead of next year’s curriculum changes.

It is also lifting the standard for new teachers, a move the Teaching Council has agreed to.

It would mean anyone wanting to train to become a teacher would need to have attained at least NCEA Level 2 maths — what used to be known as Sixth Form Certificate.

It follows a study by the Institute of Economic Research earlier this year that found many new primary school teachers did not have basic qualifications in maths.

Reaction to the Government’s plans for the curriculum has been mixed.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins took a swipe at the Year 8 maths results, saying those children began school under the previous National government’s national standards.

“That was a failure, and we are still playing catch-up,” he said.

However, he said he was pleased to see the Government had committed to bringing forward Labour’s curriculum changes and paying for teacher training and development.

Labour’s education spokesperson Jan Tinetti told RNZ she hoped the Government’s plans followed research that showed certain approaches were better in lifting Māori and Pacific student achievement.

“I really hope that the research is going to be followed here, and there's going to be an evidence-based approach and we don't follow mistakes that we've made in the past."

Meanwhile, teachers have voiced concerns around the level of changes that will now be rolled out for 2025.

The Government has already mandated a structured literacy approach for teaching reading from Term 1 next year. While some schools already take a structured literacy approach, many are still working towards making that switch — and will now have the new approach to teaching maths to contend with, too.

Teachers union NZEI Te Riu Roa said it was concerned about the rapid changes for both and "the incredibly short timeframe to train teachers and implement these proposed changes".

It said the maths action plan was not in line with expert recommendations and would further strain the education workforce.

Primary principal representative Martyn Weatherill said a “narrow curriculum prescribed by policy” made teaching harder for schools and kura.

“We’ve had two rapid and major changes to curriculum, both being fast-tracked for 2025,” he said.

“We’re very concerned that $20 million to fund the proposed maths changes isn’t enough when you take into account the student resources and teacher training it will need to cover. Funding a couple of days of teacher training in one curriculum area is not going to cure 30 years of systemic and chronic underfunding of schools.”

The Education Minister told Morning Report she acknowledged much was being asked of teachers.

“I accept it is going to be difficult next year but I'm putting everything into this,” Stanford said.

“We cannot wait. Those [Year 8] statistics show us there's no time."