By Ms Eliza Harris - Assistant Principal - Curriculum 

MYTHBUSTING NAPLAN

With NAPLAN looming closer and closer, let’s have a look at some commonly asked questions around one of Australia’s most publicly debated tests, debunk some common misconceptions and explore some handy hints and tips for both parents and students.

WHAT IS NAPLAN?

NAPLAN is a snapshot in time, showing teachers, parents and students what skills and abilities each student has in numeracy, reading, writing and language. Just like we have photos to record moments in our lives that we can look back on and see our growth, NAPLAN is one way to record and watch how individuals, schools and Australia are growing in their education. Teachers and parents can then look at these snapshots to help them make decisions about how to best help students learn more and how to gain the most from their education. Teachers and parents won’t only use NAPLAN to help students learn, but it’s useful to have a common starting point that students all around the country have used.

A main objective of the NAPLAN tests is to provide governments, education authorities, schools, teachers and parents with a standardised measure to assess the critical numeracy and literacy skills of young Australians. This helps identify national trends, highlight strengths and weaknesses in current education programs and identify areas to focus on in the future. NAPLAN is the only standardised test undertaken by young Australians and therefore is a useful measure for interested parties to gain a general sense of how the Australian education system is operating.

It is important for parents to remember that NAPLAN testing provides information at a specific point in time of a student’s progress in literacy and numeracy. While the tests are a national examination, they do not provide all information about your child’s numeracy and literacy skills. They are just one test your child will complete throughout their school life and are meant to complement other forms of school assessment.

Keeping this in mind, students should not be worried or anxious about sitting the NAPLAN tests, nor should they be disheartened or discouraged by their NAPLAN results. Instead students should think about NAPLAN primarily as a learning experience, and secondly as a way to gain hands-on experience in exam conditions – a crucial skill to take into their final eternal exams in Year 12.

WHAT IS EACH TEST ABOUT?

NAPLAN focuses on the areas of numeracy, reading, writing and language. Each of these are thought of as the important and foundational skills that students need to be successful in all areas of learning.

Numeracy

The Numeracy test is NOT a maths test. Instead the test aims to see how well students can work, think and solve problems with numbers and mathematical ideas. There are many questions that are similar to school maths tests and these are used to measure what sorts of skills students know well or need to improve. There are also questions that measure how well students can fit pieces of information together to solve problems.

Reading

The Reading test aims to measure how students think about what they read and how students navigate different styles of writing. During the test there are a few different articles to read in the Magazine, with questions to measure how well students can interpret meaning and context in what they have read.

Language

The Language test looks at how well students can work with the building blocks of the English language, which includes skills like spelling, using punctuation and constructing sentences.

Writing

The Writing test gives students an opportunity to demonstrate how well they can present their ideas in writing. Students are given an idea or topic to write about and the aim is to see how well they can communicate their thoughts and construct their thinking.

How much preparation is required for NAPLAN?

In the classroom some of the best learning opportunities come from the preparation and revision we do in the lessons before a test than from the actual test itself. It is on these occasions that students can reflect on their learning, identify the skills and techniques they’ve been using and see their learning as a journey rather than a series of isolated lessons. During term 1 & 2, as SKILLS classes begin completing selections of questions from past NAPLAN papers, many useful learning opportunities will present themselves. Students are able to discuss strategies for solving the problems and are able to analyse why some of the multiple-choice options seemed viable when really they were there to test common misconceptions. Students will receive an “insider’s” view to NAPLAN as well as having a guided discussion on how and where they could prepare themselves further.

TIPS and TRICKS

There are many sensationalised stories in today’s media, ranging from students spending hours and hours sitting practice tests, refusing to go to school and experiencing sleepless nights from the worry and stress caused by the very thought of NAPLAN to students receiving no preparation at all. The good news is that there is a middle ground and the following is some advice parents and teachers can use to plan some useful NAPLAN preparation.

TOP 5 TIPS FOR STUDENTS

1. Try to do your homework every night – a little revision goes a long way.
2. Think strong – grit and determination will play major factors in how you push forward.
3. Speak Up – if you are feeling worried, talk to your parent, carer or teacher.
4. Prepare yourself – Go to bed early the night before NAPLAN tests, have breakfast, take a water bottle and a healthy lunch.
5. Relax – NAPLAN won’t hurt. It will be over before you know it!

TOP 6 TIPS FOR PARENTS

1. Encourage your child with their homework, short sessions of classwork revision and NAPLAN revision during the year.
2. Encourage confidence. Encourage your child to “give it a go’’, “try your best’’, “do what you can’’. Reinforce that your expectations are that the child does his or her best.
3. Discuss feelings and concerns. Let your child know that feeling anxious is normal; show empathy and listen to their fears, concerns and worries; reassure them of your expectations.
4. Maintain a caring, positive attitude. Be approachable; encourage interest activities as well as schoolwork. Your child needs to feel safe and secure at this anxious time.
5. Prepare your child. Have your child go to bed early, have breakfast, and have their water bottle and a nutritional lunch prepared. Make sure they have their test materials and requirements ready beforehand. Try to keep minimal stress levels at home. Arrive at school on time.
6. Keep perspective. This is just a test in time; just one form of assessment; success is not just determined by a test.