Can you pass the NAPLAN test?

[MAD]

"If you judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree, it will live it's life believing it is stupid"

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by JC

Unfortunately, not everyone can get 24, but those that can't have skills elsewhere that help make our society what it is....a mix of abilities, skills, and intelligence.

I was more questioning why he thought it was so easy given that it was set for grade 3 / 5'ers and that kids must be dumb if they struggle with such test.

[Trump]

Originally Posted by Smoke Pursuit

Are you serious??

We are talking predominantly grade 3 and 5 questions on that test, and you think you did well because you got 24/24?

Quite. The missus is a teacher (grade 3) and the stuff that is considered year 7 level was being taught to grade 3 kids not that long ago. To her and her colleagues frustration, the standards keep dropping every year. It is why I said what I said.

Oh and it is a rare teacher indeed that likes NAPLAN.

[99AUXR]

24/24 . . . . and Im a mechanic what am I wasting my life away for

[Legit290]

I will be marking it this year. The money will go straight into a forged rotating assembly for the GT from the USA. My compliments to you, Mr.NAPLAN!

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Legit290

I will be marking it this year. The money will go straight into a forged rotating assembly for the GT from the USA. My compliments to you, Mr.NAPLAN!

My better half did that last year. Big group out at Canterbury racecourse.

Good money, but also gives you an insight into what they look for etc (which is why she did it).

[LG17]

Originally Posted by Rapid_Axe

22/24

Got the math inequality wrong (****in hated maths) and the last one with the punctuation.

Can I ask is NAPLAN a direct relation to the child's education or is it a push by the schools to say yes we are this good and has no bearing on what the child knows?

I overheard a parent this morning saying you'll be fine sweetheart to her year 3 child this morning and it made me think of above.

Naplan is one of the biggest frauds perpetrated on our education system for the way the powers that be utilise it. There's nothing wrong as such with a standardised test at a given point in time though.

[Legit290]

Yes it is great professional development for English teachers. It can also be damning for a secondary school that can be judged on Year 7 results from students we have only had with us for four months.
it is useful for us to look at the value we add to students' literacy and numeracy by comparing our Year 9 results to the Year 7 results from the same cohort.
Some schools prepare the students for the test by having Saturday school in literacy and numeracy for 4 hours from the start of term 1; we don't do this. We teach them the curriculum without a specific focus on the test so that the Naplan becomes what it is intended to be - a snapshot of the literacy and numeracy levels of children at our school in Years 7 and 9.
Some schools advise their weaker students to stay home during the test so that their expected poor results don't diminish the school's results overall.

At least this year I will be paid for marking. I have coordinated the test for the previous 4 years for nothing!

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by data_mine

24/24

I don't know about primary school children (no contact with them really), but I see more and more uni grads that can't spell or construct a sentence, and can't do basic math - even with a calculator.

You wouldn't believe how often I hear this. Universities too have (quietly) bemoaned the fact that a lot of people coming there can't spell and have no sense of basic grammar...even those who want to become teachers themselves...

Far too many kids...more accurately parents of kids...think all that stuff and hard book learnin' is old fashioned and not needed these days. We see more and more stories about kids taken out of school to go on family holidays (not during school holidays, just any old time), and parents claiming kids learn more from "life skills" whole away from school than at actual school.

That's OK...I pay plenty of taxes so your kids will be safe claiming the dole when they leave school if that's how you think the world works.

As the old saying goes..."If you think your teachers were hard on you, wait until you have a boss..."
Although...to be blunt...some kids will never have to worry much about that....

[99AUXR]

Mm job thing is interesting and TBH was one of the reasons I left Uni during my second year. The amount of people I saw coming out of uni with no job scared the **** out of me and my girlfriend of almost 6 years is the same, graduated and now unemployed. So I ended up actually getting an apprenticeship at my parents workshop and will one day either use money to go elsewhere or carry that one on.

This was enough security to make me feel happy in my decision, I definitely know I could have pushed myself harder through uni but then what?

[danzvtil]

This Naplan nonsense really irks me, parents carrying on like its terrible, saying their kids are "stressed" they are "coached" and other negative stuff in front of their kids. Its just another one of the many tests kids will be asked to do throughout their schooling lives, just another day at school, carry on I say.....

[Franco Cozzo]

This Naplan nonsense really irks me, parents carrying on like its terrible, saying their kids are "stressed" they are "coached" and other negative stuff in front of their kids. Its just another one of the many tests kids will be asked to do throughout their schooling lives, just another day at school, carry on I say.....

[99AUXR]

I see what you did there.

[Trek]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

You wouldn't believe how often I hear this. Universities too have (quietly) bemoaned the fact that a lot of people coming there can't spell and have no sense of basic grammar...even those who want to become teachers themselves...

