My problem with the NAPLAN tests

mivpl says:

07:20pm | 11/05/12

a school must ensure that the child is taught to ensure they meet the basic requirements for education.  the end of the day, along with parental support,removals

deborah says:

11:55am | 15/12/11

Maybe it will be wise to find out the best part or education or school plan for our kids. walking pneumonia symptoms or symptoms of walking pneumonia in adults

henruy says:

07:08pm | 24/11/11

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poppva1 says:

03:18pm | 25/10/11

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jacky says:

06:53am | 24/10/11

Maybe school should go back to being about maths, english, science and history. Leave the other subjects for TAFE and Uni. I wonder whether the naplan tests indicate a deterioration in childrens level of education.Print spooler service is not running

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04:27pm | 18/10/11

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asdfgsd says:

03:25pm | 28/09/11

Everyone will have different aptitudes and that’s whay some kids will go onto excel at being craftspeople of one type or another and others may end up as scientists or surgeons. walking pneumonia symptoms dfg is walking pneumonia contagious

daddu says:

03:58pm | 27/09/11

who takes a very keen interest in my childrens education I have found the NAPLAN test to be a breath of fresh air. A wonderful motivator for students, teachers, school principals, parents and the community.digital wireless headphones

vija says:

07:11pm | 15/09/11

If a school has a good NAPLAN score, best baby car seatyou can be pretty sure that they’ll be smug, self-satisfied and complacent.  Good score = keep away.  Bad score = motivated school.

DROG says:

07:46pm | 06/09/11

. I’ve always been of the Scrap Metal opinion that if a school doesn’t suit you, don’t stress it and go someplace else.

deas says:

07:01am | 30/08/11

That type of apitude together with attitude will be displayed in earlier years on how well some students will perform in some subjects as against others.  which they live and do not for one minute think that we are all born with the same brain cells for learning.electric cigarette

Everyone will have different aptitudes and that’s whay some kids will go onto excel at being craftspeople of one type or another and others may end up as scientists or surgeons.

MollyMiller says:

07:45am | 25/08/11

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Hitcliff Thompson says:

07:08pm | 29/04/11

I think the naplan test is a good indicator for the school and parents to be able to identify students who may be slipping through the system (and it’s not just my opinion according to the number of articles on the topic I found by http://bytesland.com search). Unfortunately in my experience I have a 16 year old step daughter who was “red flagged” as a child who was well beneath the academic level. The school did nothing to try to help improve her education. She doesn’t do school work because she cant understand the basics. Im sure this didnt happen over night. My question is does the naplan testing benefit the child? My stepdaughter is in year 10 and has travelled through school with no one noticing that she cannot spell simple words such as like and again or do simple maths such as 8-2. She will exit year 10 this year unable to fill out a job application. I wonder if the inclusion of subjects such as Japanese and Drama into a childs education has had an impact on this problem. Maybe school should go back to being about maths, english, science and history. Leave the other subjects for TAFE and Uni. I wonder whether the naplan tests indicate a deterioration in childrens level of education.

Kim says:

03:04pm | 11/10/10

You’re all assuming that the tests are well-constructed and test worthwhile focus areas - which is definitely not the case. Thus, schools that are teaching to the test are focussing on the wrong areas and are employing very poor pedagogical practices.

As for secondary school teachers who think they have nothing to teach other than the content of their subject area - you clearly need to redo your uni degree and learn about the developmental nature of literacy and numeracy acquisition. And how someone that close-minded can learn about individual learning differences and rates, I really don’t know - I can only recommend you change jobs.

If you think socio-economics have very little to do with academic attainment - you are kidding yourself. A rudimentary investigation into this area will quickly reveal to anyone that it is the single biggest factor that influences not only academic achievement, but also career prospects.

Sadly, like all jobs, there are good teachers and bad teachers and they are at all schools. One year your child will strike it lucky, the next they probably won’t. But this is not only limited to schools - I challenge you to name a single profession where this is not the case.

Sharm says:

02:38pm | 22/06/10

Having migrated to Australia, the NAPLAN was invaluable when short listing a school for our son. It was a point of comparison among the schools—supplemented by school visits and checking on the school facilities as well as school culture. The only alternative is to talk to parents or check the internet—both sources often think that the school closest to them or where their kid is attending is great but its a very subjective decision based on individual impressions. Here, you have a tool for comparision combined with your own impressions. Coming from an Asian country where testing is the norm, I dont see any huge harm in benchmarking and testing through competitive exams (drawbacks in that system, with too much emphasis on test results only). But at the end of the day, along with parental support, a school must ensure that the child is taught to ensure they meet the basic requirements for education.

cam says:

11:28pm | 12/06/10

Is there a test that measures how happy kids are at their school ?
I’d go for the school with high marks in that test.

