Today I have been thinking about schools and education….
…. I have been mulling it over in my head because this week,
my oldest daughter Flash (9) is sitting
her first standardized tests; the National Assessment Program in Literacy and Numeracy
(NAPLAN).
As it is my first experience parenting a child through a standardised test, I have not really
been sure what to expect. I have tried to extract information from my daughter
but most of the time she has not seemed willing to talk much about it…I know
that there was an exposition to write about food and she knew how to spell
‘vegetable’…
I haven’t pushed the point because after spending a large
part of the school day sitting multiple tests…the last thing a 9 year old would
want is to be grilled about it by her mum!...I’ll have another go at getting some of her thoughts on
the weekend….but I can tell that that this has certainly been a stressful and
un-enjoyable experience for her. I have to say that after today I am thankful
that the NAPLAN is over.
According to the NAPLAN website, these tests are important
because...
“…NAPLAN
tests are run every year to provide policy makers, schools, and parents with
important information about how well students are performing in key areas of
literacy and numeracy….”
I didn’t experience this sort of testing when I was in year
3. These tests have been run for only the last few years. The schools I
attended were in country town NSW. A town where unemployment and poverty, were very high. I think it is fair to
say that it was an area of lower socio-economic standard than I live in today.
I am being completely honest when I say that the school was
terribly under resourced. Of course at the time, it was all that I had known.
But now, when I see the school that my children attend, the vast range of
equipment, resources and opportunities they have…than the difference is wide
and gaping!
I was able to finish school, go on to university and achieve
a PhD in Medical Research. I think I was able to achieve a score high enough to study science at university largely due to the support of my mum and my internal drive.
I do truly believe
that myself and my cohort were just as capable as a children attending a Canberra private
school….but the difference in university entrance scores is staggering! A student
attending my old school would find it extremely difficult if not impossible to achieve
a high enough entrance score to pursue medicine, law or any of those type of
university courses straight from school.
If there is anything useful to come out of the NAPLAN tests
than I hope that differences in literacy and numeracy will be detected at year
3…where there’s still time to improve,…rather than waiting for the university entrance
scores. I hope that the schools that perform poorly at the NAPLAN tests get the
funding, resources and support that they require to increase the levels of
literacy and numeracy in their students so that they will have the
opportunities to attend university, just like their counterparts form more advantaged
schools.
Unfortunately, I think the NAPLAN is abused. I have heard
stories of some schools drilling their students on the test for weeks, even
months prior to the test. There are books and websites available to help
parents coach their child for the tests. I have heard that some selective high
schools are using the results to choose their students. The results are used to
create ‘league tables’ in the Newspapers. I don’t think the NAPLAN should be used for these
purposes at all.
Getting good results in one test should not be the measure
of a good education. The test does not measure things like the school
community, a love of learning, art, science, music or sport. I hope that the
all students are able to experience these wonderful aspects of schools as well
as the NAPLAN.
In my experience with my daughter this year, I can say that
the school has prepared her for the NAPLAN. They have had several practices and
the children have been shown what is expected of them in the test. I am thankful for this because it would be
awful to be comforted with the NAPLAN with out any preparation. However, My
daughter has also had a rich education in that she is learning Indonesian,
taking part in music and art lessons, she has joined the school choir and of
course participated highly in school sport.
Today I am thankful for the school that my children attend
think they have managed the NAPLAN well. I am thankful for the rich and diverse
education they are receiving and I can see that it is vastly superior to the
education I received in year three.
Personally, I have not liked sending my daughter off to
school this week knowing she has the NAPLAN waiting for her. I think the NAPLAN
as been abused and is not being used for the purpose in which it was intended. I believe there is so much more to education.
However, since I do not really have a choice…the NAPLAN is
here weather I like it or not, I hope that some good can come form the NAPLAN.
I hope that resources can be given to schools that will be identified as really
needing support so that all children have a chance at fulfilling their
potential.
I'm sharing this post over at Thankful Thursday on the Kate Says Stuff Blog. You can head over there to read some inspiring posts!
