National Assessment Program – Literacy And Numeracy Research Articles

Australian NAPLAN testing: In what ways is this a ‘wicked’ problem?

This article employs Rittel and Webber’s ‘wicked’ problem as a heuristic device for enhancing understanding about National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing in the Australian education context. Using a research project with seven independent schools in New South Wales, Australia, which analysed NAPLAN data from primary (elementary) students in years 3 and 5, this article highlights the ‘wicked’ nature of the problem of NAPLAN testing, and standardised testing more generally. The research project, as a catalyst for the article, evidenced a set of difficulties, particularly for smaller primary schools, and highlighted the ways in which these schools experienced many of the challenges that the literature indicates are evident in the current regimes of standardised testing. The article focusses on problematising NAPLAN’s use in Australia and uses the literature to critique its application. It then outlines Rittel and Webber’s criteria that determine whether a problem might be ‘wicked’ and applies this as a lens for considering NAPLAN testing. In problematising NAPLAN testing and applying wicked problem theory to the issue, this article asserts that many of the challenges can be managed and indeed may empower and liberate stakeholders.

Secondary school students’ attitudes towards numeracy: an Australian investigation based on the National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)

International and national testing of numerical and language skills has become a regular part of educational systems in many countries. In Australia, the National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) has been used since 2008 to carry out regular tests of literacy and numeracy amongst school students nationally. Since the numeracy components of this program are based on work carried out in school mathematics classes, it seems reasonable that tests represent an evaluation of mathematical ability, albeit at the simpler and introductory levels. However, there has been little investigation of students’ ideas about numeracy, and the role that their attitudes towards numeracy may have on their results on the numeracy components of NAPLAN tests. This study carries out an empirical investigation of ideas about and attitudes towards numeracy, and their relation to NAPLAN scores for a sample of 735 lower secondary students from two schools in New South Wales, Australia. Attitudes are measured using a modified form of the Students’ Attitudes Towards Statistics, (SATS-36) test (Schau in Survey of attitudes towards statistics, http://www.evaluationandstatistics.com, 2003), and conceptions of numeracy are obtained from phenomenographic analysis of an open-ended response item. The overall conclusion, that students’ understanding of the concept of numeracy and their attitudes towards numeracy are related to their performance in numeracy tests, represents a potentially important result both for students and their teachers.

NAPLAN data on writing: A picture of accelerating negative change

This paper looks to the past, to the watershed of Australia’s first National Literacy Plan (Australian Education Council, 1994) and National Numeracy Plan (Australian Education Council, 1994); to the present (reported National Assessment Program–Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) data and evidence about literacy gains), and forward, to possible futures for young people’s literacy education and the prospective experience of literacy testing in Australia. The discussion situates NAPLAN in its historical context, recognising how it emerged from different approaches to state based testing of literacy and numeracy. Against this background we examine the 2015 NAPLAN writing data to reveal increasing numbers of students who are achieving below the national minimum standard in the domain of writing. Finally we call for a sharpened focus on writing standards as benchmarks in NAPLAN and how these relate to achievement standards in the Australian Curriculum. We also argue for an increased emphasis on teachers’ criterial knowledge, essential for the teaching and assessment of writing. Such moves would go some way to realising the potential of NAPLAN for evidence informed policy for achieving real educational improvement.

Association between borderline neonatal thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations and educational and developmental outcomes: a population-based record-linkage study

