A PUSH to overhaul a nation-wide test has prompted a Wagga principal to voice his support for standardised testing.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Phillip Wilson, of Wagga Christian College, is a supporter of the current NAPLAN test - but has also welcomed a revision of the decade-old program, so long as it allows schools to see a student's progression.
The state's education minister Sarah Mitchell has called for the program to be reviewed and revised, arguing that it was time to go back to the drawing board and design a new test that is "genuinely useful."
"I like having a test that allows me to see where the children are and how we can help them improve regardless of the school they have attended in the past," Mr Wilson said.
"So whether that be NAPLAN or a 2.0 version, I can see the value it can bring to the school."
The state government has also looked lift the literacy and numeracy standards within the next four years, setting a target to increase the number of students by 15 per cent in the top two NAPLAN bands for both assessments.
This means an additional 18,700 students will improve their literacy skills and 13,500 students will boost their numeracy skills throughout the state.
While it is promising that the state government was "serious about results," Mr Wilson said the schools should not lose sight of how the results should be interpreted.
He said the data has been used for families to "shop around" before enrolling in schools, but the meaning of the results are multi-faceted and depends on how it has been used.
"It is about looking at every student and increasing their individual successes and celebrating the improvements they make," he said.
"It is the unfair part of standardised reporting - focusing on whether a child is at the top of the triangle. We should be looking at if they have improved on their last results and celebrating that growth."
Mr Wilson said there are challenges that come with the state government's new goals, which depends on the approach schools take to achieve the target.
In other news:
"There are two things in this, are we increasing the competency of students or changing the marking scale? To increase competency, teachers will need to be aware of what is required and teach them how to aim for those top two bands," he said.
Mr Wilson acknowledged the new targets could be difficult for schools with limited resources, saying it could become about "performing a miracle."