Tassie students reading, spelling and grammar the second worst in the nation

Tasmanian students are continuing to lag in reading, spelling and grammar and according to the latest NAPLAN results they are trailing behind most states and territories.

• NT kids make crucial literacy gains: NAPLAN results
• Prepare for a big NAPLAN shock next year

TASMANIAN students continue to lag in reading, spelling and grammar according to the latest NAPLAN results trailling behind all states and territories except the NT.

The Year 9 reading results shows 86.4 per cent of students meet the national minimum standard compared to 93.4 per cent in top performer, Victoria.

The Tasmanian Government says the state’s educational performance has improved over the longer term and it had set a target that by 2029, all students be able to read in line with the national benchmark before they entered Year 7.

Education Minister Sarah Courtney also said the results showed the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic had not had a negative impact on student’s learning.

The latest preliminary results – which come from the testing of 26,000 Tasmanian students in May – show just 91 per cent of students in Year 7 currently meet that target.

Shadow Education Minister Josh Willie said the government had broken its election pledge that Tasmanian students would be at or above national levels in reading, writing and maths by 2020.

“Our results are the worst of any state across every age group in reading, the second worst in every age group in writing, the worst in every age group in spelling, the worst in every age group in grammar and punctuation and the worst in years five, seven and nine in numeracy,” Mr Willie said.

Mr Willie said while all other state governments were talking results this morning, Premier Peter Gutwein avoided the subject and Education Minister Sarah Courtney only referenced the statistics when questioned in parliament.

Ms Courtney said Tasmania’s 2021 results were statistically comparable to 2019 and there had been long-term gains in Year 3 and Year 5 in reading, Year 3 writing and Year 5 spelling and numeracy.

She said the Progressive Achievement Test was being used in primary schools across Tasmania to track and measure the progress towards its 2029 reading target.

“We want every child and young person to be able to grasp the opportunities open to them, in our State and beyond, regardless of circumstance or background,” Ms Courtney said.

The Australian Education Union reiterated its lack of confidence in NAPLAN tests to rate performance.

Student participates in NAPLAN.

“NAPLAN data is deeply flawed and is not designed to compare educational performance of States,” the union said.

“NAPLAN also does not effectively measure a student’s learning outcomes or give an accurate assessment of their educational achievements.

“What is accurate is our teachers and support staff reporting a severe teacher shortage and lack of in-class support.

“Every school and every child in Tasmania is underfunded by nine per cent. If our governments are serious about lifting learning, we’ll see investment in teachers and additional support staff in Thursday’s State Budget.”

Originally published as Tassie students reading, spelling and grammar the second worst in the nation