Congenital hypothyroidism causes intellectual delay unless identified and effectively treated soon after birth. Newborn screening has almost eliminated intellectual disability associated with congenital hypothyroidism. However, clinical uncertainty remains about infants with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations less than the newborn screening cutoffs. We assessed the association between neonatal TSH concentrations and educational and developmental outcomes. We did a population-based record-linkage study of all liveborn infants undergoing newborn screening from 1994 to 2008 in New South Wales, Australia, with assessments of childhood development or school performance. Very-low-birthweight babies (<1500 g) were excluded. Developmental and educational outcomes were obtained and these were linked to individual records by the New South Wales Centre for Health Record Linkage. The primary educational outcome was the proportion of students with National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results lower than the national minimum standard in reading or numeracy measured at all ages, and the primary developmental outcome was the proportion of children who were classified as being developmentally high risk (vulnerable in two or more of the five developmental domains assessed by the Australian Early Development Census) at age 4-6 years. The proportions of infants with each outcome were calculated per percentile (0-100) of TSH concentration. Multivariable logistic regression was used to account for potential confounding by maternal and fetal variables known to affect neonatal TSH concentrations or neurodevelopmental outcomes. 503 706 infants had a neonatal TSH result that linked to a developmental or educational outcome. 149 569 infants born between 2002 and 2008 were linked to an Australian Early Development Census developmental outcome and 354 137 were linked to a NAPLAN educational outcome. Median follow-up for educational outcome was 10 years (IQR 8-12) and for developmental outcome was 5 years (5-6). 5·5% (14 137 of 257 752) of infants scored less than the national minimum standard for numeracy in percentiles lower than the 75th percentile and this increased with each increase of percentile group to 11·3% (15 of 133) of infants with a TSH concentration between the 99·90th and 99·95th percentile. Infants with a neonatal TSH concentration in the 99·95th percentile or higher (above newborn screening cutoff) and likely to have diagnosed and treated congenital hypothyroidism had similar results to infants with a TSH concentration lower than the 75th percentile for both educational and developmental outcomes. Infants with a neonatal TSH concentration between the 99·5th and 99·9th percentile were more likely to have special needs (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1·68, 95% CI 1·23-2·30), poor numeracy performance (aOR 1·57, 1·29-1·90), and developmentally high risk (aOR 1·52, 1·20-1·93). We found an association between neonatal TSH concentrations lower than the present newborn screening thresholds and poor educational and developmental outcomes. This association needs further investigation to assess whether assessment and treatment of these infants might improve their long-term cognitive outcomes. Australian National Health and Medical Research.

‘To be numerate is to be someone…’: Tracing the doings of students labelled ‘at risk’

Scores from the Australian National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) identify students ‘at risk’ of not meeting minimum standards deemed necessary for future success in school and employment. The NAPLAN tests include items related to numeracy but also mathematics content and skills. Research in the area of mathematics education examining the effectiveness of pedagogical interventions in improving student scores on NAPLAN and other international measures is not only shaped by the standardised testing regime, it also effectively corrals the problem within the school context. As such, it is unable to answer questions related to other factors implicated in the lives of those who continue to ‘fail’ in relation to numeracy outcomes. This paper critically examines the type of funded research being done in relation to numeracy and mathematics education, the ‘social’ turn and the disconnect between this research and the widening ‘gap’ in NAPLAN numeracy outcomes. It argues for a research approach informed by institutional ethnography that begins with the ‘doings’ of individual students labelled ‘at risk’.

Examining the relationship between childhood health conditions and health service utilisation at school entry and subsequent academic performance in a large cohort of Australian children.

Chronic health conditions are associated with poor academic outcomes. This study examines the relationship between health conditions, specialist health service utilisation and academic performance in Australian children. This was a quasi-longitudinal study where School Entrant Health Questionnaire (a survey tool with parent report on children's health) data for 24 678 children entering school in 2008 was matched with the 2011 National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). Linear and logistic regressions were used to examine associations between health conditions, use of a specialist health service and reading and numeracy scores. The study comprised 24 678 children. Children with allergies, very low birth weight, developmental delay, diabetes, spina bifida, cystic fibrosis, birth abnormality, speech problems, intellectual disability and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder had lower numeracy scores than those without any of these conditions (P < 0.05). The same children had higher odds (1.2-5.8) of being at or below the national minimum standard for numeracy. Children with developmental delay, epilepsy, dental problems, speech, intellectual disabilities and low birth weight had lower reading scores than those without these conditions (P < 0.05) and had higher odds of being at (odds ratio: 1.3) or below (odds ratio: 3.7) the national minimum standard for reading. Children with health conditions who had ever accessed specialist health services did not differ in their academic performance from those that had not used specialist health services. Some health conditions put children at risk of poorer academic performance, and interventions to prevent this such as appropriate support services in schools should be considered.

Investigating the impact of NAPLAN on student, parent and teacher emotional distress in independent schools

Concerns have been raised about the impact Australia’s national standardised testing, the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), has upon the well-being of students, parents and teachers. To date, research evidence is unclear as to the level and extent of emotional distress experienced by stakeholders during testing. Despite an unclear evidence base, the prevailing view is that NAPLAN has a general negative impact upon stakeholder well-being. In a pilot study that surveyed all stakeholder groups across 11 independent schools in Western Australia, we found evidence of a minimal impact from the testing. We also found evidence for a small positive association between student and parent distress during testing, and a moderate positive association between parent and teacher distress during testing and their estimations regarding how NAPLAN impacts other people. Our results are not consistent with the prevailing view that NAPLAN has a broad negative impact on well-being, and highlights the need for further research to inform debates about the usefulness and impact of NAPLAN testing.

