A new study conducted by the University of South Australia and Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (BIITE) has found that a $30 million federal government program developed to improve literacy outcomes for Indigenous Australians has failed to meet its ...
More »Overhaul of NAPLAN results on My School website
The My School website – which includes schools’ NAPLAN latest results from 2019, among other information – has been updated to reflect the annual test results in a more helpful light. The website change, which took effect yesterday, follows last ...
More »2019 NAPLAN Report: CEO hopeful of a turnaround in writing achievement
The latest NAPLAN National Report shows there have been gains made in several domains and year levels, most importantly in writing. “At the national level, compared to 2008, the performance of Australian students in Year 5 numeracy, Years 3 and ...
More »What Australia can learn from Finland’s education system – Michael Lawrence – Podcast
When English and Music teacher Michael Lawrence visited Finnish schools in 2017, many teachers asked him why Australia used a test like NAPLAN to assess students, particularly young ones. For them, education is all about learning, not testing. The ultimate ...
More »NZ writing program helping to lift Queensland students’ writing standards
There has long been consensus among literacy and education experts that Australian students’ writing abilities are eroding, with last year’s NAPLAN results for years 7 and 9 showing an average decline since 2011. Teachers, politicians and the media have all ...
More »Education Council commits to goals and actions for ‘the coming decade’
After the release of December’s disappointing PISA results, student achievement, teacher quality, curriculum content and quality-assurance measures were destined to be on the table at the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, which concluded on December 12. Here are some of ...
More »NAPLAN review criteria: creativity more than a nice skill to have
The wisdom of the aphorism ‘you don't fatten a pig by weighing it more’ might have finally dawned on at least three state education ministers. Last month, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria announced a review of NAPLAN, with the ...
More »Parents push back against nation-wide mobile phone ban
Parental discontent was a theme that emerged last week when education ministers met at the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to discuss both NAPLAN and mobile phone bans during school times, a move already planned for primary and secondary state ...
More »States’ NAPLAN review details unveiled
State governments have released the terms of reference for their review of NAPLAN. Heads of education in the Victorian, New South Wales and Queensland governments said the review – which will cost an estimated at $1 million – will identify what ...
More »Better teacher pay not the answer to lifting student performance: thinktank
Teachers in Australia can expect more pay than their peers in comparable countries. The Education at a Glance 2019 report found that average actual salaries for Australian teachers were 52 per cent higher than the OECD average at pre-primary level, 36 ...
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