The number of school trustees who say they have no confidence in the national standards should double by the end of the month in a groundswell the Government ignores at its peril, the New Zealand Education Institute (NZEI) says.
The union yesterday said more than 225 school boards - made up of more than 1400 often parent trustees - would defy the minister of education and defer setting pupil achievement targets based on the standards for 2011.
They also joined the NZEI and the New Zealand Principals' Federation to call for a moratorium and complete revision of the standards, to be done in partnership with the education sector and to a standard the sector endorsed.
By late yesterday, a dozen Otago boards had confirmed they would continue to use their own existing "reliable data to set high expectations for their schools and students", the Boards Taking Action Coalition said.
Macandrew Bay School board of trustee chairwoman and the Coalition's Otago spokeswoman, Irene Mather, expected more to take a stand as they discussed the action at meetings this month.
Boards were frustrated that concerns about the standards had been minimised as trouble-making on the part of school principals, when those principals were usually supported by, and often echoing the concerns of, their boards of trustees.
"We have not entered into this lightly, but we have watched and waited while there have been meetings about the standards that have not ended with any substance, and we think enough is enough," Mrs Mather said.
"We're frustrated about this - we don't think the Government has done enough to improve the standards or to make sure they make sense, and we want to know why we should have to implement this now; why should we trial it on our kids?"
The standards were implemented this year to provide benchmarks for pupils aged 5-12 in reading, writing and maths.
Education Minister Ann Tolley threatened last year to sack boards that did not implement the standards, but Mrs Mather believed her board could met its minimum legal requirements while making its stand.
Acting Education Minister Tony Ryall said children should not be used in a political argument and he was disappointed their education might suffer as a result of a political action from less than 10% of schools.
The action would upset parents and communities: there was strong community support for the standards and it was disappointing some boards wanted to be part of a union agenda, he said.
"We have been reasonable, patient and accommodating, and the vast majority of schools are getting on with implementing the standards," Mr Ryall said.
Schools were legally required to implement the policy and the ministry could still seek more information from boards and offer support to resolve issues.
A sector advisory group was set up to recommend any changes and share best practice, and feedback was encouraging.
"This Government is determined to lift achievement for all children, and we can't continue to allow up to one in five children to leave school without the basic reading, writing and maths skills that they need."
Boards Taking Action Coalition co-ordinator Perry Rush said about 10% of the country's boards had joined the campaign so far, but he expected the number to double.
"So far, 1400 people, most of them parents, have stood up and said the standards are flawed. They're not political; they just want the Government to do what is best for their children."
