The 2019 preliminary NAPLAN results released today show improvement in student writing results in all year levels, particularly for Year 3 students.
Minister for Education Dan Tehan said the Government was committed to the transparency of NAPLAN and to online testing, which all states and territories have agreed to.
“Our Government continues to support the principle of NAPLAN because we believe that parents and teachers want to see how students are progressing across their time at school and against a national measure,” Mr Tehan said.
“It is a crucial tool for parents to understand how their child is progressing in their education and where they might need more support.
“NAPLAN is a joint federal-state government initiative that has been in operation for ten years. We now have rich NAPLAN data on the literacy and numeracy standards of Australian students at key points in their schooling.
“Today’s results show that since testing began, progress has been made in most areas, but there remains room to improve, particularly in the high school years.
“Year 5 numeracy, Years 3 and 5 reading and spelling, and Year 3 grammar all returned results above the NAPLAN 2008 baseline average, while outcomes for Years 7 and 9 writing tests are below the writing test benchmark set in 2011.
“The Morrison Government is providing record funding to all schools. We have also reached agreement with every state and territory to deliver the recommendations made by David Gonski that will improve student outcomes.
“Because the states and territories run the school systems, the Federal Government will take the lead on:
- Enhancing the Australian Curriculum so it is tailored for development pathways so teachers can meet each individual student’s learning needs.
- Creating a unique student identifier – so that students can be supported no matter where they move.
- Establishing a national institute to be the centre of excellence and research for teaching, school systems and policies.”
Approximately 50 per cent of students undertook NAPLAN online in 2019, and work continues to transition to online delivery by 2021.
The 2019 data combines results from both paper and online testing, and independent measurement advisory experts have confirmed that the results are comparable. An independent review will identify any issues with NAPLAN online this year and ensure the success of the rollout to 2021.
The 2019 NAPLAN national report is expected to be released later this year.