Michelle says:

08:36pm | 12/06/10

I’d be more worried about this: “... don’t forget Rudd’s new national school curriculum. Every subject in this curriculum has to be designed with three “cross-curriculum dimensions” in mind: Australia’s place in the Asia Pacific, Aborigines and sustainable living. The idea that Australia’s place is within the Asia Pacific is going to be integrated into topic selection and points for analysis in every subject area during every child’s primary and secondary education. What does that say about the agenda of the Rudd Labor Government?”
http://ozconservative.blogspot.com/2010/05/has-michelle-got-it.html

That’s a fair whack of brain-washing. Sustainable living sounded OK until I realised it would be global warming and “the science is settled”. But the worst is Rudd brain-washing kids with a regional Asia-Pacific Union identity instead of a national identity. Rudd is a threat to national sovereignty . He can’t sell his open-borders EU-style Asia-Pacific Union to adults, so he goes to the kids. What gall. Home schooling looks better every day.

dw says:

02:14pm | 11/06/10

I think NAPLAN benchmark will never be reliable if ‘lower’ students are actively encouraged not to sit the exam at certain schools. Here is an example from a school with the motto: “You don’t have to be the best, just do your best”.

I overheard a conversation about the NAPLAN test between teacher at the school and a student. The teacher says to the student “But your best isn’t good enough”.

What’s more important - the school’s rating on myschools or the well being of the students in the school?

jim says:

01:57pm | 11/06/10

Lets put this into perspective. I finished HSC in 2000 and on my schoolies I travelled back to Hong Kong, shocked to see my 3 unit Yr 12 mathematics was being taught to children 4 years younger than me at that time. ie, my cousin was learning maths that I just sat an exam for.

So Australians are behind in Maths, good Naplan would help.

On the other hand, I failed the stupid English test set by Americans. I have a full Australian accent and I refuse to spell colour as color. The American Grammar is different, spelling is different, Jargon is different… and no American English is not dominant.

NAPLAN needs to preserve real english or Australian english.

And what better way to do that, than to have schools teach children on the culture of Australia. The foundations and traditions of Australia. Ie, church, sports, history…etc

jack says:

12:44pm | 11/06/10

not sure I can see much wrong with schools spending a bit more time on literacy and numeracy

Father a Few says:

10:39am | 11/06/10

As a father of four who takes a very keen interest in my childrens education I have found the NAPLAN test to be a breath of fresh air. A wonderful motivator for students, teachers, school principals, parents and the community.

We all perform better with feedback and accountability.

No test is perfect just like students, teachers and schools ( of course parents are) but it does provide some sort of bench mark, some gauge of performance and ID any areas that need attention. Of course you will always need to take into account additional factors that will suit your child. This will require you to go and visit the school and talk to the teachers and parents. I my particular case I have a child with some learning difficulties and needed to find a school that was not full of high achievers that would have left my child in a situation impossible to cope with. I needed a middle of the road school that took a broader spectrum focus. NAPLAN helped.

McCackie says:

08:32am | 11/06/10

Publication is essential with identification. Without the former the latter is corrupted, to think otherwise is to believe that Teachers are saintly and that they only care for students.  Hah. Get real, in the dark are always dirty dealings.

Carol says:

08:15am | 11/06/10

NAPLAN is a tool to make decisions but it can only be used in a very narrow way by people who actually understand the data.  The true measure of a school is the culture and values it encourages.  This comes from a positive relationship between staff and students as people who care for and respect one another.  If this is in place then success (be it academic or otherwise) will flow from there. Just as we shouldn’t judge a child’s worth on their ability to achieve in a test, neither should we judge a school’s.  Don’t get me wrong, as a secondary teacher I know that literacy and numeracy is very important and I don’t mean to undermine the need for schools to maximise opportunities to develop these skills - just not at the cost of a broader curriculum and the ethos of the school.

Jolanda says:

08:12am | 11/06/10

Here is the thing.  It is not necessary for your child to be in a school where everybody is a high acheiver but certainly if you have a bright child it is important for your child to be amongst like minded peers.  Children learn from each other as well as the teacher. 

There is also the issue that if you have a child who is bright you may wish to persue Opportunity Class or Selective School enrollment .  In order to do this your child must compete in a fierce academic competition.  The manner that the scores are scaled and moderated means that the performance of the other students who sat the test in your year influences your mark.  So the child from the school where they are peforming higher will have the advantage.

