An independent review of NAPLAN commissioned by the ACT, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland Governments has recommended an overhaul of the national standardised assessment to ensure it meets the needs of schools, parents and students.
Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development, Yvette Berry welcomed the Review saying it considered standardised assessment practices across the world, the uses of NAPLAN data, and the content and delivery of the assessment itself.
“The recommendations reflect the widely held views that substantial changes are needed to NAPLAN to ensure it remains a source of important and relevant information on learning progress,” Ms Berry said.
“The main concern raised with me through conversations with students, parents, teachers and the community remains the way NAPLAN is publicly reported and how that contributes to creating a high stakes culture, particularly in stigmatising lower scoring schools and the unfair stress NAPLAN can place on students,” she said.
Ms Berry said the NAPLAN Review Report recommended a new standardised test be introduced that included the assessment of critical and creative thinking in STEM; current testing of students in Year Nine be moved to Year 10; and the test be brought forward from May to as early as possible in the year so results could be used more productively by schools and teachers.
She said the Report also recommended substantial changes to the writing assessment to address long-standing criticisms that the current approach merely encouraged formulaic responses.
Ms Berry said the Report recommended NAPLAN be rebranded to Australian National Standardised Assessments (ANSA) to indicate the significant redevelopment of the national standardised assessment.
The 179-page NAPLAN Review Report can be accessed at this PS News link.
