NAPLAN results: Reason teacher boycott is no shock

It’s no surprise teachers will boycott NAPLAN in 2021 given there is one huge issue with the results, writes Ann Wason Moore. WHAT DO YOU THINK? VOTE IN OUR POLL

IT’S a problem any prep student can solve.

Add NAPLAN to the curriculum, subtract publication of the results ... and that equals a happy, healthy and informed education system.

I’m not surprised Queensland state school teachers will boycott teaching and administering NAPLAN in 2021 after years of opposing the workload and high-stakes nature of the test.

And I’m not at all shocked that state and federal governments as well as P&C Queensland have slammed that decision, saying that children’s education should come first.

To be honest, both sides of the equation make perfect sense.

But the problem is not the test, it is the public release of the results.

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy is a series of tests focused on basic skills that are designed to provide a snapshot of a student’s current reading, writing, language and numeracy skills.

NAPLAN has become a real “stress” test for teachers.

P&Cs SLAM PROPOSED NAPLAN BAN

Students are not meant to study for these tests and teachers are not meant to prepare them. It is a test to check for strengths and weaknesses of the individual student, of the year level, of the school, of the state and of the country.

The results are not to be used to rank kids, teachers, schools or states. They are not to be added to student resumes or used to promote enrolment.

That’s the theory anyway.

But of course, that is not at all the way it works in practice.

And it’s all because the government releases NAPLAN results for publication.

Instead of a snapshot or a stress test for weaknesses, it has become a completely different kind of stress test, especially for teachers.

That is why the Queensland Teachers Union executive this week issued a directive to all 48,000 of its public school members to cease any and all activities directly associated with the test for 2020 and 2021, after 94 per cent of its membership voted for this action.

The boycott includes participation in NAPLAN training and professional development, practice tests, school readiness testing, data analysis, and administering the test either online or in paper format.

For teachers and schools, the pressure of NAPLAN is real.

When those school rankings get released and printed in the paper, you’d better believe you do not want to be on the bottom.

I can only imagine the pressure parents put on principals, who place that pressure on teachers, who can do nothing but try to protect the kids from this contagious stress.

Meanwhile, as a parent who has a child completing NAPLAN test every year, I – and they – couldn’t care less. I don’t think I even open their results when they arrive in the mail. After all, if there’s anything remarkable the school will sort it – or celebrate it.

And most importantly, no one will be judging them because no one sees their results. If their scores were printed in the paper, my attitude would be different. It’s sad but true ... I’m just owning up to my own weakness.

It’s all well and good to say that these tests are simply a snapshot and not to read too much into them, that they are simply the government’s attempt at “transparency and accountability’’, as Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan says, but that’s not how I use them.

And I know I should know better.

Minister for Education Dan Tehan. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

QLD STATE SCHOOLS FAIL TO REACH NAPLAN TARGETS

While I don’t care about my kids’ results, I always scan the list to see how their school achieved, to see how other year levels achieved, to check out the competition on the Gold Coast as well as how our city fares against Brisbane, and how Queensland compares to other states.

I know I shouldn’t, but it’s human nature to compare and compete – which is exactly why these test results should be on a “need to know’’ basis.

By all means inform schools. Teachers need to know their classes’ weaknesses. Let those teachers pass on concerns to parents if individual students are struggling.

The truth is, it’s rarely going to be a surprise. If the student is failing NAPLAN, I doubt he or she is acing their subjects.

And if they are, well then they just took a really bad photo on the day of this educational “snapshot’’.

But after such a disjointed academic year, 2021 is possibly the most crucial time to conduct a national standardised test.

As Mr Tehan says, NAPLAN is the best tool to understand the impact of COVID-19 on children’s education and to inform how teachers respond.

So please, let the testing begin. But just don’t tell us the results unless we need to know.

God knows that teachers, parents and students don’t need this pressure to perform competitively.

And I don’t want my children learning to ace NAPLAN. I just want them learning.

That’s the ultimate solution to this problem.