PRIMARY and secondary students in grades 3, 5, 7 and 9 sat the standardised NAPLAN test around Australia on Tuesday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Some would have found the literacy and numeracy tests a breeze because they normally performed at the top of the class, while others would have struggled.
And, at the other end of the scale, there would have been some students who normally struggled in the classroom who scored well because they “correctly” guessed the multiple choice answers and those who were normally at the top of the class who scored badly because they froze during a testing situation.
For some levels, the NAPLAN poses questions the students have not yet covered in their individual school’s curriculum.
Feedback, whether positive or negative, should always be welcomed. And there should always be benchmarks in life ... it’s what makes us strive to improve ourselves.
But when that benchmark comes off a test that some have described as flawed, that’s when the trouble starts for those who are struggling in school and for those who are near to or at the top of the class.
Some schools, both public and private, have been known to send letters home requesting students stay home on the day of the NAPLAN test if they stressed over sitting the exam.
Some could construe that has the school’s attempts to weed out the lesser-performing children so a better result is achieved for the school. One private primary school sent home a letter before this week’s NAPLAN assuring parents that particular school looked at the children as individuals and the standardised test failed to take into account the things students were good at.
That school also asked the students and their parents not to stress about the result when it arrived later in the year.
There are some parents who welcome the NAPLAN results, as it provides an insight into how their child is progressing in terms of basic learning skills, including reading, writing and maths, as well as assessing teachers on how they are going in the class so that those struggling to meet required standards are given help to improve or encouraged to change jobs, and those doing well, rewarded.
Sadly, enough stress is placed on the very young NAPLAN participants – those in grades 3 and 5 – without adding more if their results are not up to the national average.