NAPLAN

[catsnknots]

I am very pleased with the NAPLAN and am surprisingly happy with what it has helped the school system do regarding my son... 

I know that I have been a bit on the fence with this subject so I thought I would just come out and say it was a good Gillard idea... 

Now I just want to know what good are these results without the ideas on what to do with them. 

It seems that we have been given a tin of food but no can opener to get to it. 

[daydream**believer]

my kids like doing naplan

[catsnknots]

It has helped prove significant issues with my son.... he was 2 years above the state average yet now can't even get work handed in to be assessed.. 

so they know he has some serious issues but there is nothing there to really help him. 

If he was 2 years below the average there would have been assistance. 

At least we get to homeschool him now...... 

[id-to-post-anything]

I agree we live with a strange system

If you are below average , help it at hand

If you need extenstion and things above your age group --whistle

very sad this tall poppy syndrome

[*crikey*mate*]

the thing that gets me though is that you have to be two years below the average before you get any help. Why wait until a child is two years behind? Why not address it when he is one year behind or 6 months behind etc? Why not address it the minute that something is detected?

If a child is two years behind, that effectively means that they have to do five years of work over a three year period just to catch up to their peers.

[just_me_karen]

The tests are basically designed to indicate how the educational big picture is going, it's the only way they can assess overall standards.

I don't think it was originally a Gillard idea lol... maybe she changed the name.

results can be interesting to parents because it's really the only way you can assess how your kid is going, compared to others in Australia.

Maybe you should study the results and compare them to what you know about your kid (parents always do know best), then meet with the teacher to discuss how poor areas can be improved, or strong areas can be optimised? I personally would choose a strong area because it is always more confidence inspiring for teens to have their strengths validated.

The ability to home school successfully would depend on your own knowledge of the curriculum and a strong relationship with your child. If he's not enjoying school, or you're not happy with it, have you considered tafe or other tertiary courses? Then you could home tutor him in something he enjoys.

[id-to-post-anything]

crikey ---I agree. I also wish the school would come to you when a problem is first noticed - academic or otherwise, rather than waitng till it is so bad that they dont know how to handle it anymore

[thebraff]

NAPLAN is not a Gillard idea.  It has been in operation since 2008 although there has been a similar one in NSW for 20 years or more.

The name became NAPLAN when it went National

Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 were given tests for reading, language conventions, writing and numeracy for their particular year level.

[catsnknots]

The ability to home school successfully would depend on your own knowledge of the curriculum and a strong relationship with your child. If he's not enjoying school, or you're not happy with it, have you considered tafe or other tertiary courses? Then you could home tutor him in something he enjoys.

We are doing it all through his school... sort of pioneering a new idea 

not sure how it is going to work and this term is going to be a waste.. but as he is a Special Ed  student we can work the system to make it suit. 

Apparently there is some awesome stuff coming out for SE kids and it is because of the ability to compare the overall marks over the years that the school can offer us something unique. 

He will never be a kid that wants  to go to Uni... He hates studying.. 

He will get to pick and choose subjects he wants to do.... The reality is that as kids mature into adults they can pick up and resume studying anything they want just so long as he gets his high school certificate I will be pleased. 

[just_me_karen]

That sound exciting, cat... and you're right he can resume studying later. Many of the kids who don't fit in with school do really well when they're adults, because they finally get some sense of control over their own learning and don't have to struggle to fit into the box.