From the Head of Learning and Teaching – A Word About NAPLAN

Next week, our students in Year 3, Year 5, Year 7 and Year 9 will be completing their NAPLAN assessments. NAPLAN is a nationwide tool used to measure literacy and numeracy skills across Australia, providing governments and education authorities with a snapshot of these skills on a national level.

At the school community level, NAPLAN can offer valuable insights, helping both schools and parents identify areas for growth in literacy and numeracy. However, it’s important to note that NAPLAN is not intended for teachers to ‘teach to the test,’ nor should students be expected to study for it. Please ensure your daughter feels no undue stress about the test—there is no need for additional preparation beyond her regular learning. In fact, focusing solely on NAPLAN would be poor practice, as the assessment is designed to capture a snapshot of a child’s skills on a particular day.

Where teachers do feel pressure to ‘teach to the test,’ educational researchers like Jennifer Dove and Susanne Gannon highlight that this can come at the expense of critical literacy and creative thinking. Quality teaching and learning involve students engaging in rich, authentic tasks that require them to apply their knowledge to a range of contexts. According to the 2020 Federal Review of NAPLAN, the test should be ‘used only by schools and teachers as one piece of evidence contributing to reports to parents/carers, students, and local education authorities.’

I’m proud to say that MLC School consistently achieves strong NAPLAN results, reflecting our high-quality teaching rather than an emphasis on basic test-taking skills.

– Melissa McMahon
Head of Learning and Teaching