As the old saying goes..."If you think your teachers were hard on you, wait until you have a boss..."

As someone who happens to be a University student studying teaching, I can definitely tell you that in my cohort, those who cannot spell and have poor grammar are the minority.

There also appears to be some disparity between the expectations that is AusVELS and what is assessed in NAPLAN. I've spoken to many proficient, highly accomplished and leader teachers already and they all agree that it is not truly indicative measurement of students in relation to what is taught. Furthermore, it serves as a distraction to the flow of teaching itself and acts as a deterrent to the desire of students to learn. While NAPLAN holds great implications for schools that reap flattering results, it is not without its issues.

Lastly, bosses are fun to drive

[Work Horse]

Originally Posted by Trek

As someone who happens to be a University student studying teaching, I can definitely tell you that in my cohort, those who cannot spell and have poor grammar are the minority.

There also appears to be some disparity between the expectations that is AusVELS and what is assessed in NAPLAN. I've spoken to many proficient, highly accomplished and leader teachers already and they all agree that it is not truly indicative measurement of students in relation to what is taught. Furthermore, it serves as a distraction to the flow of teaching itself and acts as a deterrent to the desire of students to learn. While NAPLAN holds great implications for schools that reap flattering results, it is not without its issues.

Lastly, bosses are fun to drive

Just wait until politicians work out there are votes in linking Naplan results to what teachers are paid....

[danzvtil]

Originally Posted by 99AUXR

I see what you did there.

LOL! sorry guys, laptop had a spaz just as I hit send!

[Spurious]

Year 9 Numeracy
The height (h metres) and age (a years) of a tree are related by the following inequality: h < 4a - 3 for values of a between 1 and 10 Which pair of values satisfy this inequality?
A: h = 2 and a = 1
B: h = 6 and a = 2
C: h = 10 and a = 3
D: h = 20 and a = 6


THIS is what's wrong with the world!!!

So I scored an "A", 19/24.
Who cares, I'm having lunch now then going out to pay some bills. THAT'S what makes the world go round!

[Trek]

Originally Posted by Work Horse

Just wait until politicians work out there are votes in linking Naplan results to what teachers are paid....

A very lazy comment by you here. There would be strong opposition to such a thing and this also highlights yet again why politicians are too heavily involved in the decision making surrounding education already as is. I'll let you figure out why such an idea would fail if implemented...

[Work Horse]

Originally Posted by Trek

A very lazy comment by you here. There would be strong opposition to such a thing and this also highlights yet again why politicians are too heavily involved in the decision making surrounding education already as is. I'll let you figure out why such an idea would fail if implemented...

You have "the wrong end of the stick", Trek.
My wife is a highly qualified teacher with thirty years experience. I am School Council President of my daughters’ school. I am aware of the shenanigans governments get up to surrounding education, and couldn't agree more we need politics and politicians out of education.

Naplan has its place but should not be seen as the only, or best assessment of how well schools are educating children. If parents have a concern about how their child is doing go and speak with the class room teacher.

[wicksy]

there is a reason i drive dump trucks haha

[TheSneakiness]

Originally Posted by FlivverFord

Year 9 Numeracy
The height (h metres) and age (a years) of a tree are related by the following inequality: h < 4a - 3 for values of a between 1 and 10 Which pair of values satisfy this inequality?
A: h = 2 and a = 1
B: h = 6 and a = 2
C: h = 10 and a = 3
D: h = 20 and a = 6

That's the one I screwed up. Seriously if you aren't going to be an arborist or historian why the hell do you need to know the inequality of tree rings to work out height and age?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by wicksy

there is a reason i drive dump trucks haha

On the other end of the scale, plenty of university graduates with a shiny piece of paper without a job, you're ahead of the pack bro driving dump trucks making $$$.

Originally Posted by Rapid_Axe

That's the one I screwed up. Seriously if you aren't going to be an arborist or historian why the hell do you need to know the inequality of tree rings to work out height and age?

Back in the day I would skip the ones I struggled with, did the ones I could easily get right quickly, then came back to the struggle ones and guessed.

Multiple choice, 4 answers, 25% chance of correct guess, there is usually one way out there wrong answer so it sharpens up the odds to 33% if you can pick the one which is way higher or lowers than the others as the obvious wrong answer.

Last NAPLAN test (aside from this one) I did was the one in year 9 in 2006.

As a guess with the above question I reckon D is the obvious wrong one, its way too far out from the other three answers (am I right?).

[data_mine]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

As a guess with the above question I reckon D is the obvious wrong one, its way too far out from the other three answers (am I right?).

D is the correct one.

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by Rapid_Axe

That's the one I screwed up. Seriously if you aren't going to be an arborist or historian why the hell do you need to know the inequality of tree rings to work out height and age?

