The IEU was ahead of the game when it sent out a media release on 21 February calling on NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes to rethink the link between NAPLAN results and the award of the Higher School Certificate (HSC).
The Union argued that the imposed link between NAPLAN and the HSC was unpopular with parents, students, teachers and principals, and did nothing to improve literacy or numeracy in students.
The very next day the minister announced the NAPLAN/HSC link would be no more. The IEU has cautiously welcomed this decision.
Secretary John Quessy said the Union wants to find out more about the online testing regime being suggested as a replacement for the NAPLAN required for students to be admitted to the HSC.
“Acknowledging that NAPLAN is a diagnostic test with the purpose of helping teachers assist and guide students’ learning is the right approach,” Quessy said.
“However, additional online tests could cause more stress to students and more workload for teachers and distract from HSC studies.
“We are awaiting more information from the department about what these tests will look like.
“What will be the benchmark used for these tests, how are they administered?
“At this stage we have concerns that the relevance and integrity of the HSC as a school exit credential is not compromised.”