Naplan

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual national assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9, and is the only nationwide assessment that all Australian children undertake.

It is a measure to see whether or not young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning, and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community.

NAPLAN helps governments, education authorities and schools to see whether young Australians are reaching important literacy and numeracy goals. It provides information about how education programs are working, areas for improvement, and which schools need support in the teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy.

It can support school improvement by enabling teachers to monitor their students’ progress over time against the national measure, to identify strengths and areas to improve in teaching programs. It provides additional information to support teacher judgement about progress in a child’s level of literacy and numeracy attainment.

NAPLAN also allows parents to see how their child is progressing against national standards in literacy and numeracy and over time. As students progress through their school years, it’s important that checks are made along the way to see how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and mathematics – skills that will set them upon the path to success as adults.

NAPLAN offers students an insight into where they are at on their learning journey. By sitting NAPLAN and trying their best, students help to make sure teachers and schools have the right information to help every student in Australia get the support they need to reach their full potential.

NAPLAN tests are one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process, and do not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about each student’s performance.

ACARA: https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/faqs/naplan--general, 2022

In 2023, MSJ had unprecedented attendance and completion of the NAPLAN tests for Years 7 and 9. The tests were invigilated by external supervisors who all commented on the exceptional conduct of our students. We congratulate students for their achievements in this test and the maturity which was demonstrated in its completion. Results will be provided to schools between August - September and will be distributed to families accordingly.

As stated on the ACARA site, this assessment is only one of the methods that is used to determine student achievement and monitor progress. As staff at the College, there will be a focus on student data in Term 2 and ways that this data can contribute to an overall profile of a student’s achievements.

Assessment and Reporting

Congratulations to all students for the effort they have put into their studies in recent weeks. As Term 1 comes to an end, students have been involved in a number of assessments of student learning.

Assessment and reporting are vital processes which provide information about what students know and can do, and to make recommendations for their future learning. Assessment is an integral part of the teaching and learning program at Mount St. Joseph Girls' College.

Student assessment may take a variety of formats depending on the nature of the subject. Students receive feedback through rubrics outlining the criteria assessing the task or unit of work.

Formative assessment is used to monitor learning progress during a learning sequence. It provides continuous feedback to teachers and students, which enables them to monitor progress and identify and address needs in learning.

Summative assessment seeks to establish the level of achievement attained by a student, and typically occurs at the end of a learning sequence, course or unit. The main purpose of summative assessment is to establish levels of achievement for reporting.

We encourage families to continue to monitor school based assessment on CANVAS which is reported to families in real time.

Parents will have an opportunity to meet teachers to discuss these outcomes in Term 2. Details of these interviews and booking protocols will be provided to families at the commencement of term 2.

Learning and Teaching Focus

Lifelong learning is a focus for the staff at MSJ. It is imperative that the opportunities for development are provided to staff to ensure that students are equipped with the up to date practices which support their educational development and goal attainment.

At the commencement of Term 2 - 24 April (Student Free Day) - staff will be involved in professional learning presented by the company Corwin relating to John Hattie's Visible Learning Model. Specifically, staff will be auditing and refining their practice in using Learning Intentions and Success Criteria as a tool to inform students of expectations in terms of daily learning and successful achievement in assessment. Corwin representatives have already been working with our school to conduct a School Capability Assessment to inform current achievements in the areas of Learning and Teaching. Students and staff were part of this assessment to ensure accurate data and information could be gathered.

Chantelle Gauci - Deputy Principal, Learning & Staff