Rudd defends literacy, numeracy tests

19 Jan 2010, 8:54 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Federal Education Minister Julia Gillard is staring down a threat from teachers to boycott crucial tests in the escalating row over school league tables.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has defended government plans to publish school league tables as teachers threaten a boycott.

The federal government has refused to renege on its controversial My School website, saying it will go live next week as planned.

But the nation's 180,000 teachers have voted to boycott the schools literacy and numeracy tests.

The Australian Education Union (AEU) passed a unanimous motion in Melbourne to take action unless Labor's program unless moves to create league tables were scrapped.

Asked about the boycott, Mr Rudd said parents had a right to know more about their children's education.

"All the mums and dads in Australia would be saying, `I deserve to have access to that information about the performance of my kid's school,' and that's all we are saying," the prime minister told reporters in Hobart on Tuesday.

The My School website would feature test results from Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students.

It goes live on January 28.

Some teachers, parents and principals fear the test results would be used to create a simplistic ranking system, unfairly pitting schools against each other.

Earlier, federal Education Minister Julia Gillard starred down the threat from teachers to boycott crucial tests.

Ms Gillard has refused to back down on her controversial My School website, saying it will go live next week as planned, while also warning of possible repercussions for teachers who choose to take their protest to the next level.

The tests, given to Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students, form a major - and the most contentious - part of the My School website, which aims to provide parents with a good look at how schools are performing.

But some teachers, parents and principals fear the test results will be used to create a simplistic ranking system, pitting one school unfairly against another.

There are also things that can't be measured when assessing a school's worth, they say.

Union president Angelo Gavrielatos said the federal government had until April 12 to introduce measures that would ensure league tables could not be created.

It will meet again on that date for a final vote to go ahead with the boycott.

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