Minister of education Erica Stanford acknowledges there has been a lot of change to the education sector, but says more is needed to change student results.
Stanford and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon spoke to media at this week's post-cabinet briefing on Monday.
The National Party held a two-day conference over the weekend, during which they announced plans to bring forward a new maths curriculum.
Labour has raised concerns about the plans.
Stanford said she acknowledged the education sector had seen a lot of change since the coalition came into government "and there will be a lot more to come, and that's because our results need to change and they need to change fast".
She said another set of results out on Monday showed only 45 percent of students achieved the co-requisite standard for numeracy at NCEA, representing a 10 percentage point decline in achievement from the same time the previous year.
She said maths achievement in Māori-medium schools and kura kaupapa was even more alarming with only 25 percent where they needed to be to gain NCEA.
"We cannot afford for achievement to continue to slip, our children deserve an education system that's going to set them up for success," Stanford said.
The Ministry of Education would intervene earlier and more often to support schools that needed it to get them back on track, she said.
"To support this work, the ministry have doubled the number of curriculum advisers in the regions, and are strengthening their approach to contracting to ensure that the taxpayer investment is meaningfully improving student outcomes."
The Education Review Office's reporting was also in line for an overhaul to refocus on progress, achievement and assessment.
"There will also be clearer reporting to parents on what schools are getting right and what they aren't," she said.
Luxon said the most alarming thing he had seen since coming into politics was the "rapid decline of student achievement", and nothing was more important than having children and young people set up for success.
"If we want higher wages, if we want more schools and hospitals, and cops on the beat, then we need an economy ultimately that can pay for it. And for that to happen we need a homegrown skilled workforce, and communities and families that can thrive. And that ultimately starts at school."
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