Conclusions for numeracy performance
Minimum proficiency levels
Performance of the year four students in Tokelau was similar to that of the region and a marginal amount higher than that of the Small Island States; 68% of the students in Tokelau performed at or above the expected proficiency level compared to 67% of the region and 63% of Small Island States.
At the year six level in Tokelau, 83% of students performed at or above the expected proficiency level, compared to 72% in the region and 73% in Small Island States. No year six students performed at the lower levels (Levels 0-1).
Gender
In year four, 81% of girls compared to 57% of boys performed at or above the minimum proficiency level. Similar differences in performance are also seen in the average scores across the numeracy strands, with the biggest difference of 43 points in the ‘Data & Chance’ strand.
In year six, a lower proportion of boys met the expected proficiency level than girls; 79% of girls performed at or above the minimum proficiency level compared to 84% of boys. Year six girls also achieved higher average scores in numeracy than boys.
Coding
The coding data for numeracy show that the year four and year six students were persistent in attempting the questions, with a low proportion of students leaving questions unanswered. The coding data also show that, for both year four and year six, students struggled with questions involving fractions, place values and time differences. The biggest struggle was with solving complex problems.
Trend Performance
Fewer year four students met the minimum expected proficiency level in numeracy compared with 2015 and 2018. The percentage of year four students who performed at or above the expected proficiency level increased considerably between 2012 (61%) and 2015 (83%) then decreased slightly in 2018 (73%). This proportion then dropped further in 2021 (68%).
A greater proportion of year six students met the minimum expected proficiency level in numeracy than all previous PILNA cycles. The percentage increased from year to year: 47% in 2012, 51% in 2015, 67% in 2018, and the biggest increase in 2021 to 83%.
