Academic acceleration is used as an educational intervention within a majority of girls' schools in New Zealand that provide secondary education. This article reports on the findings of a national survey of single-sex girls' schools (N=40) that allows for a general overview of acceleration practices and provisions for this group. The findings of…

In the absence of any one single internationally accepted definition of giftedness, New Zealand has officially opted to advise schools to develop their own definitions. How wise is this for a policy? Can we come closer to a definition that is sound in terms of research and that also reflects what is uniquely and essentially New Zealand? This paper…

This paper describes the rationale and main elements of Reading Recovery, an individualized reading enhancement program which attempts to reduce the numbers of children with ongoing learning problems arising from early reading difficulties. Criticisms concerning the nature, research support, and implementation of the program are noted. More…

When the New Zealand Qualifications Authority began designing the National Qualifications Framework, it was discovered that the modular studies program in Tikipunga High School was a model of the type of preparation needed to implement the framework. Characteristics of the Tikipunga modular studies program are as follows: (1) a 6-week semester for…