Over the next couple of weeks, our Year 7 and 9 students will be taking their online NAPLAN tests. NAPLAN gives us a snapshot of our students at a particular point in time and allows us to compare data against the state and national cohort.
The real value of NAPLAN is in large-scale comparisons of school and state progress over time. We look at NAPLAN data across whole year levels to see how our school programs are trending over time and seek to adjust our delivery to ensure our students are getting the best opportunities for learning and progress. In particular, we are tracking growth over time and focusing on how we are working to consistently move students forward in their learning. Schools across the country use NAPLAN data to measure their impact on their student cohorts and work to develop better programs for learning.
The data about individual students can also be valuable, although it’s important to remember that it is only a small sample of data from one point in time and cannot capture everything that our students can do or understand. Whenever we look at individual NAPLAN data, we don’t take those results in isolation, but rather bring into the picture the rich information we have for that student from school-assessed course work and our other regular testing regimes. That helps us to develop a deeper and more rounded perspective on our students’ individual development and progress.
We encourage our students to be well-rested and calm in preparation for NAPLAN and to take it as an opportunity to try their best, not as a competition or hurdle to be feared.
Secondary Exam Timetable
Our Year 7 – 11 students are quickly approaching mid-year exams. That also means a busy couple of weeks before hand for finalising other assessment tasks like assignments and revising the semester’s work. Families can support students in this time by encouraging great routines like healthy eating, good sleep habits and finding time to stay active and keep a balanced perspective.
Our dates for exams are as follows:
Year 11 exams run from Friday 28th May till Thurs 3rd June.
Year 8, 9 & 10 exams run from Tuesday 1st June to Thurs 3rd June
Year 7 exams run Wed 2nd June to Thurs 3rd June.
Please note that Friday, 4th of June is a Student-free Day for Secondary students. Exam papers and reports will be occupying teachers at school while students have a well-earned rest.
Ziva’s top exam tips: Read the questions carefully. Double-check your work when you finish. And don’t forget lots of snacks!