NSW public schools spending thousands in hopes of improving NAPLAN results

A Daily Telegraph investigation has found Sydney public schools are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on NAPLAN “consultants” in a bid to improve students’ scores, despite concerns setting targets will cause schools to teach the test.

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Public schools are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in a bid to improve students’ NAPLAN scores.

Despite the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy test intended to be a “snapshot” of a child’s proficiency, a Daily Telegraph investigation has uncovered schools are spending up big in a concerted effort to boost results among their students.

In one instance, a school paid $80,000 for English and maths “consultants” to lift “middle band” students’ NAPLAN results.

The NSW Education Department has defended the practice with a spokesman saying schools are not “gaming the system” but the state’s P&C Federation said setting targets for students’ scores is pushing schools to teach only to the test.

Canley Vale High School spent close to $800,000 to improve reading results.

Parramatta Public School will spend $16,000 to achieve their NAPLAN goal. Picture: AAP Image/ Justin Sanson

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Baulkham Hills North Public School’s latest annual report reveals its effort to lift NAPLAN results by 10 per cent over three years for students in the top two “bands”.

They allocated $20,822 to “gifted and talented programs” to support these results. The 2017 report noted the school’s “progress” that year included “a slight increase” in the percentage of Year 3 students in the top two numeracy bands and “an average increase of 14% in the number of Year 3 students in the top two NAPLAN literacy bands”.

Liverpool Public School spent $80,000 on maths and English consultants, according to its 2017 report, to boost NAPLAN “achievement and growth” over three years above average improvements at similar schools.

At Canley Vale High School, $132,046 was spent on a support teacher, $406,296 on literacy teachers and $222,114 on student learning support officers as well as $20,000 in “flexible funding” for literacy resources for NAPLAN.

The funding was allocated to improve reading results in “middle band” students in Years 7 and 9 over three years to bring them from 2.4 points above the stage average to five points above it.

Parramatta Public School wants an “increased number of students who demonstrate greater than or equal to expected growth in NAPLAN between Years 3 and 5 in reading, writing and numeracy” and will spend $16,000 to achieve the goal.

Farmhouse Montessori School principal said their resources won’t focus on just one group of children. Pictured are Year 3 students Maya Spangl, Alara Saglam-Venass and Pearl Bilaud. Picture: Dylan Robinson

The P&C Federation said all students should be the beneficiaries of school programs, not just target groups to increase NAPLAN results.

“Given the way NAPLAN is currently structured, we see a real danger that these schools’ initiatives will push teachers to teach to the test, which may improve their schools ranking on the My School website, but is not necessarily in the best interest of students,” it said.

A NSW Education Department spokesman said schools were within their rights to set NAPLAN targets for students, adding: “These schools identified areas they would like to improve and reported on their progress.”

NAPLAN tests begin on Tuesday in NSW. Farmhouse Montessori School in Manly said it did not focus resources on one group of children.

“It is a life skill, you will go under some pressure in your life but the onus was on the experience and not the results,” principal Gavin McCormack said.

“The children didn’t find it stressful, there was no pressure from the teachers, parents or me.’’