My School – My opinion
Last week the Australian Government launched their new My School site. The Government stated it will give parents and carers information on their child’s school, as well as help parents and carers make decisions about which school to choose. The results that have been published on this site for each public school are linked to NAPLAN testing. This testing is carried out in grades 3, 5, 7 and 9 looking at the areas of literacy and maths.
My eldest child has taken part in this testing. My youngest will do so this year. Before I continue I need to point out I am a teacher. I have taught from Kinder to grade 2, as well as taking on a role as a reading recovery teacher, and a role working with children on social skills. My children attend a local government school. They have previously attended a private school.
While I understand parents want to arm themselves with as much information as possible when choosing schools for their children, I have a number of concerns about the way the information has been presented on the My School site.
The site shows each schools NAPLAN test results – so in essence the information in the site relates to literacy and numeracy. In both primary and high school it relates to only two grade groups. The results are from tests. Tests in themselves hold a range of problems. Testing is not always the best way to determine a child’s ability.
Tests are done in an artificial environment – some children work well to a test, others do not. Some children cope well with the stress of the relatively unknown situation, others do not. Testing like this does not take into account factors such as (for example) whether or not a child has had a late night, is feeling unwell, has had a change in home circumstances that may be adding to anxiety levels. Tests such as this do not cater well for children that learn best through seeing and hearing someone explain a topic, or for children that will understand a question best through a hands on approach. Tests such as this do not take into consideration multiple intelligences – that is the different ways people work to demonstrate their knowledge. For example, some people do well with a written explanation, others do best visually, with diagrams or maps, others do best using concrete materials to solve a problem.
Testing such as this is only a small part of each child’s make up. It is only a small part of each schools make up. NAPLAN testing, and therefore the My School site take into consideration these literacy and numeracy results only. Schools, however, are so much more than this. Where in this comparison is any reference to The Arts? To Sports? To the way children with additional needs are catered for? Where is the reference to the way the school involves the community through shared partnerships, through the way families are (or are not) welcomed into the school. Where is the reference to how staff work together? Where does this site show the way a range of cultures, including our own Indigenous cultures are catered for in a real, ongoing rather than tokenistic manner? The site does not reference how much professional development staff at the school participate in each year. Nor does it make reference to whether staff are aware of current policy, research and practice methods. It does not indicate how behaviour problems are managed. There is no reference to a change in school leadership, as new senior staff and principals can change the way a school operates.
All these factors, and more, go into making a school. While literacy and numeracy are vital, so is knowing your child is respected, and that your child’s voice will be heard with in the school.
So, what am I saying in all this? It would seem to me that the My School site smacks of tokenism. It has simplified each school to a test score. It does not give a holistic picture of a school – no website ever could. Schools by their very nature are complex, dynamic, ever changing places. Some schools have a wealth of resources at their fingertips. Others do not. Schools are not the sum result of a national testing scheme, and that is what bothers me about this site.
So, while I have looked at the site, and at the results of the school my children attend, I will be looking at these results in the broader picture of the school as a whole. Taking into consideration local factors, and local knowledge. I would urge everyone else to do the same. Because it takes a village to raise a child, not a test result, or a web site.
You bring up some valid points! Good job!
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This was probably the most coherent response to the whole ‘My School’ fiasco that I’ve read. Very well put, and oh so true! Education is about waaay more than test scores. x
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Ahhh – the voice of reason at last. Thank you for this Nomie. As you know I held off reading the My School Website until Friday. There were a number of reasons for this:
1. The provision of database information without adequate training/instruction in its use is worse than useless.
2. League tables reinforce the ‘my child is at a better school than your child’ one upmanship contests which continue the ‘my child is sleeping through the night before your child’ contests.
3. Schools are about more than academic results.
Thanks again x
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Now that’s exactly what I was trying to say to my husband when we were having a rather long discussion about this website yesterday, but I didn’t have the right words. I completely agree with everything you have said here. As an ex-teacher and probably a future-teacher soonish, these sorts of things worry the bejesus out of me. What is it really going to achieve? Is it going to do any good at all?? If so, OK, I may be swayed. But until someone can show me that it has a positive effect I think it’s a complete waste of time. Interesting, yeah…helpful, I doubt it.
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Totally agree with everything you have said, Nomie!
It doesn’t give a true indication whether the school is a good school or not… only academically and although, as you said, the site doesn’t even give a true indication of that.
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Correctamundo! This is precisely my problem with schooling in general!
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Very well written Nomie. From this moment on, if anyone brings up a discussion about this, I’ll direct them here. Great to read a teacher’s point of view on this.
Admittedly, I’m a big fan of transparency. I like that I can see how our school has performed in the NAPLAN testing process. But, I wouldn’t base my decision on which school to send my child to purely on it. I know myself – I was never very good with tests. I used to become too anxious and get flustered. It’s the same thing with testing kids for entry in to a school. You can’t base how a child will perform in school based purely on 1 test alone.
