NAPLAN results 2019: Year 9 results trigger school test rethink
Latest NAPLAN results have revealed poor participation rates and stagnating results among Victoria’s year 9 students. The Education Minister is considering a dramatic plan that could shake up student engagement with the national test.
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Poor participation rates and stagnating results for year 9 students in NAPLAN have pushed the Victorian Government towards a major overhaul of the annual test.
An advisory committee of principals will investigate how to better engage the high schoolers, as the government proposes the idea of moving NAPLAN ages to years 4, 6, 8 and 10 — a year later than the current model.
Preliminary NAPLAN data shows one in 10 Victorian year 9 students failed to take the test this year, below the national average.
Seven per cent of students were absent — the worst national absence rate second only to the NT — and a further 2.5 per cent of the year 9 cohort was exempt.
Compared to last year, the students’ results fell in every subject area except writing.
Though, year 9 writing skills have fallen since 2011 at a statistically significant rate.
The worst decline in annual results for the age group was a fall of six points for grammar and punctuation.
The Andrews Government’s plan to alter the ages at which students sit the test has been pitched to NSW and QLD as part of the three-states NAPLAN review.
The idea will be presented to the Education Council of all state and territory education ministers for consideration.
“I think there’s a lot to say that maybe we haven’t got the years right,” Education Minister James Merlino said.
“You talk to principals and most importantly, to parents — year 9 is the most difficult cohort of students to engage in their education.”
The Victorian Government will also consider introducing a NAPLAN proficiency certificate for reading and numeracy results, which year 9 students could present when applying for jobs.
They could use the certificate as an indicator of skills when considering VCE subjects and career pathways.
Mr Merlino said a special advisory committee — made up of principals from government, Catholic and independent schools — would immediately investigate how to improve the relevance of NAPLAN to year 9s.
He said the advice from educators was the students “don’t see the relevance of the test and don’t take it seriously”.
“It doesn’t reflect the capability of kids in year 9, or the performance of the teachers.”
Mr Merlino said “there may be mixed reviews about these ideas” proposed to raise year 9 engagement, but he encouraged principals, teachers, parents and students to give their feedback.
Melton Secondary principal David Reynolds, who has seen improvements after introducing a literacy program, said year 9s “tend to be a little less engaged”.
The school has seen a boost in test results and take-up of books from the library after enforcing 20 minutes of reading time in English classes.
Mr Reynolds said he “would support” certificates acknowledging year 9 students’ efforts in NAPLAN, though was unconvinced about changing testing year levels.
PRIMARY PUPILS IN A CLASS OF THEIR OWN
Victoria’s primary school pupils are dominating the nation’s NAPLAN results as the youngsters seize subject areas from other states.
The latest annual testing figures show Victoria’s primary pupils claimed top spot in seven out of 10 subject areas across Australia — up from four last year.
Grade 3 pupils also clinched the number one ranking from the ACT in numeracy and reading.
All students’ writing results improved markedly following years of disappointing declines, while Grade 3 showed statistically significant achievements in the skill to the year before.
The result was offset by a slip among secondary school students.
Year 7s improved in key areas and took second spot to the ACT in reading, writing and numeracy. However, the cohort just fell below the national average in spelling — the only subject area where the state’s children undershot Australian standards.
By year 9, the results dropped to third or fourth place across the nation as participation also took a dive.
The senior students’ year-on-year results fell in reading, spelling, numeracy and grammar and punctuation.
“We’ve got more students in the top two bands and more students coming out of the bottom three bands,” Education Minister James Merlino said of the results.
“We’re absolutely on the right track but it also tells us where we need to improve.
“The take-home message is we need to do more in year 9.”
A major glitch during online testing hit at least 90 Victorian schools, with those affected given the opportunity to sit the test again.
Widespread connection issues hit students in years 5, 7 and 9, mainly during the writing component where results showed an overall rise in performance.
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority chief David de Carvalho said despite the glitch, “we have full confidence that the results are comparable” to previous years. Individual student reports will be sent to schools from next week.
The Herald Sun understands the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority will be on the look out for any anomalies due to the glitch, with schools to be invited to contact the body with issues.
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However, Australian Education Union acting federal president Meredith Peace said the data was “so seriously compromised it should not be relied upon by education departments, schools, parents, and the broader community”.
“This is evident by the inclusion of the caveat that they ‘acknowledge the disruptions and emphasise that, as always, results should be interpreted with care’.”
She said there was “no transparency about how ACARA have arrived at the results published today”.
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