Is NAPLAN really that stressful?
31 March 2014 ABC published an article ‘The myth of NAPLAN stress’ written by Jennifer Buckingham, a research fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies.
In her article, Jennifer is questioning numerous claims that the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) causes too much pressure and even has damaging effect on both schools and school students.
The article has received almost 300 readers' comments.
Read ‘The myth of NAPLAN stress’ by Jennifer Buckingham
ACARA's statement to the review of Australian Curriculum
31 March 2014 The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has provided a statement as a contribution to the federal government’s review of the Australian Curriculum.
Read:
the ACARA releases statement to the review of Australian Curriculum media release (pdf 64 KB)
the letter from the ACARA Board Chair – review of the Australian Curriculum (pdf 109 KB)
the Review of the Australian Curriculum: a statement by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (pdf 748 KB)
Senate releases its report on NAPLAN effectiveness
27 March 2014 The Senate Education and Employment References Committee 2013 Inquiry into the Effectiveness of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) has released its final report.
The recommendations of the report affirm work underway towards NAPLAN online, with a particular emphasis on access and equity.
Read the Effectiveness of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy report (pdf 446 KB)
A lot of work goes into a great education
25 March 2014 ACARA's mission is to improve the learning of all young Australians through world-class school curriculum, assessment and reporting.
See a visual representation of what ACARA does and of how many people have contributed to our work. Click on the image to view the infographic in full.
Rob Randall speaks on ABC radio
17 March 2014 Rob Randall, ACARA’s CEO, was interviewed by ABC radio on 14 March 2014.
In his interview, Rob answered recent questions about the Australian Curriculum. The questions included: Is the Australian Curriculum crowded? Does it cover the basics well enough? Are some subjects too advanced for students?
Hear Rob’s interview on ABC radio in full.
NAP–ICTL field trials commence
12 March 2014 From 12 to 26 March 2014 students in Years 6 and 10 from 107 schools in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria will take part in a field trial of the National Assessment Program (NAP) in ICT literacy (ICTL). For the first time, students will complete the assessment online. Previously, students completed it onscreen via a USB. The trial is part of a wider initiative by ACARA to move all national assessments online.
Read more about NAP–ICTL on the NAP website.
Release of My School 2014
05 March 2014 My School 2014 has been released today by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). The 2014 update of data on the My School website provides the opportunity for educators, parents and the wider community to view updated information on all schools across Australia, and to make comparisons between them. My School presents a detailed profile on all schools including results from the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN).
Read the Release of My School 2014 media release (pdf 109 KB)