'Worrying' student test results spur fresh funding plea
While two-thirds of Australian primary and high school students performed well in latest NAPLAN testing, children in remote areas and from disadvantaged families continue to lag behind their peers.
Girls again outperformed boys in literacy but boys did better in numeracy, with the gaps emerging in early secondary and late primary school, according to results released on Wednesday.
The Grattan Institute's Amy Haywood said teachers and schools needed the benefit of greater investment to provide practical support to students.
"The results can be sobering … we should be asking governments what they are doing to support teachers," she told AAP.
"A teacher working on their own can't do the impossible. They need support from government."
Ms Haywood, who previously worked as a secondary teacher, said it would be incredibly difficult to provide ongoing support to the growing number of students who are falling behind.
"If you keep falling behind, it's harder to catch-up as you go through school. That has a flow-on impact."
Education Minister Jason Clare acknowledged there was more work to do to improve results.
He said the federal government had committed to the biggest investment in public schools in Australian history, worth $16 billion over the next 10 years.
The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, which runs the annual tests, said results in all subjects were relatively stable.
But Indigenous students, as well as children in remote and rural areas, remained well behind, prompting a call for "collective action" to help struggling pupils.
Ms Haywood said the results were concerning, although the figures had differed little in the past three years.
"It's worrying that one in three school students are still falling short of that proficiency benchmark in literacy and numeracy," she said.
Just one in five students in very remote areas had results that were considered strong or exceeding expectations - far below the 70 per cent of students in major cities who achieved the same rankings.
Almost one-third of Indigenous students fell below minimum standards and needed extra support, compared to less than one in 10 non-Indigenous students.
Centre for Independent Studies education research fellow Trisha Jha said an improvement in the results was likely, although it would take time.
"We've got instructional models and approaches to teaching and curriculum that are becoming more aligned with evidence," she said.
"Those are really positive changes but the biggest problem is that it's going to take a long time for the impact of those policies to be felt on students at a classroom level."
Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Justin Mullaly called for additional public school funding, saying staff felt undervalued.
"There is no doubt we're putting the outcomes we need from our children and young people as they go through school in jeopardy unless we fund our schools properly," he said.
The NAPLAN results released on Wednesday did not give reasons behind the trends, while a school-by-school breakdown will be released later in the year.
Participation rates have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels as 1.3 million students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sat the tests in early March - equivalent to 93.8 per cent of pupils.
That includes students in Queensland, who did their exams in the days after Cyclone Alfred struck and still managed the highest participation rates since 2019.
Stagnating literacy and numeracy levels have fuelled calls for an urgent increase in funding as test results reveal about one-tenth of students need help to meet basic standards.
While two-thirds of Australian primary and high school students performed well in latest NAPLAN testing, children in remote areas and from disadvantaged families continue to lag behind their peers.
Girls again outperformed boys in literacy but boys did better in numeracy, with the gaps emerging in early secondary and late primary school, according to results released on Wednesday.
The Grattan Institute's Amy Haywood said teachers and schools needed the benefit of greater investment to provide practical support to students.
"The results can be sobering … we should be asking governments what they are doing to support teachers," she told AAP.
"A teacher working on their own can't do the impossible. They need support from government."
Ms Haywood, who previously worked as a secondary teacher, said it would be incredibly difficult to provide ongoing support to the growing number of students who are falling behind.
"If you keep falling behind, it's harder to catch-up as you go through school. That has a flow-on impact."
Education Minister Jason Clare acknowledged there was more work to do to improve results.
He said the federal government had committed to the biggest investment in public schools in Australian history, worth $16 billion over the next 10 years.
The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, which runs the annual tests, said results in all subjects were relatively stable.
But Indigenous students, as well as children in remote and rural areas, remained well behind, prompting a call for "collective action" to help struggling pupils.
Ms Haywood said the results were concerning, although the figures had differed little in the past three years.
"It's worrying that one in three school students are still falling short of that proficiency benchmark in literacy and numeracy," she said.
Just one in five students in very remote areas had results that were considered strong or exceeding expectations - far below the 70 per cent of students in major cities who achieved the same rankings.
Almost one-third of Indigenous students fell below minimum standards and needed extra support, compared to less than one in 10 non-Indigenous students.
Centre for Independent Studies education research fellow Trisha Jha said an improvement in the results was likely, although it would take time.
"We've got instructional models and approaches to teaching and curriculum that are becoming more aligned with evidence," she said.
"Those are really positive changes but the biggest problem is that it's going to take a long time for the impact of those policies to be felt on students at a classroom level."
Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Justin Mullaly called for additional public school funding, saying staff felt undervalued.
"There is no doubt we're putting the outcomes we need from our children and young people as they go through school in jeopardy unless we fund our schools properly," he said.
The NAPLAN results released on Wednesday did not give reasons behind the trends, while a school-by-school breakdown will be released later in the year.
Participation rates have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels as 1.3 million students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sat the tests in early March - equivalent to 93.8 per cent of pupils.
That includes students in Queensland, who did their exams in the days after Cyclone Alfred struck and still managed the highest participation rates since 2019.
Stagnating literacy and numeracy levels have fuelled calls for an urgent increase in funding as test results reveal about one-tenth of students need help to meet basic standards.
While two-thirds of Australian primary and high school students performed well in latest NAPLAN testing, children in remote areas and from disadvantaged families continue to lag behind their peers.
Girls again outperformed boys in literacy but boys did better in numeracy, with the gaps emerging in early secondary and late primary school, according to results released on Wednesday.
The Grattan Institute's Amy Haywood said teachers and schools needed the benefit of greater investment to provide practical support to students.
"The results can be sobering … we should be asking governments what they are doing to support teachers," she told AAP.
"A teacher working on their own can't do the impossible. They need support from government."
Ms Haywood, who previously worked as a secondary teacher, said it would be incredibly difficult to provide ongoing support to the growing number of students who are falling behind.
"If you keep falling behind, it's harder to catch-up as you go through school. That has a flow-on impact."
Education Minister Jason Clare acknowledged there was more work to do to improve results.
He said the federal government had committed to the biggest investment in public schools in Australian history, worth $16 billion over the next 10 years.
The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, which runs the annual tests, said results in all subjects were relatively stable.
But Indigenous students, as well as children in remote and rural areas, remained well behind, prompting a call for "collective action" to help struggling pupils.
Ms Haywood said the results were concerning, although the figures had differed little in the past three years.
"It's worrying that one in three school students are still falling short of that proficiency benchmark in literacy and numeracy," she said.
Just one in five students in very remote areas had results that were considered strong or exceeding expectations - far below the 70 per cent of students in major cities who achieved the same rankings.
Almost one-third of Indigenous students fell below minimum standards and needed extra support, compared to less than one in 10 non-Indigenous students.
Centre for Independent Studies education research fellow Trisha Jha said an improvement in the results was likely, although it would take time.
"We've got instructional models and approaches to teaching and curriculum that are becoming more aligned with evidence," she said.
"Those are really positive changes but the biggest problem is that it's going to take a long time for the impact of those policies to be felt on students at a classroom level."
Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Justin Mullaly called for additional public school funding, saying staff felt undervalued.
"There is no doubt we're putting the outcomes we need from our children and young people as they go through school in jeopardy unless we fund our schools properly," he said.
The NAPLAN results released on Wednesday did not give reasons behind the trends, while a school-by-school breakdown will be released later in the year.
Participation rates have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels as 1.3 million students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sat the tests in early March - equivalent to 93.8 per cent of pupils.
That includes students in Queensland, who did their exams in the days after Cyclone Alfred struck and still managed the highest participation rates since 2019.
Stagnating literacy and numeracy levels have fuelled calls for an urgent increase in funding as test results reveal about one-tenth of students need help to meet basic standards.
While two-thirds of Australian primary and high school students performed well in latest NAPLAN testing, children in remote areas and from disadvantaged families continue to lag behind their peers.
Girls again outperformed boys in literacy but boys did better in numeracy, with the gaps emerging in early secondary and late primary school, according to results released on Wednesday.
The Grattan Institute's Amy Haywood said teachers and schools needed the benefit of greater investment to provide practical support to students.
"The results can be sobering … we should be asking governments what they are doing to support teachers," she told AAP.
"A teacher working on their own can't do the impossible. They need support from government."
Ms Haywood, who previously worked as a secondary teacher, said it would be incredibly difficult to provide ongoing support to the growing number of students who are falling behind.
"If you keep falling behind, it's harder to catch-up as you go through school. That has a flow-on impact."
Education Minister Jason Clare acknowledged there was more work to do to improve results.
He said the federal government had committed to the biggest investment in public schools in Australian history, worth $16 billion over the next 10 years.
The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, which runs the annual tests, said results in all subjects were relatively stable.
But Indigenous students, as well as children in remote and rural areas, remained well behind, prompting a call for "collective action" to help struggling pupils.
Ms Haywood said the results were concerning, although the figures had differed little in the past three years.
