‘We need to not only celebrate this lift but we need to continue’: Education Department boss
NAPLAN’s preliminary data is in. How did the Territory go?
Northern Territory
Don't miss out on the headlines from Northern Territory. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE Territory has achieved outstanding results in this year’s NAPLAN tests after a slip in scores in recent years.
Preliminary NAPLAN data released today by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority showed the Territory made significant strides, particularly in the writing category.
Students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 were tested in five areas: reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy.
The writing results were:
Year 3 scores increased to 338.4 from 313.9 in 2018.
Year 5 scores increased to 395.1 from 384.4 in 2018.
Year 7 scores increased to 424.7 from 419 in 2018.
Year 9 scores increased to 456.5 from 441.3 in 2018.
Writing performance in the NT nosedived in 2017, prompting the Education Department to focus on strategies to improve writing in schools.
Education Department chief executive Vicki Baylis said while the results were astounding, it was no time to be complacent.
“Writing will continue into 2020 as the system priority,” she said.
“We are not there yet, when you look at our trend data we need to not only celebrate this lift but we need to continue on that trajectory.
“We need to turn this around.”
Education Department data revealed the NT made excellent score gains compared to the rest of Australia.
Year 5 students were at the forefront of two year gains across all five categories, with the highest increase being spelling.
The spelling score for year 5 students increased by 101 points, compared to the cohort which was tested two years ago.
The national gain for spelling in Australia was 85 points.
Education Minister Selena Uibo was excited about the results.
The Northern Territory can have the most improved education system in the country,” she said.
“This year’s preliminary NAPLAN results are an encouraging sign that improvement is happening.”
This year 13,500 Territory students participated in the NAPLAN tests, with 4650 students tested online for the writing category.
AMAZING OFFER: Subscribe to the NT News online for just $5 a month (min $5)
Ms Baylis said students experienced some technical difficulties, prompting 150 students to choose to resit the exam. These difficulties were Australia-wide.
“Connectivity was lost for intermittent period,” she said.
The Territory resource that’s driving a private investment boom
The Territory is in the midst of a private investment boom. Read what’s driving it.
Deploying the ADF domestically causes ‘tension’, report finds
While the tragedy of Cyclone Tracy provided the ADF a blueprint in how to deliver effective disaster relief, a new report notes a “perceived tension” lingers around the issue of deploying troops in a domestic context.