NAPLAN results, should we be worried?

In the past week or so there has been a vast number of reports about our nations NAPLAN preliminary results and it hasn't all been good. In fact far from it. Headings such as "we have flatlined", "we have stalled", "results disappointing" have all implied that despite increased government funding, our students across the nation have only minimally improved in basic literacy and numeracy. It would seem that the results have become a political platform with fingers pointing left right and centre. However, let’s just step away from all the media hype and the politics and look at whether we should be worried about these results.  

NAPLAN is here to stay and not likely to be replaced by any other means of national assessment in the near future. Should we be worried? Not necessarily. How can we, as educators, as parents look at these tests and their results in a positive light? Lets for example, see it as a diagnostic tool rather than a high stakes test, which often has been the case. Placing schools higher than others in a ranking system puts unnecessary pressure on both students and teachers. Teachers do an amazing job teaching our students, if only they had more time to do what they love to do best and that is to teach! If only our curriculum and red tape would afford the teachers the time to do so!

But rather than go into that issue, which has been hotly debated over the years, lets get down to the grass roots of seeing the NAPLAN results as a means for individual improvement. When we look at these results from a diagnostic point of view, we can see both the strengths and weaknesses of each student. The strengths shows us where we can enrich students and the weaknesses show us where improvement is needed. That is the value in NAPLAN tests. Let’s not worry about what is being said in the media right now, but look at what we can do with the results on a smaller scale. When the student reports come out take a look at the results, not the page where the black dots are, but on the page where you'll find a breakdown of the results and the areas assessed. This is the page that gives the most valuable information. 

Here at Intuition educational support we assess your child's NAPLAN results and create a tailor made programme specific to their needs, which will give them the confidence to vastly improve in all areas of their learning. Contact us today for a free assessment to discuss your child's results.