Queensland tops nation for pulling kids out of NAPLAN tests

Queensland students have received the poorest NAPLAN scores of any mainland state for the second year in a row, with almost two in five failing to meet national standards for literacy and maths.

But thousands of Queensland parents refused to allow their children to sit the controversial exam – in a growing trend not seen to the same extent interstate.

National NAPLAN results, released on Wednesday, show Queensland performed worse in almost every test – reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy – and year level compared with NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia, with a higher percentage of students scoring in the lowest proficiency level of “needs additional support”.

One in 10 Australian students fall in the lowest band of “needs additional support” overall, compared with 12.9 per cent in Queensland.Credit: iStock

In Queensland, 38.4 per cent of all students were in the “needs additional support” or “developing” categories, compared with the national average of 32.9 per cent, with the results showing no improvement compared with 2023.

NAPLAN tests are held for students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9.

In year 9 grammar and punctuation, 46.1 per cent of Queensland students did not meet proficiency standards.

Girls outperformed boys in literacy in all grades in Queensland, and boys outperformed girls in numeracy.

But the value of NAPLAN is under scrutiny, given withdrawal rates are much higher in Queensland than anywhere else in Australia.

In 2008, when the test was introduced, Queensland students had the best participation in Australia, with 97 per cent of students in most grades sitting for the exams. Withdrawal rates have since soared, particularly in older age groups.

About 10 per cent of Queensland year 9 students were withdrawn this year, compared with 1.7 to 2.5 per cent in NSW and Victoria.

The Queensland Teachers’ Union has long campaigned against NAPLAN, calling on the state and federal governments to abolish the test in its current form.

In March, president Cresta Richardson reminded parents “they can withdraw their children”.

“This choice is being made to avoid the high levels of stress and anxiety experienced by students in this high-stakes but low-value testing model,” she said.

Research has shown students who received low grades in NAPLAN tests were “much more likely” to be pulled out of exams in subsequent years, mainly at the request of their parents.

This response was twice as strong in the independent private sector, and researchers say the data is consistent with some independent schools attempting to “game” the system to artificially boost their average scores and protect reputations.

A Queensland Education Department spokeswoman pointed out the state’s NAPLAN participation remained low and caution should be used when comparing results across states and territories.

The spokeswoman said departmental research indicated parents withdrew their children for reasons including to reduce stress and anxiety, a belief NAPLAN provided no tangible benefit to their child, and a philosophical objection to standardised testing.

“Children’s school-based report cards are the most powerful data we have about student performance,” she said.