Teachers, school leaders reject NAPLAN

Three quarters of teachers say that NAPLAN is ineffective as a method of assessing students, according to a latest AEU survey. The Australian Education Union (AEU) 2020 State of our Schools survey, with more than 12,000 responses from public school principals and teachers, has confirmed that NAPLAN is not effective, increases pressure on teachers, student stress and anxiety and too much class time is spent in preparation for the test. The survey results found that amongst teachers: • 75 per cent did not believe NAPLAN was effective for school comparison. • 74 per cent did not believe NAPLAN was effective for measuring school performance. • 85 per cent did not believe NAPLAN improved student outcomes. • 56 per cent did not believe NAPLAN was effective in helping to identify areas to focus to improve student outcomes. • 94 per cent believed NAPLAN contributed to student stress and anxiety. • 74 per cent said the publication of

NAPLAN data had led to increased pressure on teachers. • 66 per cent said that NAPLAN increased their workload. Amongst school principals, the State of our Schools survey found that: • 73 per cent did not believe NAPLAN was effective for school comparison. • 87 per cent believed NAPLAN contributed to student stress and anxiety. • 78 per cent believed NAPLAN increased teacher workload. • 75 per cent did not believe NAPLAN improved student outcomes. AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe said the survey clearly demonstrated the antipathy felt towards NAPLAN by the overwhelming majority of the teaching profession. “The results of this survey are unequivocal. The vast majority of teachers and principals have indicated that NAPLAN is not fit for purpose in our schools,” she said. “Teachers and principals regard NAPLAN as a major source of student stress and anxiety, not benefiting student outcomes, and wasting valuable face-to-face teaching time in the classroom. “NAPLAN reduces student progress to a number on a spreadsheet – it does not take into account teachers’ informed judgement, or the daily learning that occurs in the classroom. “There is no doubt that NAPLAN places pressure on students, families and teachers. Assessment must be holistic and connected to the teaching and learning which happens in schools every day.” Ms Haythorpe said that no amount of restructuring or change would address the concerns that the teaching profession held about NAPLAN. “The AEU calls on the Education Council to take the lead by scrapping NAPLAN and developing a new assessment framework based on sample testing in comprehensive consultation with the teaching profession and its union, the AEU,” she said.

The AEU 2020 State of our Schools survey was held in May 2020 with staff from public schools across the country invited to participate. There were 12,307 respondents, including 9,733 teachers, 1,787 support staff and 787 principals. Read more: ANSA is wrong for NAPLAN question, page 17.