DEVELOPMENT IN THE JUNIOR CURRICULUM


The Education Review Office reviewed our school in 2016 and their report recognises the ‘good systems for improving educational outcomes for students particularly at the senior levels of the school.’  (Ero Report 28.11.16).

Our 2016 ERO report highly recommended that we   apply these ‘good systems’ within the junior curriculum teaching and learning.  According to the New Zealand curriculum (NZC) document, effective assessment    benefits students by clarifying for them “what they know they can do and what they still need to do.”  Solo Taxonomy (Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes) provides a simple, reliable and robust model for three levels of understanding – surface, deep and conceptual (Biggs and Collis 1982).  This simply means that students will be able to recognise and explain, where they are at and where they need to be.  Students in years 9 and 10, should be at level 6 of the NZC by the time they reach year 11.  Below is a diagram which explains how SOLO taxonomy is linked to the NZC and the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA).   

In 2017 Tangaroa College will use SOLO taxonomy in the junior school across all learning areas to help students articulate their learning and their next steps.  The systems we use in the senior school will also be applied in the junior school as of 2017
· a common date for all teachers to enter junior grades into the markbook
· regular monitoring and tracking of student progress through the term (linked to a common assessment)
· use of critical thinking tools (solo taxonomy), as well as other tools, to help students ‘learn to learn’.   

What do you know about SOLO? 
To see a very short and straightforward clip on SOLO TAXONOMY. https://youtu.be/Ixmmr-nncF4 or https://youtu.be/uDXXV-mCLPg      

For more information about our junior curriculum please email me at imeletaf@tangaroa.school.nz.   
Imeleta Faumuina