The Conversation points out that the nation is standing still compared to last year and has not made any amazing leaps since the test was first introduced.
This year's results will generate particular interest, as 2017 is the tenth time NAPLAN has been conducted since it was first introduced in 2008.
The final report is not due until December, but the summary results provide a useful opportunity to reflect not only on how young Australians have fared over the past year, but also over the past decade.
How do 2017 data compare to 2016 data?
·no statistically significant difference in achievement in any domain or year level at the national level;
·South Australia had the only statistically significant change out of any state or territory, with a decline in Year 3 writing achievement;
·New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory continue to be the highest-performing jurisdictions, scoring above the national average across the majority of domains and year levels; and
·the Northern Territory continues to significantly underperform on all measures when compared with other jurisdictions.
How do 2017 data compare to 2008 data?
·no statistically significant difference in achievement across the majority of domains and year levels at the national level;
·statistically significant improvements at the national level in: spelling (years 3 and 5); reading (years 3 and 5); numeracy (year 5); and grammar and punctuation (year 3);
·Year 7 writing is the only area to show a statistically significant decline in achievement at the national level (based on data from 2011 to 2017);
·Queensland and Western Australia stand out positively, showing statistically significant improvements across a number of domains and year levels;
·despite high mean achievement overall, there has been a plateauing of results in New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory; and
·students have moved from lower to higher bands of achievement across most domains over the past ten years.
One major change in 2018 is that schools will begin transitioning away from the current pen and paper version to NAPLAN online. ACARA hopes this will produce better assessment, more precise results and a faster turnaround of information.
Schools will initially move to NAPLAN online on an opt-in basis, with the aim of all schools being online by 2019.
Source: the Conversation
