A controversial bid to link NAPLAN testing to HSC eligibility has been dumped by Education Minister Rob Stokes.
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The plan, which required students to receive a minimum of three “band eight” results, had angered many parents, who were concerned about the added stress for their children.
It was estimated, on 2017 results, that two-thirds of students would have had to undergo additional testing to qualify for the HSC.
In Wagga, parents took to social media to vent their concerns, and a poll run by The Daily Advertiser showed 75 per cent opposed the plan.
Despite ditching the link between Year 9 NAPLAN results and HSC eligibility, Mr Stokes is sticking with an “HSC minimum standard” for literacy and numeracy.
Mr Stokes said the introduction of a minimum standard to receive the HSC from 2020 was a reform that had widespread support, “ensuring all students who receive the HSC have the literacy and numeracy skills needed to succeed in life after school”.
However, he “recognised the link of this standard to Year 9 NAPLAN tests placed unnecessary pressure on Year 9 students”.
“NAPLAN should be a simple check-up, not a major operation. It is one tool used to assess educational progress – not a high-stakes test,” Mr Stokes said.
“Allowing students to demonstrate the HSC minimum standard early with their Year 9 NAPLAN scores inadvertently transformed NAPLAN into a high-stakes test.”
Mr Stokes said students will now meet the HSC minimum standard through short online tests in reading, writing and numeracy and “tests can be taken in Years 10, 11 or 12, in a process similar to obtaining the NSW Learner Drivers Licence”.
NSW Education Standards Authority CEO David de Carvalho supports the change.
“The NSW Government’s decision has removed a complicating aspect of the policy that was causing concern about the purpose of NAPLAN,” Mr de Carvalho said.
The change, which does not affect current Year 10 students, was introduced by former Member for Murray Adrian Piccoli, when he was the education minister.
Even after he had left Parliament, Mr Piccoli was defending the controversial decision.
When he spoke to The Daily Advertiser about the unpopular move in August 2017, he agreed it had put added expectation on Year 9 students, where previously there had been “very little academic pressure”.
“If you want to see better results, you do have to work harder,” Mr Piccoli said.
The P&C Federation, which represents parents groups from across the state, including the Riverina, has applauded the decision.
“This is great news and we applaud the NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes for seeing the logic behind parental concerns and breaking the HSC and NAPLAN link,” president Susie Boyd said.
“The forced link between the HSC and NAPLAN only increased the student stress levels and threatened the best interests of our students.
“Parents across NSW rose as one voicing their concerns when the announcement was made, and their voices increased with a noticeable spike immediately following the test.”