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There’s controversy at the moment with NAPLAN testing regarding the stress caused on teachers and students, and a need to ‘teach to the test.’ This can be assisted by adding a further metric to NAPLAN that asks students whether they are being taught a sufficiently-wide variety of material.
A bored student is likely to be taught a narrow curriculum. This could be called the ‘boredom metric,’ and while subjective, is nevertheless likely to indicate whether teachers are ‘teaching to the test.’
The system would also be helped by use of education vouchers* to fund schools. This places funding power directly in the hands of students, and parents, so that informal word-of-mouth on classroom environment becomes an important additional source of information in deciding which school parents will send their children to, and thereby will be government funded.
*education vouchers are a subset of collaboration vouchers, and could be run within the same program.
4 Comments for NAPLAN and Vouchers
Robert Evans
I responded at Zhao’s blog; here’s an improved version of that:
Diversity for some is boredom and mind killing, even though for others it is exciting. I hated the extra “diversity” in high school, because it forced me to make class choices which ultimately had a negative effect on my life.
Had it not been for the course requirements I could have graduated high school with an associates degree* after two years of dual enrollment. But that involved choosing between dual enrollment or science and math courses (9 classes per year at college, 12 classes per year in high school, so many mandated “credits” in certain courses), and I unfortunately chose the science and math.
If you’d asked me whether I was “bored”, I probably would have answered “No”. Because I wasn’t bored, I was frustrated. Back then I had a love of learning great enough it would prevent conscious feelings of boredom even in classes I knew were distractions.
There are no simple fixes in a world of student diversity.
* – 12 years later I finally got that A.S. 4 years after that I finally got that B.S. With low enough GPAs and extra-curricular ‘accomplishments’ (I hate that word) even a 1460 GRE (660/800/4.5) wasn’t enough to salvage my dreams.
founder
I’m sad to hear the your college education was not appropriate or sufficient to/for you.
Just a point however that Australia’s NAPLAN is primary school (K-6) only. High School (College) allows students to choose whichever classes they wish – focussing on some more than others.
NAPLAN-type testing is done in via a Yr10 School certificate, and thereupon a Yr12 state-wide test. There are moves to make both these national exams.
NAPLAN testing of schools is only controversial here in primary school.
Ben
PS Do you have a link to that blog? I didn’t record it…
Robert Evans
Sorry, it’s lost somewhere in the long list of closed tabs.
Having come here via the other blog I missed that this is Australian (with the British A-level like system).
I responded at Zhao’s blog; here’s an improved version of that:
Diversity for some is boredom and mind killing, even though for others it is exciting. I hated the extra “diversity” in high school, because it forced me to make class choices which ultimately had a negative effect on my life.
Had it not been for the course requirements I could have graduated high school with an associates degree* after two years of dual enrollment. But that involved choosing between dual enrollment or science and math courses (9 classes per year at college, 12 classes per year in high school, so many mandated “credits” in certain courses), and I unfortunately chose the science and math.
If you’d asked me whether I was “bored”, I probably would have answered “No”. Because I wasn’t bored, I was frustrated. Back then I had a love of learning great enough it would prevent conscious feelings of boredom even in classes I knew were distractions.
There are no simple fixes in a world of student diversity.
* – 12 years later I finally got that A.S. 4 years after that I finally got that B.S. With low enough GPAs and extra-curricular ‘accomplishments’ (I hate that word) even a 1460 GRE (660/800/4.5) wasn’t enough to salvage my dreams.
I’m sad to hear the your college education was not appropriate or sufficient to/for you.
Just a point however that Australia’s NAPLAN is primary school (K-6) only. High School (College) allows students to choose whichever classes they wish – focussing on some more than others.
NAPLAN-type testing is done in via a Yr10 School certificate, and thereupon a Yr12 state-wide test. There are moves to make both these national exams.
NAPLAN testing of schools is only controversial here in primary school.
Ben
PS Do you have a link to that blog? I didn’t record it…
Sorry, it’s lost somewhere in the long list of closed tabs.
Having come here via the other blog I missed that this is Australian (with the British A-level like system).
[...] believe that my solution is better. Simply ask the children whether they are being taught a variety of material. This is [...]