Teachers fear student data collection plan will go coast to coast
A SHAMBOLIC system which sent NSW teachers out of the classroom to compile painful 1000-point data dossiers will become mandatory across the country under a new plan.
NSW
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A SHAMBOLIC school assessment system shelved in NSW because it turned teachers into glorified data administrators would be rolled out nationally under a federal government plan.
Under a draft presented to state education ministers on June 22, an online “formative assessment facility” introduced in the next two years would check off numeracy and literacy “progressions” for all high school and primary students.
Other subjects such as science would be added later, according to the draft of the National School Reform Agreement obtained by The Daily Telegraph.
Teachers fear the plan is a carbon copy of the Assessing Literacy and Numeracy (ALAN) system that was halted in NSW last month.
The system required teachers to compile 1000-point dossiers for each student by recording their status on “progressions” in an online survey every five weeks.
ALAN was shelved and a review ordered after the Telegraph revealed the data entry work was so onerous some schools had hired substitute teachers while staff filled out online paperwork.
Initiatives outlined in the draft agreement have teachers worried the federal government wants an ALAN-like system rolled out nationally.
The draft foreshadows using online assessment software to “support teacher assessment of student attainment and growth against clear benchmarks.”
Australian Education Union president Correna Haythorpe said teachers had not been consulted and that the government appeared set on forcing it on the states through tied grants.
Education Minister Simon Birmingham denied the plan would create extra administration duties.
“We’re focused on developing reforms that are measurable and proven to lift student achievement,” he said.