NAPLAN fails in test delivery

Education experts were left shaking their heads after the online NAPLAN testing platform dropped out more than once during the first day of exams on Tuesday.

Thousands of students nationwide were affected by the glitches while sitting the online writing test.

Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School head Michael Giles said the school’s ICT department was monitoring the tests in real time and reported the issue to the School Curriculum Standards Authority.

“They (SCSA) have confirmed that the issue is a ‘central assessment platform issue impacting a number of schools’,” he said.

“Until we are advised by SCSA that the central assessment platform is stable, the school has suspended our planned NAPLAN assessment schedule for students.”

NAPLAN is a series of tests that form part of the National Assessment Program, designed to assess the skill of Australian students in literacy and numeracy against minimum national standards.

Kip McGrath Education Centre teacher Karen Crutchlow has been teaching for almost two decades and said Tuesday’s glitch would have added to students’ stress.

“We do notice the children we have at the centre around NAPLAN time do feel the pressure because they know how important it is, especially in the upper end of primary school,” she said.

“By the end of the testing week, we certainly see a lot of tiredness.

“It (NAPLAN) gives a good, broad line base for the Education Department to start making plans with the teachers to be aware of what students need.

“Personally I feel it detracts from the abilities of the children and teaching them the skillsthey need as individuals.”