NAPLAN preliminary results show Year 3 and 5 students make significant gains in reading, grammar and punctuation
The preliminary results for the 2021 NAPLAN tests have been released and the Territory has made some significant gains, including a nation-leading score in one grade and category.
Northern Territory
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TERRITORY students recorded significant gains in literacy, including the most significant uptick in Year 7 writing in the country, according to preliminary NAPLAN results.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority has revealed the NAPLAN preliminary results for all states and territories in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation and numeracy.
The Northern Territory notably recorded significant score increases in grammar and punctuation, reading and writing.
The mean score for Year 3 reading jumped 5.1 per cent from 349.6 in 2019 to 367.4 in 2021. This also resulted in a 20.2 per cent score increase between 2008 and 2021.
Year 3 grammar and punctuation increased 4 per cent from 339.5 in 2019 to 353.3 in 2021. This resulted in an outstanding increase of 21.4 per cent from 2008 to 2021.
The mean score for Year 5 grammar and punctuation rose 4.5 per cent from 406.2 in 2019 to 424.5 in 2021.
There was an 8 per cent increase in the mean score for Year 7 writing, from 422.4 in 2019 to 458.8 in 2021. This was the biggest gain in Year 7 writing in the country.
In Year 9 the score for writing enjoyed a 2.8 increase from 452.5 in 2019 to 465.2 in 2021, while the remaining subjects had minor increases and decreases.
Education Department chief executive Karen Weston said the gains in Years 3 and 5 were critical to students’ long-term success.
“Those are the years where children learn to read and reading is really one of those foundation skills that gives you the key to education,” she said. Ms Weston said the Year 7 writing score increase also showed how using NAPLAN data as a tool could boost learning outcomes, with improvement in the subject a priority set by previous chief executive Vicki Baylis in 2018.
“When you use NAPLAN to decide at a school level what might be your priority, you can adjust your teaching and learning, have a focus on what you’re doing right and what you might need to amend to be able to get the lift,” Ms Weston said.
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Ms Weston said further analysis of the data for all subjects would go ahead once available, particularly numeracy, which flatlined for all grades.
“It’s helpful to have these results if our teaching and learning, and our support for schools, isn’t going in the right direction to maintain growth,” she said.
This year was the first that all eligible NT students sat the test online and, while Ms Weston said more work was needed to improve administration, the effort was a tremendous feat.
“It’s a great achievement for the Territory … it means we’re equivalent in process to everywhere else,” she said.
raphaella.saroukos@news.com.au
Originally published as NAPLAN preliminary results show Year 3 and 5 students make significant gains in reading, grammar and punctuation
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