Following the publication of the latest NAPLAN test results, the Federal Government has vowed to make sure State Governments spend the extra money, recently announced as part of the Gonski 2.0 package, more wisely in an attempt to lift literacy, numeracy and writing standards.
The results, obtained from the round of testing conducted in May 2017, indicate small gains in reading, 0.72 per cent and numeracy, 0.81 per cent since 2008 across years three, give seven and nine, but declining standards in writing, by 0.5 per cent, since 2011.
Minister for Education, Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, said it was worrying these skills appeared to be declining. Speaking on ABC’s AMprogram, the Minister said “the writing results are a real concern. So this is improvement in writing, in reading and numeracy off of a high base, but the writing results are of course really a worry and I’ll be talking to state and territory ministers as part of our school reforms about how we can turn that around.“
Responding during the week to reporters travelling with him in Albany, the Prime Minister pointed to recent Gonski 2.0 legislative wins saying “we’ve now got one funding model, so that’s a gigantic, structural reform, very important, but now we’ve got to get the educational bang for the taxpayers’ buck”.
