The Chair of the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs, the Hon Martin Dixon, MP released preliminary results for achievement in nationwide NAPLAN tests in reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy on 9 September, 2011. Preliminary results show more than 90 per cent of students are performing at or above national minimum standards in virtually every area of the test.
The 2011 NAPLAN Summary Report shows preliminary results of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) nationally and by state and territory, broken down by each year level and learning area, and provides important information about the achievement of students in these foundational areas of learning.
The results show Australian students generally have been improving over time. Since the introduction of the tests in 2008, students have maintained or improved their performance in most test areas.
“With four years of NAPLAN now complete, it is possible for educators and policy makers to see results over time and to identify not just what is going well, but where improvements need to be targeted”, Mr Dixon said.
“NAPLAN tests have become a regular part of the school calendar. By measuring students in these fundamental areas of literacy and numeracy, educators, parents, and the community get a better idea of student progress.”
The NAPLAN tests are developed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and are administered each year to approximately one million students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 in collaboration with state and territory education authorities.
NAPLAN shows how individual students are progressing in numeracy and literacy skills against national standards for all Australian children.
The 2011 NAPLAN Summary Report has been posted on the National Assessment Program’s website, www.nap.edu.au where support information about how to further interpret the results is also available. The full national report will be released later this year, and individual school information will be made available on the next version of the My School website, to be published in early 2012.
Parents will receive their children’s individual student reports from this time via their school. School principals are also in the process of receiving reports for their schools.
Media contact:
For media enquiries and for interviews with ACARA Chair, Barry McGaw AO or ACARA CEO Peter Hill contact James Morrow on 0424 727 016 or media.contact@acara.edu.au
