17144 (2026). Hon Ginny Andersen to the Minister of Education

17144 (2026). Hon Ginny Andersen to the Minister of Education: What research, if any, did the Ministry of Education do into the validity of the SMART tool before it was launched and what were the findings of any such research?

Hon Erica Stanford: I am advised that, before procuring the Student Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting Tool (SMART), the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) undertook a comprehensive procurement process to secure a fit for purpose assessment and reporting platform to support twice yearly assessments for Years 3 to 10 aligned to the new National Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. This process included the development of detailed functional and non-functional requirements, assessment of proposals against predetermined evaluation criteria and subject matter expert input as part of the procurement panel. Through this process, the Ministry assessed providers’ capability to deliver valid, reliable and curriculum aligned assessments.