Preparing for NAPLAN
Development of the 2014 materials is well underway. The items have been through a series of reviews and are ready for trial.
Two of the most asked questions are:
The question of test preparation has been raised repeatedly. The good teaching that you do each and every day is the best preparation.
Professor James Popham (2011), a well-known writer on the subject of assessment, supports this position. The test items, he says, are merely a representation of the knowledge and skill embodied in the curriculum. Good test preparation, therefore occurs when the teacher’s instruction is directed to building a body of knowledge and skills rather than at practising test items.
Two of the most asked questions are:
- How do we prepare our students for the tests?
- What will the genre for the writing task be?
The question of test preparation has been raised repeatedly. The good teaching that you do each and every day is the best preparation.
Professor James Popham (2011), a well-known writer on the subject of assessment, supports this position. The test items, he says, are merely a representation of the knowledge and skill embodied in the curriculum. Good test preparation, therefore occurs when the teacher’s instruction is directed to building a body of knowledge and skills rather than at practising test items.
We acknowledge that many different products and processes are promoted as sure-fire ways to enhance test performance. Some of these have merit and some don’t. Popham suggests that one of the best ways to evaluate test-preparation ideas is to ask the question: Are they educationally defensible? That is, do they build students’ mastery of the curriculum being tested while at the same time improving test scores? Improvement of test scores alone is not enough. This question emphasises the importance of engaging in practices that are in the best interests of students.
Extract taken from QSA NAPLAN Newsletter July 2013