Written Numeracy Assessment in the Early Years: The Challenges of Pronouns and Noun Groups

WE EXAMINE THE CHALLENGES OF pronouns and noun groups in the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority's (ACARA) National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) Numeracy Year 3 Example test (ACARA, 2015a). Framed by discourses of Literacy as a General Capability (ACARA, 2015b) in the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics (ACARA, 2015c), the pronouns and noun groups used in the Example test are mapped onto the Australian Curriculum: English Content Descriptions (ACARA, 2015d). The findings are that some of the pronouns and noun groups used in the Example test are more complex than what Year 3 children are expected to achieve in the Australian Curriculum: English. We thus stress the need for early years teachers of mathematics to account for the unique mathematical register of written mathematics problems so that young children are not only prepared for high-stakes written numeracy assessments, but are also enabled as a numerically literate citizen.

Is there a role for a primary health nurse in a learning support team in a disadvantaged high school? Evaluation of a pilot study.

Disadvantaged children experience more health problems and have poorer educational outcomes compared with students from advantaged backgrounds. This paper presents the quantitative and qualitative findings from a pilot study to determine the impact of the Healthy Learner model, where an experienced primary care nurse was embedded in a learning support team in a disadvantaged high school. Students entering high school with National Assessment Program, Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) scores in the lowest quartile for the school were assessed by the nurse and identified health issues addressed. Thirty-nine students were assessed in 2012-13 and there were up to seven health problems identified per student, ranging from serious neglect to problems such as uncorrected vision or hearing. Many of these problems were having an impact on the student and their ability to engage in learning. Families struggled to navigate the health system, they had difficulty explaining the student's problems to health professionals and costs were a barrier. Adding a nurse to the learning support team in this disadvantaged high school was feasible and identified considerable unmet health needs that affect a student's ability to learn. The families needed extensive support to access any subsequent health care they required.

NAPLAN data: a new policy assemblage and mode of governance in Australian schooling

ABSTRACTAs part of a policy assemblage, the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is representative of a new mode of governance for Australia's schooling systems, indicative of international trends in educational accountability based on testing. The policy assumption was that the introduction of a national performance measurement system would tightly couple school practices to national agendas targeted at improving learning outcomes. This paper presents a comparative case study of two primary schools within a single Queensland region to interrogate how coupling and decoupling strategies are enacted in respect of the policy usage of NAPLAN data. The granular analysis of the governance relationship between the school principals and their supervisors is set against the politics, policies and pressures of NAPLAN that recast the initiative as high stakes for systems, schools and their leadership. Specifically, we argue that Queensland's choice and enactment of policy instruments have produced a new mode of governance of principal conduct, but one mediated by the specific contexts of the two schools. The analysis shows how this mode has precipitated two types of decoupling.

The cost of high stakes testing for high-ability students

No accessFULL TEXTAustralasian Journal of Gifted EducationOther Journal Article01 June 2015The cost of high stakes testing for high-ability students Authors: Jennifer L Jolly Authors: Jennifer L Jolly University of New South Wales, email: [email protected], tel: +61 2 9385 1977 Google Scholar More articles by this author SectionsAboutView PDFExport CitationsAdd to FavouriteAdd to FavouriteCreate a New ListNameCancelCreate ToolsTrack CitationsCreate Clip ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedIn COPY LINK Abstract Working from an agenda of school improvement, Australia's implementation of National Assessment Program: Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) in 2008 and the MySchool website in 2010 appears strongly influenced by the mechanisms that have driven the reform/ accountability movement in the United States and the United Kingdom (Lingard, 2010; Polsel, Dulfer and Turnbull, 2012). While high-stakes tests such as NAPLAN are often executed under the pretence of creating greater equity and raising standards in schools, their unintended consequences often have the potential to impact negatively on students of all abilities, socioeconomic strata, and cultural backgrounds. A group of students often overlooked in this discourse are those with gifts and talents and of high-ability. The United States' 30-year history with high-stakes testing has had a deleterious impact on these students, particularly under the federal legislation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) enacted in 2002. As Australian researcher Lingard has cautioned against such wholesale "policy borrowing" from countries such as the United States and advised that along with policy borrowing, Australian educational policy makers should also heed "policy learning" (Lingard, 2010). This article introduces the difficult lessons learned regarding high stakes testing and gifted learners in the U.S., emerging research regarding NAPLAN, and the implications for gifted learners in the Australian context such a shifting resources away from existing gifted programs, placing arbitrary ceilings on student performance, and the narrowing of curriculum. Full Text DOI Previous article Next article RelatedDetails View PUBLICATION DETAILSJournal:Australasian Journal of Gifted EducationISSN:1323-9686Page Range:30-36First Page:30Last Page:36Source:Australasian Journal of Gifted Education, Vol. 24, No. 1, Jun 2015: 30-36Date of Publication:June 2015Date Last Modified:05 September 2019 12:02Date Last Revised:08 January 2019Volume:24Issue:1SubjectNo Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (United States)Educational tests and measurementsAcademic achievementEducation and stateGeographic LocationAustralia METRICS Downloaded 9 times Copyright© Australian Association for the Education of the Gifted and Talented, 2015Download PDFLoading ...