Well done. x
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If I was not unwell i would be cheering and throwing streamers – that is it exactly – you take one part of the school (such as test scores) and ignore the rest and you are undermining your childs possibilities – so many good schools who may not teach children how to spell ‘aeorta’ (see even I can’t) but teach them to write a proper story – begginning, middle, end – or how to debate properly, or to care for others, or be inspired were screwed over by the test scores on NAPLAN. I know my Bub 1 did very well in hers, yet she falls behind in so many areas which she hasn’e been taught and we now have to scramble to make up befor high school – NAPLAN and that website can be misleading – on the plus side though – i was glad to look at their new school and see lots of good stuff – its a comforting start when you know not the school or area…but if the teachers were not so caring for my two, or willing to talk to me about them they would not be there…sorry for rant – good blog.
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YES – you’ve said it all so well. The tests also don’t allow for some schools that drill the kids leading up to testing – because they want to be the smart school.
The NAPLAN testing puts a lot of un needed pressure on little grade 3ers – I didn’t force my boy to do it – what’s the point [we homeschool] I know what level he’s at. I think I’ll just get the sample pages off the internet this year and let him do those – but I won’t make either my boy [now grade 5] or girl – [grade 3] do these tests.
Great post – hope the government realise that their site is not the best method.
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Brilliantly put. I think you raise some really important factors about the flaws in the MySchool site and as you say at the end of the day, it’s two tests. And we shouldn’t make judgements about a school based on two tests. I think I said the other day, hopefully no parent would withdraw their child from a school based on the data they saw on the site, but equally, I hope it’s used as a way for parents to get more involved in their child’s education.
I hope the publishing of this data galvanises “the authorities” into action into supporting schools, children and parents who are clearly being failed by the system.
I get very upset when parents abnegate responsibility for that and say it’s the teacher’s responsibility. Uh, no. As you say:” Because it takes a village to raise a child, not a test result, or a web site.”
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Yup you have hit it again my dear. My sentiments exactly.
You can learn a hell of a lot more about a school by stepping through the doors, shaking the hand of the principal, looking around and talking with students, teachers and parents.
Seriously, how can this computer program sum up our school?
Pfffft.
Take it with a grain of salt peoples
(PS our school rated really well – but I still don;t think this site tells us WHY. It’s people (the Village) to tell you that xxxx)
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I agree with your comments about the NAPLAN tests being a flawed measure of allo around performance but some parents are crying out for meaningful feedback for their child’s performance and progress. For years in Parent Teacher interviews I was told that my son was “doing all right” and his reports were full of those generic statements that teachers now use that in reality describes nothing. I never knew whether my son was lazy and not working very hard (as some boys do) or was not particularly academically capable.
Life is very competitive these days, parents want to set their kids up to succeed but if we are brushed off with “educator-speak” is it any wonder we look to other sources of feedback such as the My School website?
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Nomie, great analysis and I also love this one from the SMH website yesterday – an alternative analysis on teacher/student numbers and performance
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/the-great-divide-in-school-staff-numbers-20100131-n6fu.html
And I’m hesitant to put this question on a blog by a teacher, perused by teachers and I’m not attempting to start a shitstorm, but you mention multiple intelligences. For some reason (and I’m only a layman here, I have no degree or training in education) I thought multiple intelligences was a discredited (or perhaps, impractical) theory with no practical school room application?
I only ask because with a 4yo and a 1yo I am very pro-education and just want to have an understanding of current teaching theories. Help me out?
In no way am I disagreeing with any of your blog, which is completely valid. I was simply surprised to see it mentioned as from light internet stalking (OK, following you on Twitter) I’m sure you were on the cutting edge of teaching theory.
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Naomi Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Well, as far as I know it is still a relevant theory. I can only speak from my own practice, which for the past 7 years has centred around early childhood. I have been back at uni this year (Jan) studying, and we did spend some time discussing multiple intelligences and it’s application to classroom practice.
From where I am coming from, it still has a lot of relevance.
I guess for me, they theory holds. We know people have different learning styles, learn in different ways, this is basically what Gardner talks about in his theory. There has been some discussion recently about another type of intelligence – the naturalistic intelligence or spiritual intelligence, which is hotly debated.
The Reggio Emilia approach (very popular at the moment, and an approach I use) talks of the 100 languages of childhood – where children must be given the opportunity to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening, seeing, and hearing. The new (National) Early Years Learning Framework – Belonging, Being, Becoming – states that ‘Children’s learning is dynamic, complex and holistic. Physical, social, emotional, personal, spiritual, creative, cognitive and linguistic aspects of learning are all intricately interwoven and interrelated.’ So, yes, the multiple intelligences theory is still being used – it just may not be called that anymore, and it may have melded and mixed into a range of approached to learning. I used it in the post above as a way to illustrate that children have a range of learning styles, not all children function well to a test situation. It has become part of the way a lot of educators practice.
As for disagreeing… I haver no issue with anyone disagreeing…. as I said, it’s my opinion! Everyone has their own, and is entitled to it!
