New Zealand school reports now describe progress in reading, writing and maths with one of five progress descriptors: Emerging, Developing, Consolidating, Proficient and Exceeding. They cover Years 0 to 10. The catch most parents miss: Consolidating means “on track” in a mid-year report, but “has not met expectations” at the end of the year.
In short
| Descriptor | Mid-year report | End-of-year report | What it says about your child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerging | Not yet on track | Not met | Needs a lot of support to meet the expectations for their year level (or the goals in a personalised learning plan). |
| Developing | Not yet on track | Not met | Making some progress towards the expectations, often with some support. |
| Consolidating | On track | Not met | Meeting many of the expectations and steadily strengthening their understanding. |
| Proficient | On track | Met | Meeting the expectations for their year level. Ready for the next year of learning. |
| Exceeding | On track | Met | Going beyond the expectations: linking ideas across topics and explaining tricky ones clearly. |
Paraphrased from the Ministry of Education’s guide to reporting (January 2026). The Ministry’s own line: at the end of the year, children who are Proficient or above are ready for the next year of learning.
In June, Consolidating is good news. It says your child is meeting many of the year’s expectations with half the year still to go, and the Ministry counts it as on track. In December, the same word says the year ended short of Proficient, which the Ministry counts as not met. Nothing about the word changed; the calendar did.
So when you read Consolidating, check the date on the report first. On an end-of-year report it is worth a conversation: which part of reading, writing or maths was still short, and what next year’s teacher will pick up. The Ministry expects the current teacher to discuss a learning plan with next year’s teacher whenever a child has not met expectations.
Schools already have to send a written report in plain language at least twice a year. From 1 January 2027 each report must also include:
The strand line is the most useful one on the page. “Maths: Developing” covers number, algebra, geometry and statistics at once; a child can be secure in one and adrift in another. The strand breakdown tells you which.
It is a professional judgement, not a single test score. Teachers combine what they have seen in class, conversations with your child, set tasks, and results from assessment tools such as SMART, e-asTTle, PATs and the Phonics Check. You are entitled to see those results: schools may put them in the report, attach them, show them at a parent–teacher interview or post them on a school portal.
Two points from the Ministry for children with additional learning needs: the descriptors still apply, and a child who needs tailored support should not be marked Emerging or Developing automatically. Their report should also show progress towards the goals in their individual plan.
The phrase you may remember from older reports still lives inside the new system. The Ministry describes a child who is Emerging or Developing at mid-year, or anything below Proficient at the end of the year, as still working towards the expectations for their year level. We wrote about what that phrase can and cannot tell you in What does “working towards expectations” actually mean?
A descriptor is a reading taken twice a year. Much can change between June and December, in both directions. A few questions a day at the right level shows the trend while it is still small, and which questions go wrong points at the cause.
Alpenrise was built for the months between reports: ten questions a night, a placement that reads back as your child’s year level, and with Pro, every miss sorted by cause — a fact slip, a working slip, a checking slip, or a concept gap. Try the placement free on the mountain — no sign-up.
No. It means your child is making progress towards the expectations for their year level but is not yet on track to meet them by the end of the year. Schools may offer extra learning support.
Both, depending on the date. On a mid-year report it means on track. On an end-of-year report it means the year finished short of the expectations.
Your child is meeting the curriculum expectations for their year level and is ready for the next year of learning.
Years 0 to 10, for reading, writing and maths, following the updated English and Mathematics and Statistics learning areas. NCEA and the new senior qualifications use their own grades.
From 2027 reports must include results from the twice-yearly assessments. Schools may also attach results or share them through a portal or at interviews.
Not automatically. The Ministry says children with complex learning needs should not be assessed as Emerging or Developing by default, and their report should show progress towards their own plan’s goals too.
Checked against these sources on 1 November 2026. Alpenrise is not affiliated with the Ministry of Education.