
This rubric supports ERO and early childhood services to make judgements about quality and improvement in the context of external and internal evaluation.
Judgements are determined about the extent to which the service has the learning and organisational conditions (as set out in Te Ara Poutama – indicators of quality for early childhood education services: what matters most) to promote and achieve equity and excellence.
Further resources are being developed to support services to use this rubric as part of their internal evaluation using the indicators in Te Ara Poutama.
Outcomes for learners
Whakatō Emerging
Information gathered is about what children are doing rather than their learning. The service has limited information about children’s developing capabilities in relation to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki.
Whāngai Establishing
The service is beginning to explore the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki. It has some evidence about children’s developing capabilities in relation to these outcomes for some children. The service is beginning to consider this information in terms of equity.
Whakaū Embedding
The service is increasingly intentional in using the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki. It has an increasing range of information about children’s developing capabilities in relation to these outcomes. The service is recognising inequities in their assessment information.
Whakawhanake Sustaining
The service has multiple sources of information that shows children’s increasing capabilities in relation to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki. Information is being used to identify and respond to inequities.
Kia Rangatira Ai Te Tipu Excelling
The service has multiple sources of information that show the breadth, depth and complexity (rich picture) of children’s increasing capabilities in relation to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki.
Evidence of equitable and excellent outcomes for children.
Learning Conditions
He Whāriki Motuhake - The learner and their learning
Whakatō Emerging
The service is developing relationships with parents and whānau. It is yet to establish learning-focused partnerships.
The service is at an early stage in providing opportunities for parents and whānau to participate in and contribute to curriculum design/planning that recognises and responds to their child’s language, culture and identity.
The service is at an early stage of developing and implementing a responsive curriculum that:
- provides children with equitable opportunities to learn
- is consistent with Te Whāriki
- integrates te reo and tikanga Māori
- is culturally responsive and intentional
- enhances children’s mana and identity as successful learners.
Whāngai Establishing
The service has established relationships with parents and whānau and is building on these to increase the focus on children’s progress and learning.
There are some opportunities for parents and whānau to participate in and contribute to curriculum design/planning that recognises and responds to their child’s language, culture and identity.
The service is working towards implementing a responsive curriculum that:
- provides children with equitable opportunities to learn
- is consistent with Te Whāriki
- integrates te reo and tikanga Māori
- is culturally responsive and intentional
- enhances children’s mana and identity as successful learners.
Whakaū Embedding
The service has established learning-focused partnerships that include opportunities for sharing information and insights about children’s progress and learning.
There are regular opportunities for parents and whānau to participate in and contribute to curriculum design/planning that recognises and responds to their child’s language, culture and identity.
The service is becoming more consistent in its implementation of a responsive curriculum that:
- provides children with equitable opportunities to learn
- is consistent with Te Whāriki
- integrates te reo and tikanga Māori
- is culturally responsive and intentional
- enhances children’s mana and identity as successful learners.
Whakawhanake Sustaining
The service works collaboratively to strengthen learning-focused partnerships to promote children’s progress and learning.
Parents and whānau are increasingly participating in and contributing to curriculum design/planning that recognise and respond to their child’s language, culture and identity.
The service consistently implements a responsive curriculum that:
- provides children with equitable opportunities to learn
- is consistent with Te Whāriki
- integrates te reo and tikanga Māori
- is culturally responsive and intentional
- enhances children’s mana and identity as successful learners.
Kia Rangatira Ai Te Tipu Excelling
Reciprocal learning-focused partnerships enrich and extend children’s progress and learning.
Curriculum design is enriched by the regular contribution of parents and whānau and
the wider community to curriculum design/planning that recognises and responds to their child’s language, culture and identity.
The service effectively implements a highly responsive curriculum that:
- provides children with equitable opportunities to learn
- is consistent with Te Whāriki
- integrates te reo and tikanga Māori
- is culturally responsive and intentional
- enhances children’s mana and identity as successful learners.
Whakangungu Ngaio - Collaborative professional learning builds knowledge and capability
Whakatō Emerging
Leaders and kaiako have few opportunities to work collaboratively to build professional knowledge and cultural competence to enable them to design and implement a responsive and rich curriculum for all children.
Whāngai Establishing
Leaders and kaiako are beginning to work collaboratively to build their professional knowledge and cultural competence (shared understandings and practice) to enable them to design and implement a responsive and rich curriculum for all children.
