NAPLAN ONLINE
998. Hon DONNA FARAGHER to the Minister for Education and
Training:
I refer to the minister's
answer to question without notice 662, asked on 22 August 2018, about NAPLAN
Online.
(1) What reviews of NAPLAN Online
2018 are currently being undertaken?
(2) What are the
terms of reference for the reviews referred to in (1), and when are they
expected to be completed?
(3) Will the
rollout of NAPLAN Online in Western Australia next year be dependent on the
outcome of these reviews?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) The
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority—ACARA—is
internally reviewing processes in relation to NAPLAN Online 2018. In June 2018,
the Education Council requested a review of the current approach to the
presentation of National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy
data, including information published on the My School website. The Australian
Education Senior Officials Committee—AESOC—has commissioned an
independent review, the NAPLAN Technical Review, into the linking and scaling
methodologies required to equate tests in the transitional years. The findings
will be used to inform ACARA of improvements to arrangements that could be put
in place for the remaining transitional years, moving from pen and paper tests
to online testing.
(2) The review
currently being undertaken by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and
Reporting Authority will consider the technical components—adaptive
test design and equating process—comparability and communication
activities. The review is expected to be completed by November 2018.
The independent review commissioned
by the Education Council will look at the presentation of NAPLAN data published
on the My School website against the principles put in place when NAPLAN
commenced. Those principles include that the data is presented publicly and
that the data needs to be valid and reliable and in context, and comprehensive
enough so that it can be properly interpreted. The review will also examine how
teachers in schools use NAPLAN data to help their teaching practice, which is
what NAPLAN was designed to do. It is a review of the publication of data as it
relates to NAPLAN, not a review of NAPLAN testing or the way in which
assessments are undertaken.
Bill Louden, Emeritus Professor of
Education at the University of Western Australia, has been selected to
undertake this review. A representative selection of schools from across the
country and across systems and sectors will provide input into the review. It
will also include consultation with parents, teachers, students, school
leaders, peak bodies and independent experts as appropriate, as well as
government and non-government education authorities. The review is underway and
is expected to report back to education ministers by December 2018.
The NAPLAN technical review
commissioned by the Australian Education Sector Officials Committee will examine linking and scaling methodologies
required to equate tests and provide recommendations on comparability across modes and any implications
for reporting in the transitional years to NAPLAN Online. This is the
one that I was part of calling for. The review will be conducted by a team of
three experts, including two internationally recognised psychometricians. It
commenced in September 2018 and a final report is anticipated to be provided to
ACARA and AESOC by early November 2018.
(3) Provided that
ACARA responds to the recommendations of both the Education Council and AESOC
reviews, the rollout of NAPLAN Online in Western Australia will continue as
planned in 2019.