David Farrar: Charter school targets

The Government has published targets and minimum levels to be achieved for charter schools. A charter school that doesn’t achieve these minimum levels can have its registration cancelled, which is a type of accountability other schools do not have.

They are:

Attendance:

• Target: 80% attending regularly (90% or more)
• Minimum fewer barriers schools 60%
• Minimum moderate barriers school 50%
• Minimum more barriers schools 35%

Reading:

• Target: 80% at or above curriculum level (currently 47%)
• Minimum fewer barriers schools 67% (currently 57%)
• Minimum moderate barriers school 50% (currently 44%)
• Minimum more barriers schools 30% (currently 34%)

Writing/MathsTarget: 

• 80% at or above curriculum level (currently 22% for maths)
• Minimum fewer barriers schools 35% (34% currently maths)
• Minimum moderate barriers school 35% (20% currently maths)
• Minimum more barriers schools 25% (8% currently maths)

NCEA Level 2Target:

•  95% achieve NCEA Level 2
• Minimum fewer barriers schools 95% (85% current average)
• Minimum moderate barriers school 80% (78% current average)
• Minimum more barriers schools 65% (62% current average)

So these charter school are being set minimum levels which are higher than the current average for their type of school.

David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.