A Waikato education leader says it is a ''sad day for New Zealand education'' after the Government announced plans to publicly release National Standards data today.

Education Minister Hekia Parata this morning confirmed that schools' literacy and numeracy achievement levels will be published on the Ministry's website in September.

She said it would allow parents to see how their child's school was performing.

 

"This information will be available on the website and parents or members of the public will be able to go on and look at all of it," Parata said.

"Parents and schools have wanted both and from the outset, that has been the intention of National Standards and now we are designing a tool that will deliver that."

Waikato Principals' Association chair John Coulam said principals in the region opposed the data being made public.

''What is of concern is that people who look at the data, unless they understand education, they can be making misleading judgements.

''Looking at data released on a website won't show the hardworking teachers in the school, it won't show the added value that's made by a school - all it will show is that there are students that aren't achiveing, and there will always be a tail.''

Mr Coulam said Waikato principals had ''reluctantly'' released the information to the Education Ministry.

''The profession doesn't think it's healthy, it just doesn't think it's good. We don't see any benefit in it at all to be quite honest.

''It will be a sad day for New Zealand education, I'm absolutely sure of it.''

National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics have been used in all primary and intermediate schools since 2010.

This year, schools have been required to send performance information to the Education Ministry for the first time.

About 95 percent of schools have sent their data but Parata admits there is "significant variability" in what has come in.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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