Whakaū Embedding
Leaders and kaiako are establishing collaborative relationships to build the professional knowledge, expertise and cultural competence necessary to design and implement a responsive and rich curriculum for all children.
Whakawhanake Sustaining
Leaders and kaiako work collaboratively to build their professional knowledge, expertise and cultural competence.
This enables them to design and implement a relevant, responsive and rich curriculum for all children.
Kia Rangatira Ai Te Tipu Excelling
Effective collaboration amongst leaders and kaiako sustains and builds the professional knowledge, expertise and cultural competence to design and implement a highly responsive and rich curriculum for all children.
Engagement in professional learning opportunities contributes to high quality, exemplary, sector leading practice, sustained ongoing improvement that promotes and achieve equity and excellence.
Organisational conditions
Ngā Aronga Whai Hua - Evaluation for improvement
Whakatō Emerging
The service is at an early stage of developing the conditions (systems, processes, practices, tools and methods, voices, trust, resources and communication strategies), capabilities and collective capacity to do and use evaluation for improvement.
Whāngai Establishing
The service is establishing the conditions (systems, processes, practices, tools and methods, voices, trust, resources and some communication strategies)
capabilities and collective capacity to do and use evaluation for improvement.
Whakaū Embedding
The service has established and is working to embed the conditions (systems, processes, practices, tools and methods, voices, trust, resources and communication strategies) to increase the capability and collective capacity to do and use evaluation for improvement. Some evidence of improvement.
Whakawhanake Sustaining
The service is strengthening the conditions (systems, processes, practices, tools and methods, voices, trust, resources and communication strategies) and the capability and collective capacity to evaluate for sustained improvement. Evidence of improvement over time.
Kia Rangatira Ai Te Tipu Excelling
The service has coherent conditions (systems, processes, practices, tools and methods, voices, trust, resources and communication strategies) and evidence of a high level of evaluation capability and capacity. Effective evaluation results in/contributes to ongoing improvement and innovation for equity and innovation.
Kaihautū - Leaders foster collaboration and improvement
Whakatō Emerging
Leaders are beginning to develop the conditions that enable collaboration for improvement.
Whāngai Establishing
Leaders are establishing the conditions that enable collaboration for improvement.
Whakaū Embedding
Leaders have established and are embedding the conditions that enable collaboration for improvement.
Whakawhanake Sustaining
Leaders foster collaboration and are sustaining the conditions that promote continuous improvement.
Kia Rangatira Ai Te Tipu Excelling
Leaders foster high levels of collaboration and coherent conditions that promote equity and innovation.
Te Whakaruruhau - Stewardship through effective governance and management
Whakatō Emerging
The service is at an early stage in developing the systems, processes, and practices to promote equitable outcomes for children.
Whāngai Establishing
The service has developed systems, processes and practices that when fully implemented will support decision making and an increased focus on what is happening for children and their learning.
Whakaū Embedding
The service has established sound systems, processes and practices that support decision making and strengthen the focus on what is happening for children and their learning.
Whakawhanake Sustaining
The service effectively implements systems, processes and practices that lead to improvement toward equity and excellence.
Kia Rangatira Ai Te Tipu Excelling
Highly effective governance and management is underpinned by robust systems, processes and practices that contribute to and promote equity, excellence and innovation.
Judgement terms and descriptors
Judgement |
Description |
Whakatō Emerging |
The seed is sown, a place of potential Emerging means that the service is at an early stage of developing the learning and organisational conditions (systems, processes and practices) to improve quality and realise equitable outcomes for children. |
Whāngai Establishing |
Nourishment is provided Establishing means that the service is establishing the learning and organisational conditions (systems, processes and practices) and is building shared understandings to improve quality towards realising equitable outcomes for children. |
Whakaū Embedding |
Consolidation of all elements has occurred Embedding means that the service has established and is embedding coherent learning and organisational conditions (systems, processes and practices) and is consistently implementing practices and processes to enable improvement in quality towards realising equitable outcomes for children. |
Whakawhanake Sustaining |
Appropriate conditions provide strong and ongoing support Sustaining means that the service has evidence of its capability and capacity to sustain ongoing improvement to the learning and organisational conditions (systems, processes and practices) and the impact of this improvement in realising equitable outcomes for children. |
Kia rangatira ai te tipu Excelling |
A combination of favourable conditions and a nourishing environment produces ongoing quality of results Excelling means that the service is sector leading and demonstrates exemplary practice resulting in equitable outcomes for children. |