Thirty SA schools named as significant improvers in NAPLAN results
DOZENS of SA schools have been named as significant improvers in NAPLAN results. Is yours one of them? See the full list.
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LIST BELOW: Is your school among the improvers?
MIXING children from different year levels into groups for literacy and numeracy learning is one of the keys to boosting NAPLAN results at a western suburbs Catholic school.
St Joseph’s School at Ottoway is one of 30 South Australian schools revealed as making significant gains in the national testing regime.
In last year’s tests, Year 5 students at St Joseph’s made big gains in both reading and numeracy compared to when the same children were in Year 3.
Principal Chris Platten said children from Reception upwards did a variety of assessments at the start of each year, including phonological awareness tests.
“The data that we collect directs our teaching,” he said.
“We identify the needs of individuals, of each child, so it’s that real child-centred learning.”
Reception to Year 4 students are taught with others of similar needs in small, cross-year level literacy groups, while Year 5-7s can be grouped with one another for numeracy.
That means teachers are invested in the learning of children across year levels, Mr Platten said.
“(Students) are feeling confident about themselves because they are learning at their level,” he said.
“It works very, very well and we are getting great results.”
In Year 5 reading, St Joseph’s now performs better than schools with similar student cohorts around the country, and is on par with similar schools in numeracy.
The 30 SA schools — 16 public, 8 Catholic and 6 independent — are among 400 across the country named by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority as big improvers.
The schools have met criteria such as making significantly bigger improvements than national average gains, and gains by schools with students of similar backgrounds.
However, ACARA stressed that the list is a selection of high-gain schools, and is not exhaustive.
Virginia Primary has been recognised for two of the past three years, this time for reading gains from Year 3-5.
Principal Ilia Tsoutouras said giving children the skills to be “quality learners” — such as persistence, striving for accuracy, managing impulses, applying past knowledge and “listening with empathy” — was the key to improvement.
He said teachers often used examples from the media, such as stories from Olympic Games coverage, to discuss with children the qualities people needed to succeed.
Identifying individual needs and being “really specific with feedback” were also crucial, he said.
Ceduna Area School is now “substantially above” similar schools in Year 9 reading, according to the federal My School site updated with 2016 results today.
Principal Andrew Gravestocks said a “whole school” commitment to improvement had created a positive culture and reduced staff turnover, and students were now reaping the benefits.
Targeted interventions with individuals and small groups were also important, he said.
SA SCHOOLS WITH IMPROVING NAPLAN RESULTS
PUBLIC
Lockleys North Primary, Reading, Yr 3-5
Walkerville Primary, Reading, Yr 3-5
St Leonards Primary, Glenelg North, Reading, Yr 3-5
Paradise Primary, Reading, Yr 3-5
Virginia Primary, Reading, Yr 3-5
Salisbury Park Primary, Reading, Yr 3-5
Coorara Primary, Morphett Vale, Numeracy, Yr 3-5
Roxby Downs Area School, Numeracy, Yr 3-5
Yankalilla Area School, Numeracy, Yr 3-5
Cleve Area School, Reading, Yr 7-9
Cummins Area School, Reading, Yr 7-9
Ceduna Area School, Reading and Numeracy, Yr 7-9
Quorn Area School, Reading, Yr 7-9
Keith Area School, Reading and Numeracy, Yr 7-9
Kingston Community School, Kingston SE, Reading, Yr 7-9
Moonta Area School, Numeracy, Yr 7-9
CATHOLIC
St Margaret Mary’s School, Croydon Park, Numeracy, Yr 3-5
St Therese Primary, Colonel Light Gardens, Reading and Numeracy, Yr 3-5
St Joseph’s School, Renmark, Numeracy, Yr 3-5
St Joseph’s School, Ottoway, Reading and Numeracy, Yr 3-5
St Brigid’s School, Kilburn, Reading, Yr 3-5
St Patrick’s School, Mansfield Park, Numeracy, Yr 3-5
Caritas College, Port Augusta West, Numeracy, Yr 7-9
Marymount College, Hove, Numeracy, Yr 7-9
INDEPENDENT
St Michael’s Lutheran School, Hahndorf, Numeracy, Yr 3-5
Tatachilla Lutheran College, McLaren Vale, Reading, Yr 3-5
St John’s Lutheran School, Eudunda, Reading, Yr 3-5
Encounter Lutheran College, Victor Harbor, Numeracy, Yr 7-9
Horizon Christian School, Balaklava, Reading, Yr 7-9
Maitland Lutheran School, Reading, Yr 7-9