Standardised testing has been tried and scrapped before. But with a tender for a new ‘standardised assessment tool’, the government appears to be trying again.
Articles on standardised testing
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My study clearly shows no long-term decline in NAPLAN results from 2008 to 2022. In 2023, they changed the way the test was organised.
Schools have been releasing individual results to families since the start of term 3. Today, we have the overall results.
Key education policy decisions in the early 2000s have not produced the desired results. But broad bipartisan agreement is now needed to give children and teachers the greatest chance of success.
Next week, Australian schools will begin NAPLAN tests for students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9.
Our analysis reveals the participation rate is alarmingly low for some groups of students, such as First Nations kids and students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds.
A survey of 268 teachers found 85% considered education news coverage to be generally negative. And 81% found it demoralising.
An analysis of data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has found the gender gap in maths tests increased where papers contained more multiple choice questions.
Standardised tests or exams have been in place in a number of educational systems for nearly two centuries. They are rooted in reformers’ desire to regulate schooling and hold educators accountable.
Many reports over the 12 years of NAPLAN’s existence have highlighted a plethora of issues with the test that need to be urgently addressed. And the most recent review is not exception.
Student teachers need to pass a test to put them in the top 30% of Australia’s literacy and numeracy abilities. This test costs more money than some students have and can be discriminatory.
Governments usually measure outcomes by standardised tests, such as NAPLAN. If schools are scrambling to improve their outcomes to gain funding, this can have a detrimental effect on teaching quality.
Literacy and numeracy can be assessed through creative tasks, like creating a drama performance or an electrical circuit, without hindering creativity.
NAPLAN has now been in place for a decade and needs ongoing review and refinement to make it more useful to classroom teaching and learning.
The year 2017 is finally coming to an end, so here’s a wrap of our coverage for the year, with bonus quiz!
The results are in, and student achievement on NAPLAN has plateaued in literacy and numeracy, with some areas of improvement.
Standardised tests are a powerful tool for building an evidence base of what works to guide education policy.
Standardised tests restrict how well students with disability can do, which reinforces the idea that there are things they can’t do that children without disability can.
If we fail to recognise that standardised tests are metro-centric, we will continue to produce disadvantage for rural students.
Contrary to some reports, there is no new English language test for international students - the government is simply expanding standards already being met by most providers.
Top contributors
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Lecturer in Arts Education, Western Sydney University
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Professor, Deakin University
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Senior University Teacher in Teacher Learning, University of Glasgow
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Professor of Philosophy of Education, Stellenbosch University
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Associate professor, Flinders University
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Head Centre for Global Education Monitoring - ACER, Australian Council for Educational Research
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Professor of Education Futures, The University of Melbourne
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Associate Professor, The University of Queensland
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Deputy Dean, School of Education, Western Sydney University
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Professor (Curriculum Inquiry / Rural Education), University of Canberra
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Research Director, Assessment, Evaluation and Student Learning Research, Learning Sciences Institute Australia, Australian Catholic University
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Lecturer in Arts and Teacher Education, University of the Sunshine Coast
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Professor, Faculty of Education and Arts, Australian Catholic University
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Adjunct Associate Professor of Education Policy, Victoria University
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Principal Research Fellow, Australian Council for Educational Research