There is also the issue that you have to be very careful when you complain about the teaching and performance of public schools.  I made that mistake many years ago and my children and family have paid the price.

Education – Keeping them Honest
http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/

Enlightened, Educated Dad says:

02:32am | 11/06/10

Another thing to keep in mind, Damien, is that these tests are entirely relative, but only for the year in which they were undertaken. There is no year-on-year comparison available with the NAPLAN tests. Also, they are a very ‘shonky’ basis for determining the true level of ability in the key areas (numeracy and literacy), as they only show how the students have performed in the tests (for which they are officially given practice opportunities) , rather than a more comprehensive indication that would be available if a sample of their regular work were assessed throughout the year. The BEST, most comprehensive indicator for a student’s ability - and indeed that of a school - is to talk to the staff at the school. That, after all, is the very PURPOSE of Parent-Teacher interviews!

Julian Thomas says:

02:00am | 11/06/10

damien so the next time the girl at the corner shop (hell does that even exist today) gives me the wrong product and charges too much, I can blame your arts grants bs, on her inability to read, write comprehend and not add up, guess you can always blame the parents yawn!!~

Julian Thomas says:

01:57am | 11/06/10

Your comment: I remember in year 7 marking the year 6 papers, the teacher, ceramics, made us do her job

Dr Mark says:

11:50pm | 10/06/10

NAPLAN forces schools to raise their standard. It keeps them honest. If what they are doing results in a mediocre level, they’ll just have to change and raise their game.

eamz says:

11:49pm | 10/06/10

NAPLAN results don’t show student progress or improvement, they are simply numbers and grades. If a school and students improve their results and progress but don’t get the best NAPLAN results, does that mean the school/students are bad? Certainly not, quite the opposite actually, but with just raw information as such on a website many people are mislead and misinformed unfortunately.

Theycallmebruce says:

10:56pm | 10/06/10

The MySchool website is part of the government’s commitment to being open and transparent. The tests are used to assist in determining funding for schools. Yes the site can be viewed as a ‘league table’ and it does not extend to cover other, in my view, equally important aspects of education to allow it to be used as an effective tool for viewing overall school performance, but it is a start.

You can complain all you want about the site, but it is about time someone did something to address literacy and numeracy standards. Look at all the focus being placed on literacy and numeracy now! Any focus on these two key schooling aspects can only be good in my view.

I, like Damien mentions, believe individual student performance is linked to ‘fit’ in a particular school anyway - and parental involvement in their child’s education - and that extends to include life education.

Sue says:

09:57pm | 10/06/10

Agree with you Damien. People are way over-thinking this whole thing. Just send them to school, be involved and you won’t go wrong. If the school turns out not to suit move them. Biggest thing you can do is be involved. NAPLAN means diddly-squat IMO.

Leeroy says:

09:19pm | 10/06/10

In an article about Literacy and Numeracy, the line
“The survey discovered many principles were making major changes to accommodate NAPLAN and to improve their schools performance in the tests. “
goes to show that anyone can make a Literacy error in this day and age and children are just children…...Principals not principals Mr Leith.

A great article though on the reality of the situation.

Vicki PS says:

07:44pm | 10/06/10

I do not see what is to be gained by blaming NAPLAN and mychool for not being what they never claimed to be.  NAPLAN is a tool for establishing performance baselines in the critical foundation areas of education, literacy and numeracy.  The tests are not and never were intended as a global assessment of educational outcomes: complaining that they are not is the weakest kind of straw man argument.

Complaints about schools that ‘teach to the test’ are more a reflection of the competence and ethics of the school administration and the relevant education authority than of NAPLAN itself.  Concerns that NAPLAN is a narrow tool are irrelevant when it comes to considering individual outcomes, as NAPLAN does not replace the normal methods and processes of teaching and assessment.

Where NAPLAN and myschool are invaluable is in identifying what is already intuitively obvious with regard to, for example, all schools in a particular district, or government vs. non-government schools.  For instance, in my education district, ALL state schools are performing below the national average, and there is a massive difference in the socioeconomic profiles of the non-government vs. government schools.  This is far from reassuring to parents who have no choice about where their children go to school, but is nevertheless information that should be readily available.

Realist says:

07:24pm | 10/06/10

With all difficulties it is still a relevant tool and parents can have a look and dismiss it outright or decide to use it. In the end it is always the parents decision and as such each and every available tool will help.

iansand says:

06:22pm | 10/06/10

NAPLAN does not look at the raw material on which the teachers work.  It does not allow for schools that teach to the test to the cost of other aspects of education.  It is a brutal, insensitive tool.