The Ministry is signalling that we are headed towards a progression-based curriculum. We could not be more excited about this as SchoolTalk is fundamentally built around the core construct of progressions. SchoolTalk provides teachers with effective and efficient ways of giving learners  formative feedback on their progress and differentiating their learning design, while also enhancing learner motivation and agency.

Progressions are beautifully described by the authors of the paper entitled "New Zealand Curriculum Refresh: Progressions Approach" (on the Ministry's Curriculum Refresh website here ) as a set of " significant signposts or ‘waypoints’ that are typical of increasing sophistication, in the ways in which ākonga knowledge, understanding, and capabilities grow and deepen over time". They go on to identify a number of powerful rationales for this shift from an outcomes focussed curriculum,  including the following reasons for adopting a progression approach:

•  to support the provision of equitable opportunities to learn by providing clarity about the learning that cannot be left to chance and about appropriate progress expectations, while at the same time providing the flexibility for iwi and community to bring and share what they value. 

• to focus forward unlocking each child’s next learning steps. This provides more concrete support for the assessment-for-learning pedagogies and practices that shape further learning opportunities. 

• to enable the curriculum to be built on a strong bicultural foundation. One of the underlying ideas behind a progression approach is ensuring that our young people’s identity, language, culture, and capabilities do not remain untapped and underdeveloped in teaching and learning contexts. 

• to support quality teaching by supporting teachers, ākonga, and their whānau to focus their interactions and have learning conversations about where ākonga are now, where they are going, and new possibilities. 

• to empower ākonga by supporting each learner’s personal experience of progress and their sense of themselves as a person and a learner. Making meaningful progress in something important is one of the most motivating things a learner can experience. Experiencing progress also supports ākonga wellbeing and sustains their belief in their own agency and on-going ability to learn. 

• to reduce cognitive load for teachers by ensuring signposts for ‘getting better’ are holistic and weave together big ideas, aspects of the key competencies, and values and learning dispositions. This helps ensure a focus on in-depth learning of significant things, rather than superficial learning about things of little consequence. 

• to provide a useful language for communicating ākonga progress within and between schools and enable efficient and targeted use of limited resources to develop tools to support teaching, learning, and assessment.  

If your school is wanting to get ready for progressions, CONTACT US about how SchoolTalk can support your journey.