Assessment

Kia Aroha College will not label reading, writing, maths or NCEA achievement as “Maori achievement” or “Pasifika achievement” – rather those outcomes will be identified as reading, writing and maths achievement (with nothing uniquely or specifically Maori or Pasifika about them). Our Graduate Profiles spell out specifically our wider cultural AND academic expectations for our learners. We believe our students have the right to expect our school to deliver both.

 We respect the mana of each child and believe that “every individual is unique and they have their own time in which to know.” We will not expect therefore that all children will reach the same achievement at the same time simply on the basis of their age or year level. We will support each learner to realise their full potential in all aspects of learning and development and ensure our programme is differentiated on the basis of each learner’s specific abilities.

To help describe that wider learning and progress we have developed an assessment tool to measure students’ cultural competencies and skills and their relationship with learning and each other.  This assessment gives us a way of seeing students excel in all aspects of their learning and to develop as Warrior-Scholars, young people who are secure in their cultural identity and their learning, and who have the tools to make a difference and to contribute to their families and communities.

Our thanks to exemplary teacher, Laurence Tan at Roses in Concrete Community School, in East Oakland, California, where we took these great photos of his signs on his classroom door.