topic Re: NAPLAN in Community Spirit

NAPLAN

*elizabeths-mum* — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:51:47 GMT

Why do parents cram their children to do well in it? My daughter tutors and that has been high on the demand list recently and I noticed the newsagency is full of books to prepare. Isn't it just a test to see where the gaps are so they can be remedied?

Re: NAPLAN

azureline** — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:55:03 GMT

Yes, they have no idea the damage they are doing to their children and the whole purpose of the testing.

Re: NAPLAN

*crikey*mate* — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:47:14 GMT

It's not even a test to see where gaps exist so that they can be remedied (at least not for the student).

It is a tool for bureaucracy to form simplistic leagues tables in order to rank how a school is apparently performing. Unfortunately, politicians and the general public believe that curriculum documents determine the quality of education. In analysing these performances, some sociological factors such as, agency, accessibility, culture, ethnicity, cultural capital and habitus have been devalued. These all have a huge but underappreciated effect on the outcomes of education, which only serves to compound and perpetuate this problem.

They are a snapshot in time on 2 to 3 days of a child's school life - they in no way measure a child's (or a school's) entire educational journey.

Re: NAPLAN

azureline** — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:54:04 GMT

well, that is how the media uses it, not the Education dept.

Re: NAPLAN

catsnknots — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:15:34 GMT

The NAPLAN does test to find the gaps... I know of a school that got extra funding and help to fix the problems they had in English... they have a larger number of non English speaking families in their catchment area and the test showed they needed extra assistance.

We should not put our kids under pressure.. it should be just another day. And schools should be thankful for the gaps to be found out... it will give them more money to assist where they are lacking.

Re: NAPLAN

katydidthat — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:20:11 GMT

My son's NAPLAN results came in handy. We moved from QLD to NSW where the kids of his age were in year 9, but he was in year 10 in QLD ... based on his NAPLAN results, he's in year 11 now here and a year younger than his peers.

The problem I have with most exams is that they don't really assess the student's abilities. I find sitting exams easy. I usually do extremely well ... but that doesn't measure much beyond my ability to pass exams. I have an excellent short term memory and an ability to regurgitate what I have learned. Will I remember anything after exam day? Can I apply it to practical situations? Maybe, but an exam doesn't show that.

Re: NAPLAN

krazy.kiwi — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:21:50 GMT

I don't care how my kids go in their NAPLAN tests.

The only real benefit to them is experience in exams, the older one hasn't done many and needs all the experience he can get.

Re: NAPLAN

monstersinthedungeon — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:24:53 GMT

When my step-daughter did her first NAPLAN the grades doing the tests crammed for weeks leading up to the tests.

My SD was not doing very well in a few subjects, so they wanted to give her special considerations for the tests. I tried very hard to refuse, because I wanted to genuinely know where she was at, so we could get her the assistance she needed in the areas she needed (she had only been living with us for a matter of weeks, so I had no true idea of her previous level of schooling).

The school would not listen to me and had someone sit with her throughout the tests, so we never got a true indication from them, as she was helped every step of the way. Rather pointless, in my estimation.

Re: NAPLAN

2106greencat — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:26:23 GMT

Do schools still do what was once called (many moons ago) internal assessments ?

They were based on your work and comprehension of various subjects throughout the year. You still sat exams but the marks you gained throughout the year were added to results so there was more of an all round indication of your learning ability.

I know a child who is incredibly intelligent, top 3% in QLD on NAPLAN, yet he struggles with an exam situation because he feels nervous and pressured.

Re: NAPLAN

azureline** — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:31:22 GMT

The National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests were first implemented in 2008.

These national tests replaced previous state and territory tests.

They provide information on how Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are performing in numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Re: NAPLAN

rivergumblue — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:52:34 GMT

I told mine not to stress over it, I know what problems they are having I try to help as much as I can I wish I could say the same for the school

Re: NAPLAN

catsnknots — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:01:41 GMT

My son got into the top 5% of most of the NAPLAN tests... he could do all of that stuff really well.

Now look.. last term he got E's in nearly all subjects because he is struggling...

NAPLAN is not a be all and end all like it is made out to be.

Re: NAPLAN

azureline** — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:05:30 GMT

It isn't meant to be anything except a gauge to see if the children are being taught correctly and are at the national level. If they aren't, changes need to be made.

Re: NAPLAN

lakeland27 — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:46:04 GMT

laplan versus nothing, no data . is a no contest. naplan has flaws, but nothing has more.

Re: NAPLAN

daydream**believer — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:58:15 GMT

My kids love doing the Naplan. They say its fun. And they love getting the results back

Re: NAPLAN

*crikey*mate* — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:25:00 GMT

well, that is how the media uses it, not the Education dept.

I beg to differ.

The concept originated from a need to scale our Education System against that of other country's so that we could compete on an international import/export platform.

2 years ago, (I haven't kept up with it since then) Education was Australia's 3rd largest export.

For every international student that we attract, it covers the cost of 6 of our own (statistics from 2 years ago - might be different now, but you get the idea) That means the Government (and the Australian Tax payer) do not have to find the funds to educate 6 Australian kids in the "free" education system.

Re: NAPLAN

*crikey*mate* — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:37:00 GMT

The National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests were first implemented in 2008.

These national tests replaced previous state and territory tests.

They provide information on how Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are performing in numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar.

But they take nothing else into account other than the child's performance on those days. Even then they are a snap shot in time.

As mentioned above - schools now spend a LOT of time preparing the kids for these tests and the style in which they are admisnistered.

Some kids are able to be excluded from the tests (as mentioned above)

So how, when these leagues tables are correlated, do they give a real indication of a school's performance?

How do you compare a selective school with all the mod cons and bells and whistles where entry is based on prior academic achievement to one where the kids have dirt floored classrooms and only have a teacher who speaks English 2 or 3 days a week?

Also - the grade 7 and 9 ones are a joke - as many schools only start at high school - so the performance of their students in grade 7 and/or 9 are realistically evaluation of the child's education before going to that school. How is that an accurate indication of a school's performance?

There is far more to an equal and just education than simplistic leagues tables and policy documents display, yet Governments award money based on them and parents select schools based on them.

Re: NAPLAN

daydream**believer — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:46:02 GMT

our school does not exclude anyone from the test, but if a parent chooses to exclude their child, then thats the parents choice.

Our school has been preparing the kids for the tests for 2 weeks.

Re: NAPLAN

krazy.kiwi — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:08:48 GMT

My son was asked to stay home in yrs 5 & 7. 😞

Re: NAPLAN

*midgee* — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:18:08 GMT

My little brother is worried he will let his school down. Where he got that idea from I don't know but I feel the teachers may be putting pressure on kids to do well. His 15 year old sister has been giving him homework lol and helping out where she can. He is bright and need not worry but you can't tell him that. He wants to do well.