- Tuesday 18 April 2017
- 0 Comments
Alas, the dreaded NAPLAN is nearly upon us. The new online format will be rolled out to select schools this year and fully online within three years, so practice will be needed to ensure students are familiar with the new delivery style.
It is important to remember that students should be taught the curriculum in an effective way throughout the year and not just have the content drilled into them in time for NAPLAN testing. Students need to achieve deep learning that can be transferred to new situations, and this is a skill that is acquired with practice over time. As they say, you can give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day; teach him how to fish and he'll eat forever. Shouldn't that be the point of education?
Ways to prepare students for online NAPLAN testing:
- Use the sample online tests offered by the National Assessment Program public demonstration site so students get used to the functionality of the online testing system.
- Practise inferential questions (such as problem-solving questions or challenges) to improve high-order thinking.
- Include comprehension practice so students have the ability to comprehend what the question is asking (this can be applied across all NAPLAN testing).
- Keep students' attitudes positive throughout the NAPLAN experience by positively reinforcing preparation with rewards such as free time.
The NAP also states that an advantage of moving to online testing is the ability to use tailored testing. This is an adaptive design whereby the questions will automatically change to suit the student's level based on their performance. If a student struggles to answer a question of medium complexity then they will be directed to questions that are less complex; likewise if they perform well they will be given harder questions. Therefore, when the results are examined for each complexity level a more specific picture of student performance can be obtained, ultimately providing teachers with a clear guide to areas and skills that are lacking.
More information can be obtained from the NAP website, or watch their instructional video about the new online NAPLAN.
Remember, you can help students by encouraging them to practise their skills every day, not just loading them up with knowledge for the sake of NAPLAN. Resources such as New wave mental maths, English skills practice, The Comprehension box and The Literacy box may come in handy.
