ACARA CEO, Stephen Gniel, said this year’s data will allow us to compare how the same cohort of students have progressed in key learning domains since the test changed in 2023.
“This will help education authorities, schools, parents and carers to see how Australian children are reaching important literacy and numeracy goals and are progressing against national standards,” Gniel said.
“NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide important additional information about a student’s educational progress.”
More than 4.4 million tests are expected to be taken this year, with ACARA developing more than 2500 unique test questions that assess students’ performance in reading, writing, grammar and punctuation, spelling and numeracy.
NAPLAN has faced enduring criticism from commentators who have argued the assessment limits teachers’ practice, places undue stress on students, creates unhelpful ‘league tables’ between schools, and encourages the ‘formulaic’ development of writing skills, among other criticisms.
Senior lecturer Dr Drew Miller from University of Newcastle, for one, has contended the standardised test has become ‘unmoored’ from its original goals thanks to “confected crises narratives from the media commentariat”.
“A focus on schools competing for rankings on leagues tables, a narrowing of the curriculum and teaching to the test, and placing undue pressure on students in what shouldn’t be high stakes testing,” he told MCERA.
“For NAPLAN to be effective in its goals, we need to reflect on whether the original goals are being met, and if there is a better way to go about it.”
Another academic, Charles Sturt University’s Paul Grover, deemed the concept of measuring educational growth via mass standardised testing to be “deeply flawed and highly contestable.”
“Mass testing discounts the professional role of the educator, and the active involvement and personal agency of the student,” Grover told MCERA.
“Mass testing is flawed as it cannot assess intellectual growth or achievement throughout a year of diverse learning comprehensively, being a single narrow measure taken during a short test.
“Evaluating true achievement over time requires diverse instruments and perspectives from educators, professionals, and organisations involved in each child’s development and across the curriculum,” he concluded.
A recently released AERO report shows NAPLAN participation rates have largely recovered since the COVID pandemic.
AERO CEO, Dr Jenny Donovan, said NAPLAN offers “invaluable insights” that help schools and education systems pinpoint where students might need additional support in their learning.
“Strong participation in NAPLAN means we’re getting a more accurate picture, which in turn ensures we can effectively support all students to reach their full potential,” she said.
Donovan added that when students participate in the assessment, they help to build a “comprehensive national understanding” of academic achievement.
“This data is a valuable source of information for supporting schools in targeting their resources effectively and enabling education systems to develop evidence-based policies that support student learning.”
She said NAPLAN also gives parents critical insight into their child’s progress in fundamental skills.
“The results show not just how their child is performing, but importantly, how they’re progressing over time.”
Meanwhile, ACU’s Associate Professor Steven Lewis has ‘called for calm’ ahead of the start of this year’s NAPLAN testing.
“NAPLAN is a snapshot of where students are tracking at a given point in time. It is not definitive of all that they are or what they will achieve in life,” he noted.
“The most important thing for everyone involved is to treat it as what it is supposed to be – a measure of student achievement to inform educators about where children are at and, more importantly, what learning and supports are needed to fill any gaps as well as where teachers need to focus to ensure students continue to advance their learning.”
Lewis warned that teaching to the test would “never work” to build enduring and rich learning for students.
“And we need to focus on the end-game – how are school systems and policymakers using results to not only identify areas of need and disadvantage, but also to act upon this with real measures to level the playing field for primary and secondary school students wherever they are and whatever their background is?” he queried.
To support schools impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred in Queensland and northern NSW, ACARA reports it has been “working closely” with the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) and the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) to manage disruptions.
Gniel thanked “our fantastic teachers and schools” across the country for their efforts to prepare for NAPLAN.
Schools can expect to receive preliminary results in all domains aside from writing, with full results expected to come through from June of this year.
National results will be published in late July/early August, ACARA has flagged.
Supporting Muslim students during Ramadan
NAPLAN’s testing window coincides with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims observe fasting from dawn to sunset.
The overlap adds an “increased pressure” for some Muslim learners, one expert has said.
Get to know the individual needs of students so that you may be responsive to their specific needs during Ramadan, one expert advises.
Associate Professor Nadeem Memon from the University of South Australia offered tips for schools on this front:
- Use the opportunity to learn: Many Muslim learners approach Ramadan with eagerness. Use this as an opportunity to learn from and with Muslim learners in your classroom about the significance of the month to them. Opportunities for students to share will create deeper understanding and supports from their peers that can help them get through the pressures of NAPLAN.
- Ask don’t assume: Not all students are affected by fasting in the same way. Yes, some will feel hungry, tired, restless, anxious and the like but others won’t. Ask students an open-ended question like: “Is there anything I can do to support you during Ramadan?” Get to know the individual needs of students so that you may be responsive to their specific needs.
- Create spaces for respite: Studies show that some Muslim learners can use additional breaks, a quiet place to rest, or accommodations such as additional or alternative times to complete tests and assignments during Ramadan. Consider these requests on an individual basis based on learner needs.
