My class has been revising this for a week. One teacher actually realised she had failed to teach the students measuring the area of irregular shapes. Her reply? "Oh heck, they're toast aren't they?"

I agree. My son came home looking grey and said he had scored zero! After a cuddle and a chat he's fine, but it aggravates me that we are put in this situation. Point scoring exercise at the hands of others. I am half tempted to keep him at home and have a few nice days together! He definitely has picked up on the tension of others....as I said before... I really think these tests are a waste of time.

Another poster mentioned that any teacher worth their weight knows where each kid is at- they are right IMHO.

I totally agree with Scotty Dog. Exams are the worst form of assessment and only serve to educate the Department to enable them to make impressive looking graphs and tables.

The whole child should be assessed, throughout the scholastic year, not within 50 minutes on a Tuesday morning

I design the curriculum for Years 7,8 and 9 at my school (private system), and while we have to do the tests I tell the staff that they are under no circumstancesto stress the kids out by over-preparing them. In my experience, you are better off telling them to have a decent crack and letting them go. Over-preparation is as bad as the under-preparation some posters have mentioned here, in terms of psychological damage to the kids (who are, after all, the reason we are in the job)!

You are dead-on when you say a good teacher knows where their kids are. Some of the anecdotal stories I am hearing about teachers taking time off, saying that the kids are "toast" beggar belief!

Surely they are aware of the damage they are causing? Suffice to say, they wouldn't last long if I got hold of them

You are also bang-on when you say exams are a blunt instrument, taken on their own as a guide.

Ideally, a balanced curriculum would not only test under exam conditions, but in group work (written and oral) and through home assignments that are open-ended in nature. Research assignments/problem-solving tasks work well, as often parents can lend a helping hand without doing the work for the kids (who hopefully are stimulated by the material anyway). Politicians have to realise that they are actually fairly unimportant in the educational schem of things, as the triangular relationship between school, student and parents is of paramount importance. If one side becomes weaker, the whole thing goes......these tests won't help matters, in this respect, as parents blame teachers for their kids' poor performances, teachers get defensive or cynical in preparing/ teaching to tests to cover their arses and kids get torn between two powerful, competing forces, attempting to please both and satisfying neither.

You have to wonder ay?! Why would a teacher do this?

Ahhh, but you sound like a nice Principal!! What happens when you get one like mine who is not quite so understanding and is desperate to have his school performing better than last year?

You are quite right about a triangular system working best within schools, but I do feel you are being rather idealistic in your views (and that is meant in no offensive manner ). What happens when you have parents who do not support their offspring in their schoolwork? What happens where the behaviour of those students are so disruptive, group collaboration is completely out of the question for most activities? What happens when the influence of a students homelife has such a negative impact upon a child's psyche, they cannot function to an acceptable level within the classroom?

I would love to be within a school where parents support their offspring willingly and wholeheartedly. In my school, some parents cannot even be bothered to get their kids out of bed in the mornings to get them to school, let alone support them or encourage them (and those are the sober ones!)

oi..av these..

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Bigger back at ya babe! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Personally I think these type of tests are psychologically damaging. It may sound dramatic, but as a victim of the 11+ system in the south of England I speak from experience! I moved from Geordie land to London at age 10yrs and within a week of transferring schools was sitting an exam. Needless to say I failed and forever thought I was stupid. It is only now, in my 30's, that I am able to challenge the core belief that I am thick! Despite achieving academically, sometimes way beyond my friends who sailed through the 11+, I still doubt myself

I never want my boys to feel that way.

I'm probably idealistic because I'm not a Principal yet I'm just a Deputy Head of English at the moment, but I have to run these tests for my section of the school (Years 7 and 9) and co-ordinate the 20 or so teachers in the Department who administer them. Trust me, I would kick their arses f some of the stories I hear on here went on at our place

Yeah, you're right in that the triangle is the ideal. I did my time in state education in the UK, so I'm familiar with what you're saying. In a system like that, all you can do is keep chipping away and stick together as a united group of teachers. Whether it's through seige mentality (vs the boss or negligent parents) or insane enthusiasm, all you can do is present a coherent approach to the kids. Perhaps, from the sound of it, you may be the fairest and most consistent thing in their lives. In cases like that, all you can do is stand strong and hope the kids succeed despite their indifferent circumstances, thanks to your example. The psychological power of a dedicated teacher is considerable, even to the extremely disaffected. I know, having seen it as a rookie cutting my teeth around some excellent mentor teachers way back when.

It might be hard to maintain the faith at times, but I'm sure you came into teaching for the right reasons! Tests like NAPLAN don't help things, but they don't need to hinder things either if you approach them the right way I suppose?

Had 2 daughters yr 5 and 9 do the tests today, weren't stressed at all about them TG!!

Seemed OK with them, not too much pressure seems to have been applied at the school, (no nerves or pressure seemed to make it home any way)

S

hi, it is reading tomorrow (wed) and maths on thursday.

i have 'scribed' and assisted for a child today, in his two tests (year 5). he was very calm about the tests. the school i work at hasnt made a big thing about them at all. i just said at the end to him, "well done, how do you feel about this morning". he said fine. very low key (non state school). i hope it doesnt follow the path of the SATS

exactly scotty!
I have tried to impress that upon my class and their parents but they are getting so much pressure at home that i had kids in tears this morning before the language conventions test.

Even the creators of NAPLAN agree that it isnt perfect esp since each state has it's own education system and curriculum. Not to mention other differences between states. I think it is crap and puts wayyyyyyyy too much pressure on little kids.

(This test replaces the state WALNA testing previously given in Year 3,5,7,9 in WA)