WA leads the way in NAPLAN results

Wednesday, 3 August 2016
 
Page Content

• Year 9 means in all tests in WA above the Australian mean
• Performance improved in 12 assessments across all year groups
• WA has the largest number of improved mean scores of any State 

Western Australian students are leading the nation in the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN).

Education Minister Peter Collier said Year 9 means and percentages of students achieving at or above the national minimum standard in all assessments were higher than the Australian means and percentages.

"WA now has the highest percentage of 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," Mr Collier said.

"When comparing the NAPLAN means of 2016 with those of 2008 when NAPLAN began, Western Australian students have shown significant increases for 12 of the 20 NAPLAN assessments, with the largest number of improved mean scores of any State."

Areas of improvement are Year 3 reading, spelling, grammar and punctuation; Year 5 reading, spelling and numeracy; Year 7 grammar and punctuation and numeracy; and Year 9 reading, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy.

For all 20 tests, the Western Australian participation rate was higher than the Australian average. WA had the highest participation rate across all tests in Year 9, and the second highest in Years 3, 5, and 7.

"These results reinforce to me reforms in our education system, particularly WA's Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment and the Western Australian Certificate of Education, are starting to pay dividends," the Minister said.

Student reports will be distributed by schools by the middle of this month.  The full national report will be released on December 7.

Fact File

• NAPLAN is a national assessment of all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9
• NAPLAN test results provide a snapshot of student achievement in comparison to all students of the same year level across Australia
• They help teachers to identify students who require extra support