Government to trial one-on-one Year 2 maths check, aims for nationwide rollout by year’s end
The 15-minute assessment will gauge number knowledge and early operations, begin in 100 schools, and feed into new parent reporting alongside phonics checks.
A new maths check for Year 2 students will be trialled across 100 schools, with the Government intending to make it available to all schools by the end of the year.
Education Minister Erica Stanford said the assessment is part of the Make it Count maths action plan and is designed to give teachers an early read on how students are progressing with core number concepts. “The Year 2 maths check … is a short, one-on-one, 15-minute assessment that provides teachers a snapshot to understand how learners are progressing in number concepts by the end of Year 2,” she said.
The check will focus on foundational content for the early years, including numbers to 120, number facts, operations, and early fractions. Following the trial, it will be delivered through an online tool and supported by professional learning and development for teachers.
According to the Minister, the new check will sit within updated school reporting for parents, alongside phonics checks for new entrants. Schools will receive teacher guidance, recording sheets, student booklets, printed materials and hand-held maths items to support the assessments.
Stanford linked the move to wider efforts to lift achievement, noting the Government’s previous claim that half of Year 8 students were a year or more behind in maths. She framed the check as part of a focus on “teaching the basics” and pointed to a broader $717 million investment into learning support.
The one-on-one format means schools will need to factor in dedicated time with each child. For a class of 25 Year 2 students, the assessment would take about six hours of individual teacher time. The release did not outline how schools will manage that workload beyond the provision of materials and training.
Details still to come include whether participation will be compulsory, how often the check will be used, and how results will be recorded or shared beyond reporting to parents. The Ministry has not named the schools involved in the initial trial.
The Government says feedback from the trial phase will inform the final design before wider rollout later in the year.
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