Naplan exams: Pupils withdrawn over fears of stress or self-esteem issues

PARENTS are pulling children out of Naplan because of fears the tests could cause them stress and damage their self-esteem.

More than one million students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 — almost a third of them in NSW — will sit Naplan next week

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PARENTS are pulling children out of Naplan because of fears the tests could cause them stress or damage their self-esteem.

Data shows withdrawals from the National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy are highest among Year 3 students at about 2.7 per cent, with a further 2.8 per cent of children recorded as absent on test day.

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority has written to teachers and parents in a bid to allay concerns.

They want to reinforce the message Naplan is a valuable diagnostic tool to measure students’ progress — not a “high stakes” exam.

“Some students may feel anxious about Naplan but it is up to the adults in children’s lives to help keep Naplan in context,” chief executive Rob Randall says in an open letter.

“It is a test that is only taken four times in a child’s schooling life — over three days there are four tests that take around one hour each.

“Naplan tests what students should already know from their everyday learning and there are no prizes or repercussions for doing well or not so well in the tests.”

More than one million students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 — almost a third of them in NSW — will sit Naplan on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week with catchup sessions for those who miss the tests available until May 20.

Data collated by ACARA shows NSW students have among the highest participation rates in Australia with 1.3 per cent withdrawn and a further 1.8 per cent absent for the Year 3 reading test.

Nationally, 2.7 per cent are withdrawn and 2.4 per cent are recorded as absent.

Under test rules students may be withdrawn by their parent or carer but only if there are “issues such as religious ­beliefs and philosophical objections to testing”.

ACARA said an earlier increase in withdrawn and absent students from Naplan had been arrested over the past two years. ACARA’s national report on Naplan participation shows the number of withdrawn and absent students was unchanged from 2014 to 2015.

Psychiatrist Philip Tam said the key to preventing anxiety was “open, honest communication, empathy and listening to the child’s concerns”.

He said a small amount of anxiety was reasonable.