NAPLAN review calls for new test, name scrapped
NAPLAN would be completely overhauled under recommendations of a breakaway review commissioned by state governments. See how it would be changed.
Education
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NAPLAN would be completely overhauled with its name scrapped, different year levels tested and other skills assessed if an independent review was adopted.
The breakaway review commissioned by the Victorian, NSW, QLD and ACT governments, in defiance of the Federal Government, has recommended major changes to the standardised test.
An updated test would be taken earlier in the year, not in May, and the results distributed to educators within a week.
That would mean the results could be better used by educators and avoid teaching to the test.
Year 10s would take the test, rather than Year 9 students, to give an indication of their skills before senior school, while Years 3, 5 and 7 would continue sitting the assessment.
Critical and creative thinking in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics would be assessed for Years 5, 7 and 10 and replace the triennial NAP Science Literacy test, while the writing assessment would also change.
A new name of the Australian National Standardised Assessments (ANSA) would show the advancement from the previous NAPLAN.
The NAP sample assessments would also be rebranded, to National Sample Assessment Program (NSAP).
Recommendations suggest that once the standardised test moves completely to online, results should be received within days.
The final report of the $1 million review by Emeritus Professor Barry McGaw, Professor Claire Wyatt-Smith and Emeritus Professor William Louden was presented to Education Council on Friday.
Education minister James Merlino said the report “clearly shows NAPLAN must be overhauled in order to be genuinely useful to our students, their families and our schools”.
“The time is right for a new test,” Mr Merlino said.
“The reforms recommended in this report must be implemented to ensure we can develop standardised testing that meets the changing needs of our school communities and provides us with greater insights into student learning.”
He said the recommendations “must be supported” if the nation was serious about delivering the best outcomes for students.
Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan released a statement and said the Government’s priority was in moving NAPLAN online, not “changing the name”.
Mr Tehan said “the test itself is improving” and NAPLAN was “the best tool we have to understand what impact COVID-19 has had on our children's education and to inform what actions we need to take to fix it”.
“Rather than focus our energies on destroying the only national test that provides evidence of
how our students are progressing, we should be concentrating our energy on improving
standards,” his statement said.
The Australian Education Union has rejected the report, with federal president Correna Haythorpe saying the “recommendations provide little hope that any replacement national assessment structure being proposed will be any better than NAPLAN”.
Victorian branch president Meredith Peace called it a “missed opportunity” and said it was “unacceptable” that Mr Merlino accepted the review recommendations “which do nothing but tinker around the edges” without consulting teachers and principals.
The full review report can be found at naplanreview.com.au