Covid-19 Response Evaluation Report

The Teaching Council | Matatū Aotearoa has published an evaluation report on how the Council responded to COVID-19 in 2020 within Initial Teacher Education.  

Purpose of the COVID-19 Response Evaluation report

In 2020, the Council sought advice from the sector and implemented seven temporary policy changes to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 on the ITE sector. ITE providers could apply for approval to include all or some of these in their programmes.

To measure the effect of these temporary changes, the Council surveyed ITE graduates who completed their studies in 2020.

The evaluation report outlines findings in relation to the following questions:

• Did ITE student teachers know of the temporary policy changes and, if so, did they use them?
• Do ITE graduates who did not use the changes believe they would have gained from using them?
• Did the changes help ITE student teachers complete their studies while fully meeting learning objectives?
• What concerns did ITE student teachers have during their studies and which suggestions do they have now for managing future COVID-19-related impacts?

Read the full report

Summary of the COVID-19 Response Evaluation report

• High levels (66%) of awareness of the ‘Enhanced Induction and Mentoring’ (EIM) programme but low uptake (38% of those who knew about it)
• Between 64-69% of graduates think that they would have gained from making use of provisions to include their historical and future field-and employment- based practice, or the enhanced induction and mentoring initiative
• Between 75-100% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that the changes helped them complete their studies and fully meet the learning objectives
• 85% of respondents strongly agreed that they were prepared to begin working as a teacher (with support)
• Respondents also shared concerns, feedback, and suggestions about their experiences

Who may be interested in this report?

ITE providers, ITE graduates and professionals working in ITE policy development may be interested in the findings from the evaluation and find it useful for preparing for any continuing impacts of COVID-19 so that as a sector we can continue to offer ITE student teachers the best support in the future.