Are the NAPLAN tests achieving the desired outcome?

 



image: www.fangornfarm.com

Reading an article about the NAPLAN tests in "The Age" this morning had started me thinking about the impact that standardised tests such as these have on the school system and on the education of children. Admittedly some of this may be a stretch at first, but hopefully I can bring it together to show an alternative viewpoint. The link to the article is included below:

http://www.theage.com.au/national/naplan-tests-take-heavy-toll-20121125-2a1n6.html

If you have never heard of the NAPLAN tests, these tests assess the literacy and numeracy skills of students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9, have been conducted across Australia since 2008.

At its most basic level the basis for tests such as the NAPLAN arises from the need to classify and name things in society. For instance the fact that I am born in a country called Australia makes me Australian when in fact we are all human. This is not to say that I am not proud to be Australian, it merely illustrates the point.

The arguments put forward about the NAPLAN tests will often be based on the need to determine which of our schools require more funding than others to narrow the gap between schools that are at the end of the spectrum compared to those at the upper end.

However if you are a parent whose child attends a school that is “underperforming” per se, then there is a large incentive to change the child’s schools in order to receive the best education possible. It is a part of human nature to provide for our offspring and this is what makes the private school sector attractive as parents believe that they are investing in their child’s future by sending them to a private school.

Invariably the numbers attending an “underperforming” school fall and less funding is provided to that school because of the low enrolments. But this does not solve the problem; it merely shifts the burden to the more “popular” schools.

Therefore schools that have “underperformed” in previous NAPLAN tests have the incentive to raise their average score by any means possible. Unfortunately there are anecdotes that suggest schools have requested some students remain home on NAPLAN test day. This sends the wrong message to the child and shatters the child’s confidence. It also heightens the divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots”, in a society that is dominated by status (real or perceived) this is very important.

But what is often forgotten is the ability of the child at each point in their life. To draw a parallel with sport, just as some sports participants are late developers there are some children that are late starters from an education viewpoint. But the short-sightedness of some may in fact stall a child’s development for years to come.

The article provided several statistics that provided results which were unsurprising. But for me, there were two statistics that really stood out: 73% of teachers Australia wide taught to the test and 69% of teachers Australia wide spent less time on subjects not covered by the NAPLAN test. This shows that everything is geared to ensuring the best results are achieved in the test and not by providing a well rounded education especially at the primary school level.

The more disturbing thought is that the main focus of our primary school teachers is on passing the test rather than actually teaching our children. Unfortunately this type of teaching also occurs at the Year 12 (or Matriculation level) where the aim is to maximise the students TER (or equivalent) score as they enter the cut-throat world of achieving a University place. However the main difference here is that the students themselves have decided their subjects to study in that year. The student is often taught enough to pass the exam, (and often uses rote learning to achieve it) but the student may not necessarily have a full understanding of the subject. Once these students reach university they often need to learn the skill on how to structure an argument based on independent thought.

So my thoughts are these: In trying to determine a system where we can compare literacy and numeracy skills for primary school children, have we designed a system that may provide false results because teachers focus their teaching towards passing the tests rather than developing (or ascertaining) the individual child’s understanding and skills in these areas?

Secondly, Should the Government consider removing the NAPLAN testing for Year 3 and Year 5 children (8 and 10 year olds) and test children in Year 6 along with Year 7 and Year 9 students instead?