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Naomi Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:13 pm
I do have though, issues with self editing & spell checking after a glass or 2 of wine on a hot Melbourne night! approached = approaches haver = have
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Hear hear – from one whose children have just moved to a school that does not rate well on the MySchool website but is full of happy friendly kids and teachers.
My Grade 2 daughter hugged one of the free-range chickens at school yesterday and couldn’t wait to tell me all about it
“She’s called ‘Chocolate’ Mum – she looks like a chicken but she looks like chocolate too!!” Learning with humour and real experiences – that’s what I want for my kids.
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I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Alena
http://grantsforeducation.info
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NAPLAN testing and MySchool provide only a snapshot of a schools basic academic performance (numeracy and literature), however, it is interesting to see how schools are performing across the country or in specific areas.
The snapshot provided is like a photo taken of the school from an overhead low-flying helicopter; we can see the school and the crowds, but no individuals are in detail, nothing going on inside the classrooms is evident, and the expressions of concentration, laughter, fear or boredom on students and teachers faces goes unseen. So, we have no detail, no focus.
MySchool is a good tool used to see areas of ‘core business’ that may need addressing; if literacy or numeracy is low overall in a school then that is an issue in need of immediate addressing regardless of prevailing circumstances such as rural or socio economic status. The Govt., educators and parents generally all agree that one of the primary aims of education is to provide competent skills in basic (and hopefully advanced) literacy and numeracy. We all want our kids to be able to find personal success in the greater community as adults, and this means being able to read, write, add, subtract, handle currency etc. The rest is gravy, very important, rich, well-flavored gravy made with good meat juices and not from a cardboard box.
And so to the gravy, that rich rich gravy. I teach the gravy all day as an art teacher. What I teach is educationally important, academically difficult to ‘test’ in a standardized manner, and deeply based in skills and analysis as well as expression and communication. But it’s still only gravy. Kids without basic numeracy or literacy struggle in a high school art class, and fail in a college art class. Kids who cannot create a 10cm grid on a 28×31cm page do not do well at enlarging an image by the most basic method known to art. Kids who cannot access art research resources cannot place their own practice and ideas into the context of greater art experience and therefore remain, however talented and skilled, in an immature mode of self obsessed adolesent expression rather than connecting to the wealth of stories told through art in history, both past and contemporary.
So, NAPLAN and MySchool sux. Truly it does, and I hate them both. I hate that my daughter has been stressed about being tested in both yr 3 and 5. I hate that I have been a teacher involved in testing yr 7 and 9 students who really can’t see the point of the test and are fearful or disconnected from the process as it has no real educational outcomes or immediate learning. I hate that the school I work for prides itself on a great innovative and successful literacy program that has raised the average level of reading and comprehension across the school by 2 to 3 years each successive year of the program, and still that school looks to be underperforming on MySchool.
I hate it all, but I love that we, the community, are up in arms defending our schools and asserting reasons to place our most precious futures, children, in these wonderful institutions. We choose schools that support our kids, schools that mirror our belief systems, social understandings, faith, political leanings and our priorities. Any parent who will use MySchool to decide on their child’s future is welcome to. Most parents will just check up on their school, make judgments on other schools, and be happy with their kids progress and if not, perhaps enroll elsewhere. The majority of parents know there is more to their kids education than literacy and numeracy. Many parents know that their kids are fond of the gravy in education, because it flavors the meat and lessons the monotony of an educational diet. Those parents, the majority who recognize their kids interests and strengths that are supported by a whole school experience, will not be fazed by some interesting statistics on how well a school performs on a ‘read and count’ standardized test.
PS Nay; totes agreeable to yr blogginess! well said, Hear Hear! Loving a bit of political commentary. What think you of the suggestion that any blogger states their full name and postcode when addressing any political issue? so much for freedom of speech, but thats only somethin we ozzies heard about on Boston Legal.
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Hear hear! That is all.
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I’ve been a little tardy in getting over here to have a read Nomie, sorry… Agree with you completely. I looked at the results from the schools my two are at this year and both have acceptable results but I chose the schools for different reasons than academic results.
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I’ll try to make this one brief. Totally agree. My other concern is based on social stigma. My previous school will never rate well on this site. I was in charge of collecting and representing the schools data several years ago when we were doing the school improvement review. It had some of the lowest NAPLAN reults in the country. Based on this alone parents would not want to send their children to the school and children at the school will believe they are at a ‘dumb’ school. On the contrary it was a fantastic work place and I cried many tears when I transfered out. The staff there believed in the school and the students and regularly took PD to maintain and use up to date pedagogy. What the snapshot doesn’t demonstrate is how much the results have improved over the years, how much the social skills of students have improved and the inspirational team effort that went into lifting the students in all subject areas and in all areas of socialisation. I would like to add that the school has been attended by highly intelligent students who have gone on to complete a variety of dgrees and qualifications and been leaders in their fields. YAY to the school and staff. Myschool will never demonstrate any of this. I am currently at a school that compares very favourably on the site. Here’s hoping no one rests on their haunches now but continues to strive for excellence.
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