The Squiz

Over the next 2 weeks, about 1.3 million students at over 9,400 schools across the country will participate in National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy tests (affectionately – or not – known as Naplan). What that means is all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are involved in the nationwide standardised tests, which were established in 2008 to help determine how they’re tracking against performance targets in key areas of reading, writing and language conventions (aka spelling, grammar and punctuation), and numeracy. It’s a big deal for students, parents, teachers and administrators, and every year, the tests attract controversy… 

What’s new?

There have been some major updates this year, including bringing the tests forward from May to March – a “key benefit”, along with testing being 100% online and results coming back within 4 weeks, as opposed to several months in previous years. That will enable teachers to address areas for improvement ASAP. Last year, tougher proficiency levels were introduced, which some experts say contributed to poor results, with 10% of students falling short of standards in literacy and numeracy, particularly for those living in areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage. This year’s results will also be comparable to 2023, as the “time series” dataset was fully reset last year, meaning results couldn’t be compared with previous years. Educators will be keeping a keen eye on whether the 33% of students in the “needs additional support” and “developing” categories have caught up.

Why is any of this controversial?

The Queensland Teachers Union is encouraging parents to boycott the exams in a bid to avoid “high levels of stress and anxiety” (paywall) in what it calls a “high stakes, but low-value testing model”. And they’re not the only critics… Last year, researchers found Naplan had “strayed from its original purpose” of identifying struggling students by “insidiously infiltrating everyday teaching and learning practices”, which ultimately undermined student learning. Teachers have also complained that curriculums and staffing decisions have become dictated by Naplan results, making it a “troublesome and influential policy driver.” But other experts have defended Naplan, saying that deciding what to do in response to the results is the “crucial part” rather than the results themselves and that students “should not feel apprehensive about the assessment”. 

If the upcoming Naplan tests are on your agenda, check out today’s Squiz Kids podcast for a kid-friendly rundown.