NAPLAN 2018 results ‘should be discarded’ according to expert review

Teachers have long held concerns about the use of NAPLAN test data, and an independent review of the 2018 test confirms that the data is of ‘very limited use’ and that posting this year’s data to the MySchool website would be ‘inappropriate and misleading’. The review concludes: “In sum, the 2018 NAPLAN results should be discarded.”

The findings come from a review conducted by international experts, Dr Les Perelman, formerly of M.I.T., and Professor Walter Haney of Boston College.

In the review, the authors find that “the design and execution of the 2018 NAPLAN make it so flawed that its results are of very limited use to students, teachers, parents, and schools.”

They further find that changes to the 2018 test to accommodate the mix of online and pen & paper delivery also make the data incomparable to NAPLAN tests from previous years

Federation president Maurie Mulheron said that it is not fair to students or schools to manipulate the results of students doing online testing and pen and paper testing.

“The attempt to equate the two different modes of testing is unfair and invalid,” Mr Mulheron said.

This expert review has been covered extensively in news media, and you can find more information on ABC News and the Sydney Morning Herald.