Explained: Why you can’t compare 2023 NAPLAN results to previous years

Big changes to NAPLAN have rendered the past 15 years of test data useless. This is what you need to know.

Queensland parents cannot compare their child’s 2023 NAPLAN results to previous years because a suite of new changes experts say has rendered the past 15 years of test data useless.

There were three significant changes to this year’s test – it moved from May to March, a new measurement scale was brought in to gauge student progress against national benchmarks, and the online adaptive NAPLAN testing rollout across all schools was finalised.

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority – which runs NAPLAN – has stressed that these changes mean 2023 results cannot be compared to previous years.

The new measurement scale changed NAPLAN scores from 10 bands of achievement, down to four proficiency scales under the system that debuted this year. They are exceeding, strong, developing, needs additional support and likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.

University of Southern Queensland senior education lecturer Dr Tania Leach said the new NAPLAN data was now “useless” for schools, except as a new starting point for future improvement.

University of Southern Queensland senior education lecturer Dr Tania Leach has slammed the controversial NAPLAN changes which debuted this year. Photo: Supplied.

“Schools value using an external source like NAPLAN to verify what they’re seeing and that means following a student’s learning journey, but this scale stops that,” she said.

“The change in interpretation of results and comparability and scales is largely unknown on the ground.

“This has the potential to continue the negative conversation around why are we even engaging in NAPLAN?

“NAPLAN is not fit for purpose for driving school improvement. This is a conversation that has already occurred in Queensland with parents and teachers.

“If we’re thinking about consistency and reliability, that has decreased with this change.”

Queensland Teachers’ Union president Cresta Richardson said the union sees “little benefit” in changing the NAPLAN measurement scale.

“Results will again be inconsistent from previous years due to there being no testing, moving to online, and bringing the test earlier in the year,” she said.

“We remain concerned about the high levels of student anxiety reported by our members in the lead up to and during NAPLAN testing and remind parents and carers that their children’s participation is voluntary.”

However, ACARA CEO David de Carvalho said the new assessment scale was clearer and more simply highlighted where students are meeting expectations, and also falling short.

“The results also continue to highlight the educational disparities of students from non-urban areas, Indigenous heritage and those with low socio-educational backgrounds,” he said.

The new-look NAPLAN got the tick of approval from Marist College Ashgrove Year 5 students, who generally thought the changes brought in this year were an improvement.

Students received their individual NAPLAN results in mid-late July, before a state-by-state snapshot of this year’s trends was released on Wednesday by governing body ACARA.

Marist College Ashgrove Year 5 students Patrick Hambleton, Connor Brown, Gabriel Mathews and Flynn Barrett endorsed the changes made to NAPLAN. Photo: Nigel Hallett.

Flynn Barrett said sitting NAPLAN six weeks earlier was “a bit stressful” due to less time to prepare, and he found the spelling element of the test the most challenging.

Having improved on his Year 3 results, Patrick Hambleton said his revision at home paid off, but next time he would leave more time at the end to check his work more thoroughly.

The new measurement scale got the tick of approval from fellow students Gabriel Mathews and Connor Brown, with both saying their results were easy to understand this year.

An ACARA spokesman added that restarting the NAPLAN timeline was recommended by a 2020 independent review and coming up with conversion formulas to make the new measurement scale comparable with the old one was far easier said than done.

“As all schools are now online, and the tests have moved earlier in the year, reporting of NAPLAN scores over time will recommence from next year, with the advantage that it will be based on more precise results from the adaptive online test,” the spokesman said.

“To compare 2023 data with previous years, a bridging study would need to be conducted involving a sizeable selection of students retaking the tests in May after the March test.

“For validity, it assumes that all students would try just as hard the second time of testing.

“It would need to be considered whether this would lead to reliable results.”

The ACARA position was supported by Centre for Independent Studies education policy director Glenn Fahey, who said the change in measurement scale is “a necessary evil”.

“On balance, this is the right decision,” he said.

Centre for Independent Studies education expert Glenn Fahey has backed the new way of doing NAPLAN. Photo: Supplied.

“The NAPLAN test has evolved over time and we were increasingly trying to match new test to an old scale – it is now 15 years since the original NAPLAN design.

“While having a long series of historical NAPLAN data would be ideal, the data up to this point has been telling us what international tests have been telling us for a long time – we have a lot of underachievement. There is no reason to believe this trajectory has changed.”

Mr Fahey said the new measurement scale provided clearer communication to parents around their child’s progress.

“But the challenge is how to do it,” he said.

“Our track record has been poor in helping students who are behind turn their results around. “Only one in five who fall behind actually go on to meet national benchmarks in the future.”

“The new benchmarks may do better in identifying students who need help earlier, and with the right approaches those students might have a better chance of not falling behind.

“This new measure scale will highlight a larger number of students who are underperforming – previous national minimum standards found 3-15 per cent of students not meeting national standards, the new ‘needs additional support’ category could include double that number.”

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said the bar was raised for NAPLAN this year.

“We have raised the minimum standard students are now expected to meet so we can really identify the students who need additional support,” he said.

“The next step is to provide them with that support … early identification and intervention is critical.

“(State Education) Ministers provided the option for jurisdictions to work with ACARA on comparative or research studies to bridge the two time series. It was understood that there would be caveats and limitations of the data comparison as there is no conversion method.”

Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace said she was proud that Queensland had led the discussion on the new NAPLAN reporting standards.

“The Palaszczuk Government will continue to prioritise more support for students who are at the developing or need additional support level,” she said.

“Free kindy for all will also ensure every child starts school on the front foot, regardless of their circumstances.”