Dean of Studies

Rethinking your approach

We are all aware of the advances in our access to information and technology. What is also becoming apparent is the increasing rate of knowledge. In his recently released book entitled Think Again, Professor Adam Grant presents an interesting point of view:

“In 2011, you consumed about five times as much information per day as you would have just a quarter-century earlier. As of 1950, it took about 50 years for knowledge in medicine to double. By 1980, medical knowledge was doubling every seven years, and by 2010, it was doubling in half that time. The accelerating pace of change means that we need to question our beliefs more readily than ever before.”

The ability to question our knowledge or the facts we hold to be true isn’t easy, and as we get older they become entrenched. In past years in education, the revelations and revolutions in history and science could take to be updated in textbooks, and while vintage records, classic cars and antique clocks might be valuable collectibles, Grant argues for an approach that considers that “outdated facts are mental fossils that are best abandoned”.

Science is one of the core subjects taught, and there is a thread whereby rethinking is fundamental to scientific progress. Scientific research is aware of the limits of understanding, seeks to examine doubt, and be curious about the unknown. New research or data updates scientific views and opinion. Biological scientists discovered penicillin, rocket scientists sent people to the moon, and computer scientists built the internet.

Thinking scientifically can also serve us as a frame of mind and can aid our academic progress. In scientific mode, we search for the truth around the best way to learn. We run experiments to test (hypothesise) about our work and study habits, and we discover (gain knowledge) about what works best. Our ‘scientific’ experiments in life inform our daily decisions, we throw out what doesn’t work and try new ways to learn, to gain knowledge and to map a path to success. Equally as important, we seek out others to test our ‘science experiments’ – Do you think this will work? Is there another way I could be doing this? Have you tried a similar approach?

In doing this, we can find delight in being wrong, because in doing so and changing how we think, we gain knowledge, and develop our habits for success.

Excerpted from Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant. Used with the permission of the publisher, Viking, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright 2021 by Adam Grant.

Externally Set Task (EST) – Year 12 General Courses

All students enrolled in a General Year 12 course and/or a Foundation Year 12 course are required to complete the externally set task (EST) developed by the Authority for that course. The EST is compulsory and forms part of the school-based assessment and is included as a separate assessment type with a weighting of 15% for the pair of units. The ESTs are administered in schools during designated weeks in Term 2 under standard test conditions. The EST will take 50 minutes. 

The Authority informs schools during Term 3, in the previous year, of the Unit 3 syllabus content on which the task will be based. This notification will enable schools to ensure that the identified content is taught prior to the administration of the EST. The ESTs are marked by teachers in each school using a marking key provided by the Authority.

[1] Students with special provisions such as Extra Time of Rest Breaks may have their EST scheduled in a separate venue with assistance from the Learning Support Team.

NAPLAN Online – Frequently asked questions

What is NAPLAN?

An assessment of literacy and numeracy, is undertaken annually in May by all Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 students throughout Australia. NAPLAN is made up of two assessment areas: literacy and numeracy. The literacy component comprises three tests: Reading; Writing; Conventions of Language.

How does NAPLAN help my child?

NAPLAN provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate what they have learned in the areas of literacy and numeracy. Individual student results show parents how their child performed in the numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation tests. 

Your child’s achievements are compared with achievements of all students in Australia, not just with their classmates’ achievements. NAPLAN results can also help parents and students to discuss individual student progress with teachers. Because NAPLAN tracks your child’s progress across Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, it also provides objective information about growth in student attainment in literacy and numeracy. 

How does NAPLAN help my child’s school?

NAPLAN is the only national assessment that Australian children undertake. NAPLAN helps: 

• Teachers to better identify students who need greater challenges or extra support.
• Schools to identify strengths and areas of need in teaching programs.
• Schools to set goals in literacy and numeracy.

NAPLAN also complements other school assessments and provides nationally comparable data to help governments evaluate how education programs are working and whether students are meeting the important literacy and numeracy standards. 

What is assessed in NAPLAN?

The reading tests are designed to assess a wide range of abilities. For the online test, students read a range of text types on a computer or device and answer questions about the texts on screen in a variety of online item formats.

All students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are required to complete a writing task, using a prompt or stimulus topic. The genre of the task is not be disclosed prior to the test period. The writing test requires students to respond to either a persuasive or narrative writing prompt. For the online test, the prompt is shown on screen and students type their responses. Criterion-referenced marking rubrics are used to assess students’ writing. The same rubrics are applied to all responses, both handwritten and typed. This enables comparisons to be made across year groups and topics, and growth to be measured.

The Conventions of language test comprises spelling, grammar and punctuation. For the online test, students spell words in an audio dictation task, identify and correct spelling errors, and answer grammar and punctuation questions in a range of online item formats.

The numeracy assessment area includes:

• Number and Algebra
• Measurement and Geometry
• Statistics and Probability.

For the online test, students in Years 3 and 5 do not use a calculator. The test for students in Years 7 and 9 has two sections. In the first section, calculators are not allowed. In the second section, students can access an online calculator, ruler and protractor. Students in all year groups can turn on an audio player to hear the questions read aloud, if they wish.

Why is NAPLAN completed online at St Norbert College?

Transition to a NAPLAN online assessment program has been underway since 2018. A tailored test design is used where students answer an initial set of questions and are then directed to subsequent sets of questions, either more challenging or less challenging, based on the accuracy of their responses. The use of a computer-based environment enables a wider range of question types and potentially encourages broader levels of engagement.

When will I receive my child’s NAPLAN Report and what will it tell me?

If you are a parent of a student who is undertaking the NAPLAN tests in May this year, your child’s school will provide you with an individual report of your child’s results. Parents can expect to receive their child’s NAPLAN report from late August onwards, once state and territory test administration authorities have provided the NAPLAN individual student reports to schools. 

You will see your child’s NAPLAN results for numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation on an achievement scale. The Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 literacy and numeracy assessment results are reported on a scale from Band 1 to Band 10. This scale represents increasing levels of knowledge, understanding and skills demonstrated in the assessments.

When will my child (Year 7 or Year 9) sit the NAPLAN online tests in 2021?

 The NAPLAN Online will be scheduled as follows:

• Reading   –  Tuesday, 11 May
• Writing  –  Wednesday, 12 May
• Conventions of language  – Thursday, 13 May
• Numeracy  -  Monday, 17 May

Mr Rod Dowling (Dean of Studies)