States face push on 10- minute Year 1 test
BILLIONS of dollars in funding for schools could be withheld unless state governments back a plan for a national test for Year 1 students.
The NAPLAN- lite test is a federal plan intended to pick up learning problems early and stop those students from falling behind in school.
Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham needs unanimous backing from the states to get the test approved and rolled out nationwide. The proposed test would be done one- on- one between teacher and student in term three.
It will be part of the National Assessment Program, although results will not be publicly available, which Senator Birmingham said differentiated it from NAPLAN.
State Education Minister Kate Jones is leading the state governments in the charge against it – saying she fears it will be NAPLAN by stealth. But Senator Birmingham has the power to set conditions for the $ 23 billion in additional Gonski funding the Federal Government gives to the states for schools.
Negotiations with the states are continuing and but Senator Birmingham is not suggesting this option, however it is available to the Government if necessary.
Ms Jones said parents and teachers did not want five and six- years- olds facing national exams and questioned how long the results would be kept secret.
“I’ve never had a parent come up and say they want national testing for five- yearolds,” she said.
“The moment we start collecting national data, people will say you should release it.”
Senator Birmingham disputed this and said there was no intention to make the results public.
“I don’t want it to become so, the Turnbull Government doesn’t want it to become so, and I’m yet to find a state or territory that does,” he said.
“I think we can be absolutely confident here that this is something purely that can be used as a diagnostic tool, as a skills check that can help schools and teachers.”
Senator Birmingham said the test would only last up to 10 minutes, to fit in with the attention spans of students aged five and six.