NAPLAN results, should we be worried?
Trish Baran • August 9, 2016
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.
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.
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GATE stands for Gifted and Talented Entrance or officially known as the Western Australian Selective Schools Entrance Test (WASET). Testing for Gifted and Talented Programs occurs in March each year. All applicants for Gifted and Talented Programs need to sit the Academic Selective Entrance Test and may also need to complete combined workshops; auditions; and interviews, depending on the programs they are applying for. Students sit a four part exam consisting of Reading Comprehension, Writing, Quantitative and Abstract Reasoning which can be the pathway for your child gaining a place in selective high school programmes. Obtaining a place in a selective school will give your child many opportunities for their future academic success. Your child will study with other like-minded students and be engaged in a specially designed curriculum. Additionally, they will enjoy a rich learning environment that is challenging and stimulating. Children can gain entry into either academic programmes, arts programmes or language programs. At Intuition Educational Support our team of expert tutors have designed programs that engage students and give them the tools necessary for achieving optimal results for the test. These tests differ greatly from regular school work. Questions that appear in the tests are more advanced than what students are currently learning at school and require clear professional guidance to prepare otherwise they may be at a disadvantage. Learning concepts and being familiar with the different types of questions that are likely to come up, as well as practising good test taking techniques will put your child in a much better position to gain entrance into their preferred school. By exposing students to the types of questions asked, as well as their structure we give our students the best possible chance of achieving high scores needed to gain a place in any of the selective schools. We offer programs leading up to the test that will focus on a specific part of the test as well as running weekly small group programs that also have a selective school entrance focus. We strongly recommend starting now, so that students are ready for the exam. More than 50% of students who attended our programs received high marks and were offered places in Selective Schools across Perth. In the January holidays we run several GATE Test preparation workshops which cover all four areas of the test as well as give students strategies on this type of test taking. We are also offering weekly small group preparation classes beginning in January. CONTACT US today to take advantage of our great programs.
