STUDENTS PUT TO TEST, BUT IS IT THE RIGHT ONE?

SCHOOL is such a big part of our lives and even when you’re done, if you have children it looms large in your life again. Your first day, your last day, the first time you fell in love with a subject and the day you thought you knew what you wanted to do for the rest of your life.

Or not.

They are formative years, a time when you meet the most influential people in your young life through mentors and friendships.

They can be fun years.

School can also be pressure packed for kids, parents and teachers.

It’s NAPLAN time and it’s hard to find a fan of it.

This year students for the first time are throwing away their pens and paper and are undertaking the testing program online.

As a parent I’m going through it for the first time this week with my babe and a look at the printed 2016 and 2018 versions used by her school for practice has brought back memories of nerves before tests. The questions and tasks are meant to be a moment in time to gauge how students and our school system are tracking.

As far as the president of the Queensland Teachers’ Union Cresta Richardson is concerned NAPLAN is a failure and a waste of precious time time which could be spent on getting on with the job.

The question is though if not NAPLAN, what do we replace it with so parents know which schools are performing well and our curriculum is as effective as it can be?

While we’re talking about school and milestones, check out Page 3. We’re super excited about our annual My First Year feature.

This year there are more photos and schools participating across the Far North than ever before. Check out the key dates so you don’t miss it.