I doubt very much the question has anything to do with Arborists or historians. Its Maths equation posing a problem using recognisable examples to make sense of the question.
the maths, demonstrated is applicable to many fields and people use this sort of stuff everyday. many of you might not but those that do need to use it do just as important stuff and driving trucks, laying bricks and making sandwiches.

I believe the answer is actually D where the height of 20 is a smaller number then the sum of 4 times age 6 (24) minus 3

JP

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by danzvtil

This Naplan nonsense really irks me, parents carrying on like its terrible, saying their kids are "stressed" they are "coached" and other negative stuff in front of their kids. Its just another one of the many tests kids will be asked to do throughout their schooling lives, just another day at school, carry on I say.....

Yep, and if they think being "tested" ends once you leave school, the precious little dears have a nasty shock in store for them...

Depends what you study at uni as well as to whether you actually end up with a productive job. I have a school friend who went through nearly six years of hard slog to become a doctor, and he always bemoaned the way there was so many people at university apparently just for the "lifestyle", one or two lessons a week, otherwise just laying around , partying, protesting, whatever, doing useless courses that will qualify them a great expense for absolutely bugger all. He used to say with a smile "I don't think many of them will ever be burdened with having to pay back their HECS debt, I'll put it that way".
There's also the fact that it builds a more rounded person if they know a little about everything as well as the core subjects...too many schools make things like geography and history an optional subject, for christs sake.

I cannot find it to scan it in, but I have a cartoon cut out and filed away somewhere from an old Hustler magazine (don't judge!) that showed a hallway at a university, a whole lot of students milling around in black robes and wearing mortar boards, holding diplomas...obviously it's graduation day. One student is standing talking to the grubby school janitor who's wearing stereotypical dirty overalls, with a mop and bucket, scruffy, with a cigar in his mouth...who is pointing and doubled over with laughter at the horrified looking student in front of him. The shocked student says "So...no kidding...you have a degree in philosophy too...?"

Another humorous (tragic really) case was in the Bundaberg News Mail back in the early 2000's. A Sydney guy had come to Bundy for the lifestyle and had been liooking for work for six months. He was reluctantly heading back to Sydney as "rural cities don't value university graduates", and that he had "two diplomas" and couldn't find any jobs with either of them. Right at the end of the article they mentioned what his two doctorates were in..."modern dance" and "philosophy"...good luck with the job search!


Kids need a healthy dose of realism from a young age, especially in academic areas. Life isn't going to let them cruise through with little or no real qualifications, employers won't look at "life experiences" in place of actual test results, and testing and learning never end if you are in a real productive and fulfilling line of employment. Parents whine, saying school should be "fun" and not a place to try and "expose kids to the harshness of life" but be all about the "learning experience" rather than hard solid book learning and commemoration of facts and figures. Really?

Boy, are they in for a surprise.

Welcome to the real world, kids...

[Uncle_Ken]

I think the new term for some parents is interesting. They are no longer 'helicopter parents' but 'lawn mower' ...to quote
Instead of hovering, lawnmower parents clear a path for their child before they even take a step, pre-empting possible problems and mowing down obstacles in their child’s way.
They will want to do the test for them.
UK

[99AUXR]

Originally Posted by data_mine

D is the correct one.

They wanted the D.

[Trek]

Originally Posted by Work Horse

You have "the wrong end of the stick", Trek.
My wife is a highly qualified teacher with thirty years experience. I am School Council President of my daughters’ school. I am aware of the shenanigans governments get up to surrounding education, and couldn't agree more we need politics and politicians out of education.

Naplan has its place but should not be seen as the only, or best assessment of how well schools are educating children. If parents have a concern about how their child is doing go and speak with the class room teacher.

Pretty sure I have the right end of the stick - your comment was deceiving. To write such a pessimistic comment alludes to you either condemning teachers or the teaching profession. The assumption that there will be some sort of falling to further government oppression makes little sense due to the nature of the job and how it exists.

Good to know that we can see eye to eye on one aspect of the equation though.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by Uncle_Ken

I think the new term for some parents is interesting. They are no longer 'helicopter parents' but 'lawn mower' ...to quote
Instead of hovering, lawnmower parents clear a path for their child before they even take a step, pre-empting possible problems and mowing down obstacles in their child’s way.
They will want to do the test for them.
UK

The entitled generation...don't make me study too hard, don't expect me to put in extra effort to get ahead as that's unfair. Some kids actually grow up believing that promotions and advancement "just happen" and cannot understand that life isn't like school...everyone doesn't get a trophy for just turning up, life likes a winner, and if you sit back and cruise on through, you won't get anywhere.

[lilmattie]

Passed it easily. I got 3 wrong and it was obvious to me when it showed me the answer.

I haven't done 85% of that stuff since I left school.