It’s NAPLAN week: Principal reveals top tips for success

A top Brisbane school principal has offered words of encouragement as thousands of Queensland kids prepare for this week’s NAPLAN tests.

Relax, get a good night’s sleep and hold a positive mindset – these are the words of encouragement from a top Brisbane school principal as thousands of Queensland kids prepare for this week’s NAPLAN tests.

St Ambrose’s Catholic Primary School (Newmarket) principal John Hinton said his Year 3 and 5 students were ready for NAPLAN, with the tests kicking off on Wednesday.

“They will be relaxed and engaged because we help our students to be prepared for assessment at any time rather than just focusing on key exam blocks,” he said.

“Because we are preparing students year-round, students feel more at ease and confident at NAPLAN time.”

St Margaret's Year 5 Students Zoe Emanuel, Adelaide Rothwell and Minuli Ilangamage. Picture: Lachie Millard

Mr Hinton also said because the school used Brisbane Catholic Education’s Assessment Capable Learners Initiative, a targeted improvement program designed to improve student performance across the board, teachers and students avoided “cramming” for NAPLAN.

“In order to create assessment capable learners, our school prepares our students every day of the school calendar for important tests like NAPLAN – it’s built into our curriculum,” he said.

Anxiety around NAPLAN and too much focus on testing time has been one of the most constant criticisms of the current national standardised testing model.

A recent survey of more than 550 parents by Cluey Learning found more than 80 per cent of parents were “anxious about NAPLAN”, with almost one in three saying they would consider opting their kids out of NAPLAN testing.

St Margaret's Year 3 and Year 5 Students Minuli Ilangamage, Stella Rhode, Olivia Robson, Tabitha Edwards, Zoe Emanuel and Adelaide Rothwell, who made the top 10 in best performed schools in the state in Naplan results. Picture: Lachie Millard

Southern Cross University Professor of Education Pasi Sahlberg said NAPLAN had “become a controversial part of Australian school life, for teachers and parents”.

“Whereas in many other countries, national assessments have moved away from high-stakes testing of basic knowledge as the sole metric of educational performance and put more emphasis on teacher-led assessments for broader learning, Australia is trailing the leading education nations with its outdated NAPLAN,” he said.

Professor Sahlberg said the “time was right” for a redesigned national assessment system, which combined sample-based national assessment with a modern program of classroom-based and school-led assessments.

NAPLAN’s online testing window was set to run from May 10 to 20.