OLNA results see high school bar raise in WA

Tuesday, 10 January 2017
 
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• Literacy and numeracy success rate improves from 28.1% in Year 9 to more than 90% in Year 12
• Reforms see more rigour in WA Certificate of Education (WACE) 

The percentage of WACE-eligible students meeting minimum literacy and numeracy standards rose to more than 90 per cent for 2016's Year 12s, compared to 28.1 per cent when those students were in Year 9.

Education Minister Peter Collier said the remarkable improvement was captured in the results of Western Australia's Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA).

"The OLNA was introduced as part of wider WACE reforms and is designed to raise the bar in senior secondary education," Mr Collier said.

"Through the assessment, students who are struggling with reading and writing are identified early and receive tailored help to ensure they are prepared for life beyond secondary schooling."

Western Australia is leading the nation by being the first State to introduce this minimum standard.  New South Wales is following our example from 2018 with other States likely to follow.

"Today's results show the value-adding schools have put in place to ensure their students leave school with the best possible opportunity for success," the Minister said.

Year 9 NAPLAN results have improved significantly since the implementation of OLNA, with Mr Collier attributing the success to the requirement for students who do not reach minimum standards at that time to sit the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment.

"Other States are envious of the exponential improvement achieved by Western Australian Year 9 students in NAPLAN," he said.

Fact File

• Western Australia now has the highest percentage of Year 9 students in the top two achievement bands (Bands 9 and 10) for numeracy; second highest for reading, writing and grammar and punctuation; and third highest for spelling
• This improvement can be attributed to the introduction of the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment, which emphasises the importance of literacy and numeracy skills
• Students sat the first OLNA assessment in March 2014