The Department for Education has revealed that South Australia recorded its highest ever NAPLAN mean scores in Years 3 and 5, reading and spelling.
The Department said highlights from the test results included the State’s highest ever mean scores in Reading Years 3 and 5; Spelling Years 3 and 5; and Numeracy Year 5 and the State’s highest ever percentage of students scoring in the highest test band in Reading Years 3 and 5; Numeracy Years 5 and 7; and Spelling Years 3 and 5.
The Department said its approach to school improvement was paying off with last week’s (25 August) results also showing gains for students since 2018, with the State recording improvements in every year level compared with the national average.
It said the biggest improvement from 2018 was in Year 3, where the combined scores across test areas improved by more than double the national average, outstripping gains in all other States.
The Department said that in Year 9, South Australia was the only State to record gains in combined mean scores since 2018.
Minister for Education, John Gardner welcomed the test results as a significant step forward but said there was still work to be done to realise the State’s world-class ambition.
“Our decision to focus on foundational literacy skills in the early years of primary school through the introduction of the Phonics Check, literacy coaches and a range of training and support measures for schools is paying off,” Mr Gardner said.
“Teachers, school leaders and students can rightly take credit for this progress,” he said.
“We’re on the right track and we want the rapid improvement we’ve seen over the last three years to continue and accelerate,” Mr Gardner said.