"It's worrying that one in three school students are still falling short of that proficiency benchmark in literacy and numeracy," she said.
Just one in five students in very remote areas had results that were considered strong or exceeding expectations - far below the 70 per cent of students in major cities who achieved the same rankings.
Almost one-third of Indigenous students fell below minimum standards and needed extra support, compared to less than one in 10 non-Indigenous students.
Centre for Independent Studies education research fellow Trisha Jha said an improvement in the results was likely, although it would take time.
"We've got instructional models and approaches to teaching and curriculum that are becoming more aligned with evidence," she said.
"Those are really positive changes but the biggest problem is that it's going to take a long time for the impact of those policies to be felt on students at a classroom level."
Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Justin Mullaly called for additional public school funding, saying staff felt undervalued.
"There is no doubt we're putting the outcomes we need from our children and young people as they go through school in jeopardy unless we fund our schools properly," he said.
The NAPLAN results released on Wednesday did not give reasons behind the trends, while a school-by-school breakdown will be released later in the year.
Participation rates have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels as 1.3 million students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sat the tests in early March - equivalent to 93.8 per cent of pupils.
That includes students in Queensland, who did their exams in the days after Cyclone Alfred struck and still managed the highest participation rates since 2019.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
40 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro tears into coroner who presented Kumanjayi Walker inquest findings in Yuendumu in front of an Indigenous activist banner
Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro says the coroner has questions to answer about the way she delivered her findings into the death of Kumanjayi Walker, an Indigenous man shot dead by police. But as the Government continued its criticism of Coroner Elisabeth Armitage, a senior barrister said the attacks were 'personal' and an attempt to distract from the gravity of her findings. Last week Sky News revealed former police officer Zachary Rolfe, who shot Walker dead at Yuendumu in November 2019, had made a formal complaint to the NT Judicial Commission accusing Ms Armitage of bias. Part of his complaint relates to the coroner delivering her findings at the PAW Media building in Yuendumu in front of a banner belonging to an activist group that had previously called for Mr Rolfe to be speared in an act of customary lore. Asked on Mix FM radio if she thought it was appropriate for the coroner to deliver her findings in front of the banner, Mrs Finocchiaro said: 'Of course not. Now, if you give the benefit of the doubt it was put up while she was speaking so the coroner might not have been aware that it had happened - certainly her staff would have been there and would have seen it as did the rest of the universe. 'There's valid questions to be raised, obviously Mr Rolfe is availing himself of that opportunity and all positions come with a level of accountability and the coroner's no exception to that.' But barrister Phillip Boulten SC, who represented the North Australia Aboriginal Justice Agency at the inquest, told Sky News the decision did not indicate bias on the part of the coroner. 'The banner shouldn't have been there but the coroner didn't put it there,' he said. 'The coroner had her spot marked out, she went to the spot that had been marked out but by the time she got there someone had put it there. You can't blame the coroner for that and it certainly doesn't demonstrate bias on her part, that someone put a banner up.' Mr Boulten slammed the Finocchiaro Government for its attacks on Ms Armitage since she delivered her final report into Walker's death last month, which said Mr Rolfe was a racist and that should couldn't rule out the possibility racism played a part in Walker's death. 'The attacks against this coroner are personal, they are driven by a very basic opposition to her findings,' Mr Boulten said. 'It is uncomfortable for the government to hear a judicial officer call out systemic, racist attitudes in the police force in the Northern Territory.' Mrs Finocchiaro said the government maintained confidence in the coroner but had concerns about the length and cost of some of her inquiries. The inquest into Mr Walker's death, which took almost three years, has cost three NT Government departments more than $8 million. The Government has since flagged possible changes to the Coroner's Act. 'There's a way in which sometimes the coroner chooses to do things certainly grates a lot of people the wrong way and I'm sure it has people who love it as well, so it's one of those things but accountability is what's really important,' Mrs Finocchiaro said. 'We don't believe these things should be dragged on as long as they are being, we don't believe they should be costing as much as they are, so it's something we've got to take a look at and the Attorney-General is leading that work.' Minister for the Prevention of Family and Domestic Robyn Cahill also criticised the coroner last week, describing her final report into the deaths of four Aboriginal women killed in domestic violence incidents as 'uninspiring' and 'underwhelming'. Mr Boulten said the Government's criticism of the coroner was short-sighted and reactionary. 'It should be time for a government to be considering what they can do (to respond to her findings), rather than to attack the coroner,' he said.