Impact of perinatal health and socio-demographic factors on school education outcomes: A population study of Indigenous and non-Indigenous children in the Northern Territory.

This study investigated the association between early-life risk factors and school education outcomes. This is an historical cohort study of 7601 children (61% were Indigenous) born in the Northern Territory between 1999 and 2004. Information was linked, for each child on: perinatal health, student enrolment and National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) Year 3 results. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between selected risk factors and a NAPLAN result 'below' the national minimum standard (NMS) in reading and numeracy. Indigenous children had much higher odds, than non-Indigenous children, of a result below the NMS for both reading (odds ratio (OR): 8.58, 95% confidence interval (CI): 7.55-9.74) ) and numeracy (OR: 11.52, 95% CI: 9.94-13.35). When adjusted for all other variables, the increased odds were attenuated for both reading (OR: 2.89, 95% CI: 2.46-3.40) and numeracy (OR: 3.19, 95% CI: 2.65-3.84). Common risk factors for Indigenous and non-Indigenous children included higher birth order, maternal smoking in pregnancy and being a boy. There were gradients of decreasing risk with increasing education level of primary care giver and increasing maternal age. Among Indigenous children only, risks increased when living in remote areas, with younger age (<8 years) and low birthweight. The study highlights that many of the risk factors associated with poor education outcomes among Indigenous children are shared with the general population. The results inform a targeted, cross-agency response to address modifiable early-life risk factors for educational disadvantage. Data linkage, using existing administrative datasets, provides a useful addition to methods that identify priority areas for prevention and early intervention.

Mental health: New horizons in nutrition research and dietetic practice

Mental health: New horizons in nutrition research and dietetic practice

Are Australian Teachers Making the Grade? A Study of News Coverage of Naplan Testing

The standardised testing of school children has been the subject of significant news media attention in recent years in many developed countries around the world. This article examines the reporting of annual National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests in three major Australian newspapers, with a particular focus on the portrayal of school teachers in the coverage. Overall, teachers were presented as strongly opposed to NAPLAN and the publication of test results, yet the newspapers themselves supported the tests as an important accountability measure. Teachers were depicted as trying to influence the testing system through teaching to the test and cheating. They were presented as generally inadequate as teachers, and were blamed for perceived failings in the educational system. These findings point to implications for teacher recruitment and retention, and for journalism education and training.

Attendance in Primary School: Factors and Consequences

This report aims to understand attendance patterns in primary school, and examines the effects of students’ low attendance on their academic achievement (numeracy and reading) in primary school by addressing the following research questions: 1. To what extent is school attendance in the primary years influenced by child, family and school characteristics? 2. Do the factors associated with school attendance vary as children get older and become more independent? 3. Do the factors associated with non-attendance differ for children from different socioeconomic backgrounds (i.e. those whose parents do and do not receive income support)? 4. Is a child’s academic achievement influenced by prior attendance in primary school — and if so, to what extent? 5. Are there any characteristics of family and/or school that offset the effects of non-attendance on academic achievement? 6. Do the effects of absence on academic achievement differ for children from different socioeconomic backgrounds (i.e. those whose parents do and do not receive income support)? The analyses make use of data from the first four waves of Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) to examine the differences in attendance rate at different ages. In addition, they use data from the National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) to examine the academic achievement of children with different attendance patterns. The study includes children aged from 4-5 to 10-11 years old.

NAPLAN and the role of edu-business: New governance, new privatisations and new partnerships in Australian education policy

This paper provides a critical analysis of the edu-businesses currently working in partnership with the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority to deliver the Commonwealth government policy initiative of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). These emerging public–private partnerships (PPPs) exemplify new heterarchical governance structures in Australia, where a network of public and private agents now contribute to education policy processes. In analysing the NAPLAN policy network, this account seeks to proffer a critical analysis on the evolving PPPs in Australia and ascertains in whose interests and with what outcomes these PPPs operate. The NAPLAN policy network is analysed in relation to the contemporary state and its changing modus operandi, in which I draw on the notions of heterarchies, networks and new governance structures in education to understand these developments. Network ethnography is employed to document the network of PPPs that are associated with NAPLAN and other government initiatives in Australia, and in particular, I reflect on the activities of Pearson and the Australian Council for Educational Research to problematise what these policy networks mean.

