Geelong teacher Michael Lawrence says NAPLAN overhaul not enough to improve student outcomes
Australia’s NAPLAN test is set to be in for a major overhaul, but its changes offer “little hope” for improvements, a veteran Geelong educator says.
Australia’s NAPLAN test is set for a major overhaul, but its changes offer “little hope” for improvements, a veteran Geelong educator says.
A review commissioned by the Victorian, NSW, Queensland and ACT governments recently unveiled a series of recommendations of major changes to the national standardised test, which assesses students’ literacy and numeracy skills.
The test would be brought forward to earlier in the year, with Year 10s taking the test, instead of Year 9s, under the recommendations.
Critical and creative thinking across science and mathematics would be assessed, while the writing assessment would also change.
But St Ignatius College teacher and author Michael Lawrence said many of NAP-LAN’s original problems would continue to exist.
“We spend $100m on this test to point the finger, how about let’s spend some money on finding some solutions to the problems,” Mr Lawrence said.
“It’s still ranking students from the best to the worst, it’s just unhealthy.”
The state government said the recommendations aimed to address “longstanding criticisms and concerns with NAPLAN”, which was introduced in 2008 and sat by students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.
Education Minister James Merlino said “the time is right” for new standardised testing and that the recommendations “must be supported”.
The review considered testing practices across the world, the uses of NAPLAN data, and the content and delivery of the assessment.
Michael Lawrence and Dr. Fabio D'Agostin | Creating Schools... 
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