http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-28/naplan-results-are-in-and-heres-what-you-need-to-know/10169934

Once again, the release of NAPLAN results is being accompanied by the headlines and language of panic and crisis. This year we are not only meant to think that our standards have fallen further but we now have data crisis because of the difficulty of comparing online and paper based testing. 

NAPLAN at its best is a tool for parents and schools to get a snapshot of a child’s learning and progress. The focus should not be on comparing schools - it should be using the data to improve student achievement within the school context.

As educators, comparisons between the written and online tests for the purposes of comparing schools, is counterproductive. We also need to have trust that ACARA have done their due diligence in terms of the validity and reliability of the results. Indeed, PISA went through a similar process of transferring from paper to online tests, so there is a precedence for this process.

To suggest that the results should be discarded is short-sighted and doesn’t appreciate the rich data that these results will provide about the strengths and weaknesses of this cohort of students. For parents, they will also be given detailed information on their child’s skills in relation to the skills assessed by NAPLAN.

We made the decision to move online for important reasons:

• We want students at NGS to be at the forefront of important educational innovations.
• We have conducted successful trial programs over the last 18 months, so were well-prepared.
• The adaptive tests are of great benefit to the students to test at a level which stretches an individual but does not ‘break’ them.
• We were hopeful that the results would come out much quicker than normal, making the test more useful. (This didn’t happen)
• The students’ experience while doing the online tests was very positive:
• Students were very comfortable with the mechanics of doing tests on laptops or desktops
• We were concerned about their typing speed for the writing test, but the students flourished. Evidence suggests Year 9 students in NSW who did the writing test online did this better- perhaps they are more comfortable in this format now
• There was no difference between our weaker and best students in terms of being able to access the tests. This is a positive thing at all year levels.

Schools will receive individual results for each student in September. We will post these to parents at this point and then begin the task of analysing the data that helps inform teaching and learning.