Curriculum News  

NAPLAN (Years 3 & 5)

At Galilee, we focus upon understanding assessment as an opportunity for students to show what they CAN do. When we think about assessment in this way, it is about celebrating growth and identifying next steps for learning. This week, I’d like to frame the upcoming NAPLAN tests as another opportunity to celebrate learning growth – and provide some information about the 2021 online NAPLAN tests. 

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. The assessment provides parents and schools with an understanding of how individual students are performing at the time of the tests. We moved to online NAPLAN testing in 2019. The 2020 programme did not take place due to COVID-19, and in 2021, like the majority of students across Australia, all students in Years 3 and 5 at OLR will sit NAPLAN online. 

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance and it is not used for formal semester reporting. 

It is extremely important to talk positively about this experience with your child, as they do not need to feel anxious or worried. The school will provide a supportive environment where the children will complete the tests in smaller groups with many teachers on hand to help them through the process. One of the main benefits of NAPLAN online is its capacity to deliver tailored testing, where the test automatically adapts to an individual student’s test performance by presenting questions of higher or lower complexity. This allows all students to work at their own point of challenge and allows the test to measure student achievement more precisely. The assessment window for 2021 NAPLAN online is between 11 and 21 May (Term 2 Weeks 4 and 5).

Tips to help your child get through NAPLAN testing as stress-free as possible:

1. Make sure they get enough sleep

Making sure your child gets enough sleep is vital to make sure they're feeling their best on testing day. Try to make sure they go to bed on time during the week of NAPLAN testing.

2. Take the pressure off

A bit of stress is normal before any test, however the National Assessment Program (NAP) recommends helping your child prepare for NAPLAN by reassuring them that NAPLAN tests are just one part of their school program, and reminding them on the day to simply try their best is vital.

3. Let them know it's not pass or fail

NAPLAN is not a pass-or-fail type test. Individual student performance is shown on a national achievement scale for each test. Each test scale has 10 bands and all year levels are reported on the same scale. Six bands are reported for each year level for each test. One of these bands represents the national minimum standard for students at each year level. A result at the national minimum standard indicates that the student demonstrated the basic literacy and numeracy skills needed to participate fully in that year level. The performance of individual students can be compared to the average performance of all students in Australia.

4. Give them a good breakfast

Breakfast before learning is ideal every day for students but a nutritious meal before a morning test like NAPLAN will give students doing the test the best start to the day.

5. Don't emphasise the result

Schools will receive NAPLAN reports for their students from mid-August to mid-September, depending on their state or territory test administration authority. The school will notify parents when the reports are being sent home. Try not to place too much pressure on what result your child receives and remind them that they've done their best.

Source: 

nap.edu.au/naplan

National Walk Safely to School Day - 14 May 2021 

Information about pedestrian safety 

Walking to school

While walking to school is encouraged for school children, here are some hints for parents to follow to ensure your children enjoy a safe trip to and from school every day:

• Up until at least 10 years old, walk to school with your children, especially if children are 10under the age of 10.
• If you cannot be with your child when walking to school, organise for another trusted adult to accompany them.
• Walk your children along the safest route to school and identify hazards and appropriate crossing locations along the way.

Crossing at a marked pedestrian crossing

Pedestrian Crossings are designated by road markings (either painted white lines or concrete centre islands) that warn motorists that a crossing is ahead, to take care and give way to pedestrians.

To use a crossing safely you must;

• Walk up to the crossing
• Stop
• Look
• Listen
• Think
• Keep looking and listening whilst crossing
• Do not run, ride or skate across