Schools asking to see NAPLAN results turn it into a high-stakes test

Should children as young as seven be cramming for a test that has been described as an anxiety-inducing “epic waste of time”?

The literacy and numeracy skills of about 277,000 Queensland students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will be put to the test from Wednesday, when this year’s NAPLAN assessments begin.

NAPLAN results are being requested by some Brisbane schools as part of the enrolment process.Credit: iStock

Government websites stress that students are not expected to prepare for NAPLAN, and that parents should reassure their child to “simply do their best”.

That sentiment was echoed by parents with whom I spoke at both public and private schools, who insisted teachers did not hype up the importance of the test and instead told students not to worry about extra study at home.

So why do I get 1.44 million results when I type “NAPLAN study books” into an online search engine? Why do private tutors offer NAPLAN coaching?

You could argue that, with any obstacle, there will always be someone happy to promise a solution in return for your hard-earned cash. Similarly, so-called helicopter parents will often be accused of putting unnecessary pressure on their children.

But many of Brisbane’s top private schools ask students to provide their NAPLAN results – in addition to school reports and other information – as part of the enrolment or application process, or for scholarship applications.

Children applying for selective entry schools, such as the prestigious Brisbane State High School or the Queensland Academies, are also asked to provide their NAPLAN results and school reports, as well as sit a test.

Professor Beryl Exley, from the School of Education and Professional Studies at Griffith University, said the data was too narrow and fleeting to be used as a proxy for overall student performance, while using NAPLAN during enrolment was risky because it elevated it to a high-stakes test.

“This puts pressure on primary schools to spend more time on NAPLAN drills, which squeezes out other essential learning experiences,” she said.

There have been several changes since a Queensland review in 2019 found 55 per cent of parents said their children were anxious or very anxious about NAPLAN, while one teacher slammed it as an “epic waste of time”.

NAPLAN moved online, it shifted earlier in the year to March, and results will be reported to parents through new proficiency standards.

But Queensland Teachers’ Union president Cresta Richardson said the changes, including online delivery and bringing the tests earlier, would not address NAPLAN’s failings.

“Online delivery may be affected by school bandwidth and network stability, and by student access to IT devices,” she said.

“Students will be tested with six weeks fewer of learning, which may well increase their anxiety levels.”

Richardson said if parents and carers were concerned about the impact on their children, they should be reminded that NAPLAN was voluntary and students could be withdrawn.

Terry Burke, secretary of the Independent Education Union Queensland and Northern Territory Branch, said the union opposed the use of NAPLAN results to compare and rank schools and teachers.

“Standardised tests like NAPLAN don’t consider individual student factors such as home language and socioeconomic status, which have proved significant in student achievement,” he said.

“Any use of NAPLAN results to determine a student’s entry into a school is just objectionable.”

Education Minister Grace Grace said NAPLAN was only one of the tools used for monitoring students’ progress.

“Schools should not be using NAPLAN results in their enrolment and application processes, nor should the results influence a school’s decision to enrol a prospective student,” she said.

“Students should not feel the need to study specifically for NAPLAN; we only ask that they do their best.”

Under the headline, “What impact will the results have on my child’s future?” on an FAQ page, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority concedes some schools may ask for NAPLAN results, in addition to school reports, as part of entry processes.

But it insists: “NAPLAN assessments are not designed to be a school admission test.”

Instead, ACARA suggests results may be useful for “informing a new school of a student’s needs”.

Should children study for NAPLAN?

I’ll defer to the experts and say, no – the test was not designed for that purpose.

Will results continue to be requested along with other information? Will some students study for NAPLAN? Yes, and yes.

Do you think you’re smarter than a 5th grader? Take the quiz here.