NAPLAN and College Assessments
Like all schools, Trinity College seeks to provide a variety of assessment types to determine the achievement level of individual students. This can be in the form of formal examinations and tests, or through research tasks, portfolio work, practical skill demonstrations, oral presentations and the like. It is important that any such assessment task is reliable in its administration and process, and valid in that it accurately measures targeted achievement. The use of cross-marking and internal moderation processes seeks to ensure this. Further to this, the Trinity College Assessment Policy sets out clear guidelines, protocols and outlines responsibilities in relation to all College assessments.
Our Year 11 and 12 students studying ATAR Courses are currently immersed in a two-week formal examination period. Meanwhile, having recently completed several Externally Set Tasks (ESTs) over the past few weeks, those Senior students taking general courses will utilise this time to catch up on any missed work and assessments. Our Year 10 boys will soon be commencing their examination week, beginning on Tuesday, 8 June. The results from these exams are particularly important as the Year 10 students prepare for a period of course counselling as part of their course selection process for next year. We wish them well in this important process of discernment. Following on from this, our Year 8 and Year 9 boys will complete a week of examinations. As always, the hope is that boys prepare diligently and thoroughly such that their results are commensurate with their abilities.
Most recently, our Year 5, 7 and 9 students were busy completing the National Program in Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) Tests. Once again, NAPLAN testing was completed online. Despite this added layer of complexity, it is pleasing to report that the largely uniform nature of the student’s devices, coupled with the stability of our IT network and associated IT support meant that the various tests were completed without any problems.
As many of you will be aware, NAPLAN Testing is conducted annually in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 across all schools nationally. At ‘NAPLAN time’, we see the emergence of articles in the press that begin to question the validity of such testing, and indeed, school - based assessments generally. Many such commentaries contend that NAPLAN testing becomes the sole focus of teaching programs in some schools and can cause undue stress for students, while other reports suggest that teachers are not able to correctly interpret NAPLAN results or address any perceived learning deficiencies.
This is a very long way from the truth at Trinity College. Firstly, our boys approached the NAPLAN testing in a most sincere and determined manner. Secondly, our teachers are very skilled at interpreting evaluative data. In fact, teachers are often able to assist in diagnosing issues with literacy and numeracy long before the results of NAPLAN. As a result of such data analysis, the College has introduced targeted literacy and numeracy programs aimed at addressing perceived learning gaps for some of our students.
At Trinity College, we broadly support any testing that provides schools, educational systems, and governments for that matter, with consistent and reliable data upon which future policy direction can be determined. NAPLAN results are just one such data source. We also recognise that these tests only provide a very narrow ‘point in time’ snapshot of student capabilities and that drawing meaningful conclusions from them has its limitations. Importantly, as a College we are keen to analyse what may be revealed about our school in the process of standardised testing. While our recent NAPLAN results have been very good and have served to affirm our practice and processes, if a deficiency was discovered in any particular cohort year, or for a particular group of students, it is far better to acknowledge and address this rather than to continue in ignorance.
I believe that the ongoing public debate on this national testing gives NAPLAN a status which it neither deserves, nor seeks. While work continues in the background to continually improve or, in fact replace NAPLAN as it currently sits, it does remain as a nationally recognised standardised test that provides valuable information on student progress. At the time of enrolling into our College, the NAPLAN results from each student’s respective Primary School is used amongst a range of information that helps determine appropriate placement and any necessary intervention strategies for each individual student. Such results are never used to prioritise applicants for enrolment places. Similarly, I am sure that families seeking enrolment for their children at our College place a much higher priority upon an education in faith, explicit values, the range of opportunities, the quality of relationships, and the general pursuit of excellence, rather than our historical NAPLAN results.
NAPLAN testing has a place within the myriad of initiatives that seek to improve the educational outcomes for children. As a College, we will continue to give due diligence to its administration and its analysis. However, we will not consume valuable time or place undue stress on our students by ‘teaching to the test’. We will continue to adopt a broad perspective which emphasises a well-rounded education designed to assist families in the development of good young men. Surely this is the aim of a good education and very much at the core of our Mission as a College.
Live Jesus in our hearts
Mr. Darren O’Neill
Principal