School performance in children with type 1 diabetes: a contemporary population-based study.

Our aim was to examine the school performance of children with type 1 diabetes in comparison to their peers, exploring changes over time, and the impact of clinical factors on school performance. The study included data on 666 children with type 1 diabetes from the Western Australia Children's Diabetes Database. (WACDD), a population-based registry, and 3260 school and school year matched non-diabetic children. Records from the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) (2008-2011), which examines four educational outcome domains and is administered annually to all years 3, 5, 7, and 9 children in Australia, were sourced for both groups. Clinical data were obtained for the children with diabetes from the WACDD. No significant difference was observed between those with type 1 diabetes and their peers, across any of the tested domains and school years analysed. No decline over time was observed, and no decline following diagnosis was observed. Type 1 diabetes was associated with decreased school attendance, 3% fewer days attended per year. Poorer glycaemic control [higher haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)] was associated with a lower test score [0.2-0.3 SD per 1% (10.9 mmol/mol) increase in HbA1c], and with poorer attendance [1.8% decrease per 1% (10.9 mmol/mol) increase in HbA1c]. No association was observed with history of severe hypoglycaemia, diabetic ketoacidosis or age of onset and school test scores. These results suggest that type 1 diabetes is not associated with a significant decrement in school performance, as assessed by NAPLAN. The association of poorer glycaemic control with poorer school performance serves as further evidence for clinicians to focus on improving glycaemic control.

Re-articulating social justice as equity in schooling policy: the effects of testing and data infrastructures

This paper examines the re-articulation of social justice as equity in schooling policy through national and global testing and data infrastructures. It focuses on the Australian National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) and the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). We analyse the discursive reconstitution of social justice as equity in Australian and OECD policy, and analyse NAPLAN and PISA as technologies of governance that re-articulate equity as a measure of performance. These re-articulations are set against the extension of neo-social economistic rationalities to all domains of life and the topological production of new spaces of policy and power.

Omega-3 supplementation during the first 5 years of life and later academic performance: a randomised controlled trial.

Consumption of oily fish more than once per week has been shown to improve cognitive outcomes in children. However, it is unknown whether similar benefits can be achieved by long-term omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. The objective was to investigate the effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation during the first 5 years of life on subsequent academic performance in children by conducting a secondary analysis of the CAPS (Childhood Asthma Prevention Study). A total of 616 infants with a family history of asthma were randomised to receive tuna fish oil (high in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, active) or Sunola oil (low in omega-3 fatty acids, control) from the time breastfeeding ceased or at the age of 6 months until the age of 5 years. Academic performance was measured by a nationally standardised assessment of literacy and numeracy (National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)) in school years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Plasma omega-3 fatty acid levels were measured at regular intervals until 8 years of age. Between-group differences in test scores, adjusted for maternal age, birth weight and maternal education, were estimated using mixed-model regression. Among 239 children, there were no significant differences in NAPLAN scores between active and control groups. However, at 8 years, the proportion of omega-3 fatty acid in plasma was positively associated with the NAPLAN score (0.13 s.d. unit increase in score per 1% absolute increase in plasma omega-3 fatty acid (95% CI 0.03, 0.23)). Our findings do not support the practice of supplementing omega-3 fatty acids in the diet of young children to improve academic outcomes. Further exploration is needed to understand the association between plasma omega-3 fatty acid levels at 8 years and academic performance.

Funding, reputation and targets: the discursive logics of high-stakes testing

This paper provides insights into teacher and school-based administrators’ responses to policy demands for improved outcomes on high-stakes, standardised literacy and numeracy tests in Australia. Specifically, the research reveals the effects of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), and associated policies, in the state of Queensland. Drawing suggestively across Michel Foucault’s notions of disciplinary power and subjectivity, and Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of social fields, the research utilises interviews with teachers and school-based administrators to reveal how high-stakes, standardised testing practices served to discursively constitute performative teacher subjectivities around issues of funding, teacher and school reputation and target-setting within what is described as the ‘field of schooling practices’. The paper argues that the contestation evident within this field is also reflective and constitutive of more educative schooling discourses and practices, even as performative logics dominate.