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One thing is certain , NAPLAN has a swathe of weaknesses clearly identified .
NAPLAN Gonski ?
Institute says it ’ s time NAPLAN is ‘ ditched ’, releases alternative .
By Wade Zaglas
The Gonski Institute for Education at UNSW has released a report calling for the highly controversial National Assessment Plan for Literacy and Numeracy ( NAPLAN ) to be ditched , not merely redesigned or tweaked .
NAPLAN testing has drawn a veritable laundry list of criticisms , including that it creates league tables among schools , causes immense stress and anxiety for all school staff , students and parents , and that is hasn ’ t produced any measurable improvement in students ’ achievement levels in numeracy and literacy .
The report , titled Putting Students First : Moving on from NAPLAN to a new educational Assessment , was written by five educational experts , including former NSW education minister and director of the Gonski Institute , Professor Adrian Piccoli . The report recommends a National Assessment Program ( NAP ) that will put “ students ’ interests first ”. In doing so , the new system will address some of the negative consequences standardised testing can have on students ’ wellbeing , particularly young students .
“ To improve educational performance in Australia , students , schools , parents and governments need better information about how students and their schools are
Professor of Education at UNSW Sydney , Pasi Sahlberg . Photo : Daniel Hu
performing ,” Professor of Education at UNSW Sydney Pasi Sahlberg said .
“ However , using a single test like the current NAPLAN cannot serve all of these different purposes equally well .”
The NAP would utilise a sample-based assessment method that is widely used around the world , rather than standardised testing . According to the authors of the report , shifting from “ census-based tests ” like NAPLAN to sample-based ones will have a number of benefits .
First , they argue that sample-based assessment methods will still allow governments to monitor each jurisdiction ’ s education performance , but in a way that is less “ harmful ”. They also contend that the methods comprising the NAP will be more “ cost-effective , allowing governments to shift resources from testing to support teaching and learning in schools ”.
The NAP recognises the need for different assessment types for students , schools and parents , as well as “ sample-based standardised tests ” for government monitoring and accountability . The authors also say the system will provide parents with far better information regarding their children ’ s learning across the curriculum .
One of the NAP ’ s key recommendations is to replace the “ current multi-purpose census-based literacy and numeracy testing ” that occurs in years 3 , 5 , 7 and 9 ( i . e . NAPLAN ) with sample-based assessments in years 4 , 6 , 8 and 10 . The authors add that such assessments will be supplemented by “ formative teacher-led assessments in schools ”, with the explicit aim of informing students and their parents about the student ’ s overall performance and growth .
“ Ultimately , education systems are designed to serve students , yet student needs and experiences are not often part of ‘ the logic ’ of educational systems and their designs ,” University of Sydney Associate Professor Rachel Wilson said .
“ We started with the needs of students and then built our national assessment model from that starting point .”
In developing the NAP , the authors reviewed case studies from high-performing education systems in Canada , Singapore , Finland and Scotland .
“ International experience suggests that many leading education systems are shifting away from high-stakes census-based tests towards assessment systems that integrate sample-based tests used for policy-making purposes and teacher-led assessments to support teaching and learning ,” Sahlberg added .
“ This gives more accurate information about educational progress and issues that require improvement .”
Another feature of the national assessment system would be the Assessment Resource System ( ARS ), which would provide parents with more regular , detailed feedback about their child ’ s learning and growth according to national benchmarks and standards .
“ One thing is certain , NAPLAN has a swathe of weaknesses clearly identified . The question is : what can be done to redress those weaknesses and create a system that can strengthen , rather than distort practice ; and strengthen , rather than weaken Australia ’ s educational outcomes ?” the report concludes .
“ We propose that this can be done by prioritising student , teacher and schools stakeholder needs … By refocusing on student learning , engaging teachers and supporting schools we will fare better , and make better progress toward our national educational goals of ‘ excellence and equity ’.” ■
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