12296 (2025). Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan to the Minister of Education

12296 (2025). Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan to the Minister of Education: Will the standardised assessment tool that schools can use twice a year with children in Years 3-10, which the Ministry of Education has issued a request for proposals (RFP) on, replace e-ASTTLE and PATs; if so, when?

Hon Erica Stanford: I am advised by the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) that the e-asTTle tool has technical limitations and that the content does not align to the new curriculum. Therefore, the Government has made the decision to invest in a new market standard tool to support teachers to monitor and report on student progress rather than a substantive investment in an older tool. Through the recent publication of a request for proposal for a new standardised assessment and aromatawai tool the Ministry is seeking to purchase a new tool to replace e-asTTle. The new tool will bring forward the features of e-asTTle that have helped teachers and kaiako understand how students are progressing, as well as providing the benefits of up-to-date technology and assessment and aromatawai items that align to the new national curriculum. The Progressive Achievement Tests (PATs) are provided by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) and will also continue to be available.