Susie O’Brien: NAPLAN’s not the problem — the way teachers approach it is

Teachers spending weeks making kids sit endless trial exams under pressure-cooker conditions is the issue with NAPLAN, not the test itself.

Educators spend weeks whipping kids up into a frenzy by making them sit endless trial tests under pressure-cooker conditions.

The problem with NAPLAN isn’t the test itself, but the way teachers approach it.

Too many educators spend weeks whipping kids up into a frenzy by making them sit endless trial tests under pressure-cooker conditions.

It’s wrong. Eight-year-olds shouldn’t be too scared to come to school because it’s NAPLAN day.

It’s often not the teachers’ fault – many are spurred on by paranoid principals who want to make sure their schools shine.

I have problems with this approach but I don’t think NAPLAN should be scrapped or deferred.

Some groups have argued that kids shouldn’t sit the test this year after months of home schooling and the learning disruptions of Covid. I would argue the results can’t be compared directly to other years, but what’s wrong with getting an idea of how kids are going? Surely it’s more important than ever after last year?

Schools and teachers who are doing their job have nothing to fear from comparative data being readily available.

A couple of years ago a group of Senators argued there were “significant disbenefits” to publishing results that allows for direct comparisons between schools.

However, I think parents want schools to be compared. We want to know how our kids’ school is doing in comparison to other schools in our area.

(In any case, why should we listen to people who use words like “disbenefits”?)

Sadly, the Senators’ approach reflects a broader view that all student grading, comparison and testing is harmful for kids. This is why we end up with school reports these days that talk about “being”, “belonging”, “accomplishing” and “developing” without any real idea of how the kids are really going.

NAPLAN has become a pillar of the Australian education system in recent times.

Kids at schools doing a good job with experienced teachers should have nothing to fear from NAPLAN – or school reports that grade them on an A to D scale.

Of course, when we compare schools, we will not always be comparing like with like, but I think parents are smart enough to know this.

The student outcomes in a wealthy private school that selects students on academic merit may be very different from a cash-strapped public school which takes all those in its catchment. But it’s still useful for parents to be able to make that comparison: we might want to work out if it’s worth spending the money on private education, for example.

It’s also worth noting that the My School website has a whole host of really valuable socio-economic data, which parents can draw on when interpreting the results.

The longer NAPLAN goes on, the more useful the results become, because we can track the progress of individual schools over time.

I was in a briefing session a few days ago with some educational experts, and a few expressed the view that the media was to blame for misusing NAPLAN results in league tables of schools.

Well, I’d argue that it’s the media’s job to present NAPLAN data any way we think is useful for parents. Of course, we need to make it clear we are comparing like with like – a school with 70 per cent of kids from NESB households in disadvantaged areas shouldn’t be compared directly with a selective high school, for instance.

I know many teachers – backed by the Australian Education Union – don’t support NAPLAN.

But as far as I am concerned, even poorly-performing schools have something gain from the system, because they can argue for increased support for their students. It’s up to politicians to ensure they get the resources they need to improve.

Not only do schools benefit from increased transparency, but we all benefit from receiving greater information about how our kids are doing.

My kids have all sat NAPLAN tests – last year my youngest two were due to sit it in years 5 and 9, but they missed out due to Covid.

I don’t have a problem with the tests and even the prac tests they have to do which involve them using useful and legitimate skills like maths concepts, reading and comprehension and persuasive writing.

I know some schools have come under fire for stressing kids out and putting too much emphasis on NAPLAN preparation. However, the problem is their paranoid approach, not the test itself.

In the end, schools and teachers who are working hard having nothing to fear from NAPLAN and it’s time they give their kids a break.