May 2010     The Australian Education Union has resolved to lift the moratorium on the administration of the NAPLAN tests. The decision followed an offer by the Education Minister Julia Gillard to form a working party of educational experts, including representatives of the AEU, to provide advice on the use of student performance data and other indicators of school effectiveness.

That advice and the further development of the My School website by ACARA will be in line with the commitments of the Federal Government which include “an opposition to the misuse of student performance data including simplistic league tables”.

“The working party will provide a way to advance and address the profession’s educational concerns relating to the misuse of student test data including school league tables,” Mr Gavrielatos said.  “It will also provide an opportunity for teachers and principals to engage in a genuine dialogue with the government on a sound approach to school accountability and improving results.

Tests will take place from 11 to 13 May, and student reports are distributed to parents in mid September.  About 1.1 million students from every school across Australia will take part in the national NAPLAN tests.

Ms Gillard said that the NAPLAN results help teachers and parents ensure that no child is being left behind in core skills like reading, writing, punctuation, grammar and maths.  She said that she understood parents and kids would be nervous but urged students to do their best.

The tests cover Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and Numeracy (number, algebra, function and pattern, space, measurement, chance and data).

They range from 40 minutes for Year 3 Language and Writing to 65 minutes for Year 9 Reading and two 40 minute tests for Year 7 and Year 9 numeracy.

Individual student reports showing test results will be distributed to parents in mid-September this year. The National Summary Report showing NAPLAN results at national and state levels will also be released in mid-September.

The full national report will be released mid-December 2010. Individual school information will be available on the My School website later this year.

Schools, education authorities, teachers, parents and students all stand to benefit from the NAPLAN tests. The tests provide them with important diagnostic information about how children are faring. Results from the test help the Government distribute funding to the students who need additional help in the areas of literacy and numeracy.  

For more information visit NAPLAN.

From information provided by the Australian Education Union and the Minister for Education, May 6 and May 11, 2010.

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