30 November 2023
ShareAustralia’s National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) has strayed from its original purpose by insidiously infiltrating everyday teaching and learning practices, according to new Australian Catholic University research.
While initially intended to identify students below minimum standards for literacy and numeracy and to target funding based on need, the research found this social justice and equity position has instead been overshadowed by NAPLAN’s covert impact on school decisions and classroom practices.
Lead researcher Dr Rafaan Daliri-Ngametua, of ACU’s School of Education, said the high-stakes test had become so embedded in teaching and learning programs and school-level decision making, it was difficult to distinguish between teaching work and NAPLAN-oriented teaching work.
“Greater accountability and data visibility of NAPLAN results has led to it covertly shaping everything from staff and resource allocation to curriculum decisions and teaching priorities,” Dr Daliri-Ngametua said.
“When performance and policy decisions are dictated by a narrow measure such as NAPLAN scores, it severely inhibits the capacity for educators to do things differently.”
The research, published in the Journal of Education Policy and drawing on interviews with 27 teachers and seven school leaders at primary and secondary schools in Queensland, as well as classroom and staff meeting observations and artefact data, found:
Dr Daliri-Ngametua said the qualitative findings would be replicated across Australia and also internationally, given the widespread use of and focus on standardised testing results as a measure of student success.
“This research highlights NAPLAN’s hidden and normative influence on school decision-making and teaching and learning practices, which has significant consequences on teachers’ work, their autonomy of practice, and wider schooling structures,” she said.
“NAPLAN has become a dictating force in curriculum development, teaching priorities and resource allocation, making it a troublesome and influential policy driver.”
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