NAPLAN was an idea that had the promise of delivering a measure of how the Australian education system was achieving it's objectives on a national basis. It called for all students to sit a common exam in years 3, 5 , 7 , and 9 and from this it would be possible to determine the levels of literacy and numeracy attained on a national level - and state by state and even in comparison region to region.
Unfortunately it has been beset with problems. Cheating is common, and in some cases this is instigated by the very teachers responsible for holding the tests. Anecdotal rumours tell of children with poor performance levels being encouraged to take a "sickie "on test day, so that their contribution will not lower the overall class level of results. The time to finish tests is also supposed to be firmly applied, but there has been evidence of latitude in the interests of achieving a higher class average mark. Some teachers seem fearful that the NAPLAN results will be used as a measure of their teaching abilities - and set out to sabotage the outcome.
It has now been revealed that this years May tests were shambolic when it comes to the security of the questions asked. The rules call for a strict security clampdown for a two week period because the tests are conducted at different times in the various parts of Australia and students who miss the test because of illness are asked to sit when they return to class.
It is not hard to see where this security failing originates. Today we live in a world of social media - Facebook, Twitter - a whole host of conversational apps start discussing those NAPLAN tests the moment the students leave the classroom. Within minutes, answers are being compared and any secrecy about the questions asked has evaporated like smoke - and with it the value of this whole testing system.
Strangely, that other critical test that determines entry levels to university does not have a similar problem. The Higher School Certificate ( HSC ) is held nationally at a common time and with very strict rules on what may be taken into the examination room. It is closely supervised and over time some ingenious methods of communicating with those outside the examination room have been discovered - and countered ! The general consensus is that the HSC exam is secure.
Of course, the maturity level of those sitting the HSC is very different from NAPLAN. Those sitting the HSC are young adults and the results will have a critical influence on career opportunities - and most probably income levels. For those contemplating higher education, the SAT score will determine both university entrance - and the chosen subject that they may qualify for entrance. For many, it is a "make or break " moment in their life.
It looks like NAPLAN needs to be tightened up if it is going to achieve it's planned objectives. It will be difficult to marshal very young children to a common examination time, given the vast difference in both distance and time zones in the Australian continent, but that is probably the only way to achieve test security. It is impossible to circumvent the use of social media in this electronic age and in many cases it is parents who deliberately disregard the call for confidentiality because of their opposition to NAPLAN.
This type of universal test is still useful, despite it's deficiencies. The original objective was to get a broad reading of the level of education we were achieving nationally - and compare this with the world average. Each state sets its own education curriculum and NAPLAN would be a good guide to where state plans are found wanting. It also tends to highlight the effect that socially deprived regions have on educational standards - and allow them to be identified for correction. Obviously, teachers hate having their skills put under the microscope, but we do need to advance the further training of those delivering a sub standard performance.
With a little fine tuning, NAPLAN can give an adequate broad picture and deliver the vital information we need to make the plans and spend the money to improve education standards. We would be wise to accept reasonable limitations, rather than strangle the project by imposing draconian new regulations that make it unworkable !
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