NAPLAN results shows three in ten year seven boys were below standards in reading

NAPLAN results reveal a major performance gap between boys and girls in reading in year nine but there is one measurement where the boys outperform the girls.

High school is the tipping point where boys fall behind girls in reading, with one in three Victorian year nine male students falling below standard.

While female students have better reading skills than boys from grade three, the performance gap between boys and girls grows even wider by year nine.

This year’s NAPLAN results shows three in ten year seven boys were below standards in reading compared to one in five girls in the same cohort.

Meanwhile, boys dominated girls when it came to numeracy with 34 per cent of grade three girls requiring additional support or developing compared to just one in four boys.

Boys fall behind girls in reading at high school. Picture: iStock

While there’s a 3.5 per cent decrease in the number of girls below standards in grade five compared to grade three, this number jumped to more than a third of girls requiring help or developing by year nine.

On a more positive note, there were more boys exceeding the national average in maths in year nine compared to every other state except NSW.

Half of all Indigenous students in Victoria who completed NAPLAN this year were also below standards in numeracy, with this number varying depending on the year level.

This figure was slightly lower for reading with two in five indigenous children below standards in this skill in primary school.

Meanwhile students whose parents worked as skilled tradies, clerical staff or in sales performed just as well in grade three and year seven reading than those who had parents with a bachelor degree.

But the same can’t be said about numeracy, with students whose parents have a bachelor degree performing moderately better in maths than their peers whose parents are skilled tradies, clerical staff or work in sales.

How reading programs can help

A “drop everything and read” program is one of many initiatives Oakleigh Grammar has implemented to boost student excellence and NAPLAN results.

School principal Mark Robertson said he was pleased with students’ NAPLAN achievements, which included four year nine pupils exceeding expectations.

“We are incredibly proud of our students’ achievements in NAPLAN results over recent years, and especially what Irene, Henry, Ellie and Ilya have done in 2024 exceeding all of their proficiency standards,” he said.

“These results reflect the dedication of our teachers, the hard work of our students, and the strong support from our community.”

Oakleigh Grammar School students Irene, Henry, Ellie and Ilya all performed well in the recent NAPLAN exams. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Mr Robertson also credited the school’s success to its reading program, focused tutorial support in maths and English and comprehensive phonics program.

While Oakleigh Grammar performed well, statewide NAPLAN results unveiled a slight decline in overall results compared to last year’s cohort.

Grade three students in Victoria performed worse this year in writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation and numeracy compared to last year’s cohort.

The state’s grade five students also recorded lower marks in reading, writing and spelling this year, but saw an improvement in numeracy outperforming all states and territories except the ACT.

Year 7 students who sat NAPLAN this year only declined in grammar and punctuation, and were outperformed by New South Wales and the ACT in this domain.

As for year 9 students, this year’s cohort scored lower results in spelling, grammar and punctuation and numeracy with NSW and Western Australian students in this cohort achieving higher results.