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
Indigenous artist avoids sacking from government role despite releasing foul-mouthed rant labelling Anthony Albanese a ‘genocidal c***'
Indigenous musician Fred Leone has escaped being sacked from a government board despite releasing an abusive clip to social media labelling Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a 'c***' for his handling of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Prime Minister Albanese is reportedly considering a potential shift in foreign policy following in the footsteps of the UK, France and Canada, with September's UN General Assembly a possible timeframe for Australia to formally recognise a Palestinian state. Mr Albanese's hardening stance on the conflict was not enough to satisfy Indigenous musician and federal public servant Fred Leone, who posted a lengthy expletive-laden rant to Instagram last week scolding the PM and his cabinet colleagues in the strongest possible terms. Mr Leone, who was driving in his car at the time, began the clip by declaring that Anthony Albanese was a 'weak as p***, f****** dead s*** damn arsed leader' and that he was the 'poxiest f****** leader this country has ever had.' The Butchulla songman was nominated to the board of the Music Australia Council by Arts and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke in 2023 and rakes in an annual salary of $24,540 from the position. Mr Leone, who has an extensive track record of expressing controversial personal opinions, seemed unphased about his position as a civil servant and proceeded to launch a blistering personal attack aimed at his ministerial bosses. Mr Albanese copped the brunt of the tirade and was characterised by Mr Leone as a 'f****** child' who had been 'sucking Zionist n*** for the last two years, it's pathetic.' 'You (Mr Albanese) call anybody who calls out Israel an antisemite, what we are talking about is disgusting, you are selling weapons parts to Israel, go get f***** you piece of s***. Mr Leone said Foreign Minister Penny Wong should also 'go get f*****' and that she was a 'gutless piece of s***' and a 'lying b****.' The man then turned his sights to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, who personally appointed him to the lucrative federal board. 'Tony Burke, you f****** weak arse c***. How many Israeli IDF soldiers are here and living in this country with dual citizenship and you are here galivanting around,' Mr Leone said. He also appeared to threaten the trio, at one stage stating, 'don't come near me or I'll rip you in front of everybody.' The outburst, which would typically warrant instant termination in most workplaces, did not result in Mr Leone being stood down from his official capacity as a federal bureaucrat - with The Australian reporting he would remain in the role until his term on the board lapsed at the end of August. In a brief statement to The Australian, Mr Burke said 'his (Leone's) language escalated as soon as he was told that he wasn't going to be reappointed to Music Australia.' Mr Leone said he 'couldn't give a f***' if he 'never got any funding from the Australin government ever again.' 'I will apply, and I couldn't give a f***, I couldn't care less,' he said.
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Indigenous leaders launch fresh legal action to stop development of Olympic stadium despite Qld gov passing legislation to bypass heritage protections
Fresh legal action has been put forward by Indigenous leaders to halt the development of a 63,000-seat Olympic stadium at Brisbane's Victoria Park. The Yagara Magandjin Aboriginal Corporation (YMAC) lodged an official application on Tuesday for the permanent protection of Victoria Park (Barrambin), as it is considered "one of the city's most important First Nations sites". YMAC spokesperson and Yagarabul elder Gaja Kerry Charlton said the premier's stadium plans, which were announced in March and received heavy criticism, came as a "complete shock". Ms Charlton further affirmed her position on the significant site by adding it is riddled with ancient trees, artefacts and possible ancestral remains. 'For we Goori people, Barrambin is living Country, possessing sacred, ancient and significant relationships within our cultural heritage systems,' she said. 'It was a complete shock when the Premier came out with his stadium plans. 'We are very concerned there are ancient trees, artefacts and very important ecosystems existing there. 'There may be ancestral remains. 'We stand resolute in our responsibility to protect it.' The application, which was lodged under Section 10 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act (ATSIHP), can grant protection of a significant Indigenous area deemed under threat of injury or desecration. The decision to approve or reject the Indigenous leaders' pleas lies in the hands of Environment Minister Murray Watt. If he is satisfied that a specific area of significance is under threat, he may issue a legally binding order to protect it. In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesperson from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said the office was reviewing the application. "The department is currently reviewing this application and will take all standard steps to progress it, including engaging with the applicant, the proponent and the Queensland government," they said. However, in June the Queensland government passed legislation which would allow Olympic infrastructure projects, including Victoria Park, to bypass heritage protections and environmental laws. Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie previously told Indigenous communities that the government would push ahead with the stadium build, regardless of support. 'Rather than just overruling those cultural heritage laws, I've actually put a provision in there that still honours those cultural heritage laws,' he said. 'But ultimately, if an agreement can't be reached with local Indigenous communities, then the laws will be overridden.'
