School principals have criticised the government's Student Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting Tool (SMART) for Years 3-8, with some saying the tool is not accurate for measuring children's achievement.
Douglas Park School principal Gareth Sinton said his Masterton school is not using SMART because the tool cannot yet deliver what it was designed to do. While SMART was built to show how students perform against curriculum expectations, it cannot yet do so. The tool currently shows only correct or incorrect answers and what students have completed, but does not yet align to the new curriculum.
"It's definitely ready to use in the way that it's perhaps been sold to us," Sinton said.
Schools must report to parents using five performance labels, which SMART will eventually support but cannot provide yet.
Glenview Primary School in Porirua is also not using the tool. Principal Lynda Knight questioned the need for SMART given existing assessment tools, particularly as it cost $85 million over five years, including $24 million to purchase the tool from its Australian owners.
"It just seems unnecessary when we've got a New Zealand-made rigourous tool," Knight said.
SMART was trialled in October and November 2025 and can be used in 2026, though it is not compulsory this year.
The Education Ministry said SMART is intended to work alongside teacher judgement and other assessment information when reporting to parents, rather than serve as a standalone measure. The Ministry said some teachers have raised concerns about questions or answers in the tool and said questions undergo quality checks, with issues reviewed and changes made where needed. Teachers can raise concerns with the Ministry for checking, and the Ministry said it is making ongoing improvements to SMART.