Parents back NAPLAN as guide to children’s progress, says research

As demands mount for the test to be scrapped, research has found most parents believe there is nothing wrong with NAPLAN.

Research found the majority of parents believe ­NAPLAN to be valuable.

Parents have backed NAPLAN and the maligned My School website, with new research revealing that most see nothing wrong in testing ­students periodically to track their literacy and numeracy skills.

As demands mount for the test to be scrapped, research conducted on behalf of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and ­Reporting Authority found the majority of parents believed ­NAPLAN was valuable.

Involving input from more than 1200 parents nationwide, the research also called into question persistent claims by teaching ­unions that the regime was fuelling anxiety in children, suggesting that it was the school’s approach — rather than the test itself — that was a contributing factor.

“This research shows that parents generally keep NAPLAN in perspective,” said ACARA chief executive Robert Randall. “They understand it is a point-in-time ­assessment, which is part of the regular school calendar.”

The research revealed three-in-five parents believed NAPLAN was at least “quite valuable”, with 62 per cent citing the snapshot it provided for their child’s progress and 58 per cent appreciating being able to compare their child to ­others. Another 36 per cent of parents said NAPLAN gave them ­information that was not on the student’s report card.

Just under half of parents supported NAPLAN moving to an online format, which was an increase on 39 per cent when a similar survey was conducted in 2016.

Parents with children who took part in last year’s online trial, which ­involved 193,000 students, expressed few concerns.

 

More than 730,000 students will complete NAPLAN online this year, as the rollout continues.

Parents also signalled support for the My School website, which provides free information on enrolments, funding and NAPLAN data for every school in the country. It is currently the subject of review after several state education ministers claimed it fostered a culture of comparison that was unfair to schools in disadvantaged communities.

Among parents who did not like the test, 40 per cent said the ­result was not representative of student performance, while 19 per cent said it put too much pressure on students. One Sydney parent said “in my school … they start to practise the kids at kindy”, while a parent from Darwin said: “I think my school principal sleeps with the results under his pillow.”

“Where NAPLAN is given high importance, students … can experience stress and anxiety,” the ­report says. “Parents ­describe reassuring children and ‘talking down’ the seriousness of the tests.”

Dandenong North Primary School principal Kevin Mackay said NAPLAN provided crucial ­information on student performance that could help in allocating extra teaching or resources.

“For example, reading is still an issue for us,” he said. “It’s good ­ but that’s an area where we think we can improve.”

Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan said the Coalition government continued to support “the principle of NAPLAN”.

“We believe that parents and teachers want to see how students are progressing across their time at school and against a national ­measure,” he said.