Today school students all around Australia are going to be sitting the dreaded NAPLAN tests – a National test covering language, literacy and numeracy. A test many children don’t take all that seriously, leaving their teachers to explain disappointing results and unmet expectations. The students will often sit for the test without ever finding out how they went afterwards. Why should they? For all they know, this test is nothing more than a hurdle requirement that seems to stress the teacher out far more than themselves.
And that’s where these tests fail. The pressure placed on the teacher forces them to teach to the test. Weeks out from the NAPLAN date, teachers forgo their best laid plans, and instead force their students to undergo countless practice tests and mindboggingly boring skills sessions. The students don’t know what hit them! All of a sudden, they are bombarded with these tedious, non-interactive lessons, where the teacher often loses his/her temper in a state of panic and utter desperation.
“Guys, if you don’t listen, you wont know what to do come NAPLAN time.”
This argument is futile. They know that if they don’t understand how to answer a question, all they have to do is leave it out, or better yet, guess. No need to lose sleep over it!
For teachers, these tests are becoming even more important, now that test results are connected with teacher bonuses:
TEACHERS are continuing to “teach to” national literacy and numeracy tests, despite warnings from education authorities.
The first of three days of NAPLAN testing begins for year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students across the country today.
But educators warned the pressure being put on schools to perform well was having unintended consequences.
And the weight placed on NAPLAN results will increase today when the Government links them to financial bonuses for the country’s best teachers.
Today’s Budget is expected to commit $425 million to provide bonuses of up to $8100 to the top 10 per cent of teachers.
Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals president Frank Sal said that some schools were already under pressure to post high NAPLAN scores, even before they were linked to teacher bonuses.
While many schools have been doing practice exams to prepare for this week’s tests, parents have been told they can do nothing to boost their children’s performance.
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority chair Prof Barry McGaw said regular learning was the best preparation for students: “NAPLAN is not a test students can prepare for, because it is not a test of content.”
Gone are the days where good teaching meant innovative and engaging lessons. Gone are the days when teachers were valued for new, fresh approaches to developing skills and nurturing the collective sel-esteem of the class. No, nowadays teaching is about meticulously preparing for a test that comes every 2 years in a student’s life and ultimately doesn’t truly capture what they know and what they are truly capable of.
These lessons can be monotonous, lack opportunities for critical discussion and go against the grain of authentic teaching, but as long as you persist, there may be a bonus in it for you.
Topical Teaching 