Independent NAPLAN review recommends whole new test
NAPLAN, Australia's standardised assessment of student literacy and numeracy, should be replaced by a new, broader test that also includes science and technology with a focus on critical and creative thinking, according to the final report of an independent review.
The review commissioned by Victoria, NSW, Queensland and the ACT education ministers came out in favour of keeping a national assessment regime, partly because it can deliver more information than sample testing, including providing parents with independent data on school and individual student performance (see the table below).
The proposed new test would:
- replace NAPLAN in 2022
- be called ANSA
- test years 3, 5, 7 and 10 (rather than year 9 in current NAPLAN) to give a more accurate indicator of learning ahead of senior secondary education in Years 11 and 12.
- provide results within a week of the test
- change the writing assessment to discourage formulaic and rote responses that have been the subject of long-standing criticism.
ACT Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development, Yvette Berry, said in a media release: 'The recommendations put forward by the panel reflect some of the same concerns I have held about NAPLAN...
'The main concern raised with me through conversations with students, parents, teachers and the community remains the way NAPLAN is publicly reported and how that contributes to creating a high stakes culture, particularly in stigmatising lower scoring schools and the unfair stress NAPLAN can place on students.'
Victoria's Education Minister James Merlino told The Age that 'time is right for a new test...that meets the changing needs of our school communities and provides us with greater insights into student learning.'
Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace said in her media statement that 'the current NAPLAN testing is not world’s best practice.
'By modernising these tests, we will be able to find a model that best suits parents, teachers and most importantly students.'
But Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan said in a media release that it is the wrong time to make major changes to NAPLAN.
He argued that 'Because of COVID-19, now more than ever, we need the NAPLAN test' following extended periods of non-schooling that would put students from disadvantaged and non-English speaking backgrounds at most risk of falling behind.
'NAPLAN is the best tool we have to understand what impact COVID-19 has had on our children's education and to inform what actions we need to take to fix it.'
'Rather than focus our energies on destroying the only national test that provides evidence of how our students are progressing, we should be concentrating our energy on improving standards.
'The test itself is improving. The move to online testing will mean results are returned faster and can be interrogated at a more granular level to further improve our understanding of student and system performance.
'Getting all states and territories to transition to NAPLAN online remains our government’s priority.'