Yet NAPLAN wouldn’t be NAPLAN without the shrill denunciations from many on the left who, it seems to me, have an ideological objection to any form of standardised testing.Given attainment in these critical areas has been falling for two decades , continuing to test them would strike me as rather a good idea. And do teachers need to be mindful of the way they prepare students? Definitely.
The left seem to have an"ideological objection" to standardised school testing, putting them at odds with the idea of giving Australian kids a fair go, writes Victorian Shadow Minister for Education Matthew Bach. Picture: Getty ImagesHe’s excellent company – the sort of chap you’d be charmed to chat with at the annual Portsea Polo competition.
His study space – a crowded room shared with his older brother – isn’t a patch on Noah’s palatial suite. For example, a group of twelve principals are arguing that ATARs – which place students on a bell curve from 0 to 99.95, indicating their position relative to others at the end of year 12 – should be scrapped altogether.
NAPLAN and other 'school hall' exams are only an semi effective academic measure of sausages in the production line. They are not an indicator of how the student will perform in the real world, with real people.