This study of student experiences of NAPLAN draws attention to the need to take student wellbeing into account in educational initiatives. Our previous survey of teachers found that 90% of teachers reported that students felt stressed before taking the test. However, the research shows that NAPLAN is plagued by negative impacts on student wellbeing and learning. Some teachers find the results informative, there is evidence that in some schools NAPLAN results have been a trigger to implement literacy and numeracy programs, and some parents appreciate the straightforward assessment of their children’s achievement levels. The findings reveal that, against its stated goals, NAPLAN is at best a blunt tool. The report is possibly the most significant to date as it is the first to study the impact on students. Our team spent time in five school communities (in Victoria and New South Wales) where we interviewed students, parents, teachers and school principals. Seven years of NAPLAN testing have produced mixed results. The suite of tests that make up NAPLAN, administered in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, are intended to measure three things: first, how individual students are performing second, the extent to which national literacy and numeracy benchmarks are being achieved at each school and third, how well educational programs are working in Australian schools. NAPLAN was introduced to improve literacy and numeracy in Australian primary and secondary schools, but the question has to be asked: is it worth it?
New research raises questions about the impacts of the National Assessment Program – Literacy And Numeracy (NAPLAN) on the wellbeing of students and on positive teaching and learning approaches.
0 kommentar(er)
