What we do to prepare for NAPLAN

Our Preparation for NAPLAN Literacy testing in 2008

As 2008 was the first year in which the NAPLAN tests were run, we considered a number of factors that would influence the ability of our students to be well prepared for the day. There are two key elements to that preparation - preparing the boys for the specific types of questions that they would encounter on the day and developing their general exam technique.

Year groups had different types of preparation according to their needs.

Year 9

The Year 9 boys came together in the hall early in Term 2 for a series of talks and sample tests led by Mr Damo and Mrs da Roza. Mr Narayan prepared the boys for the Numeracy test on the same day. The boys were very positive about the experience which focused on the formats of each of the tests and gave the boys a chance to experience the expectations of the exam environment. During the sessions the boys were given feedback on the short answer and multiple choice sections of the sample papers. The boys had the opportunity to write a sample writing response to the topic "Discovery".

This was taken up and marked and feedback was given to the boys about where they had done well and what they might do in the actual test to improve their result. This also gave us an opportunity to look at the way in which the boys were planning their response and give them some assistance in that direction too. The boys felt that this was worthwhile but many suggested that a full written task would have also been a worthwhile experience and we have included this as a component of the preparation for other classes and for Year 9 in the future. Finally Year 9 received a newsletter tailored to their Year group that summarised the information that had been given to them during the preparation and gave some suggestions for improvement.

Year 7

Year 7 were prepared for the test by a number of their teachers from different areas late in Term 2 and into early in Term 3. In the first instance they were brought together for a summary of the tests and some general strategies for approaching the types of questions that they would meet in the tests. Mr Thurbon assisted Mrs da Roza on this day by discussing the Numeracy tests. Then the Year 7 English teachers gave a lesson on writing a narrative to reinforce the knowledge of the boys on the genre being tested in 2008. Then the boys completed a full practice of the writing task as part in their journal and this was marked by Mr Langtry. He provided feedback to the boys by following the suggested marking scheme for the test itself and focusing on the key elements of the narrative structure. The boys were then given instruction in developing strategies for the reading and language conventions by their pastoral teachers led by Mr Kelly. Again, this provided the students with both strategies and sample questions. We hope to maintain the boys' knowledge of the tests by working with them again in 2009, even though their next formal NAPLAN tests are not until 2010

Year 8

Although Year 8 did not complete formal NAPLAN preparation, there has been work on literacy development for Year 8 delivered through the social Science classes, focusing on writing and comprehension skills. This will feed in to the NAPLAN preparation they will do in Year 9.

Years 4 and 6

Although Years 4 and 6 did not do the NAPLAN testing in 2008, Ms Doyle was very keen that they begin their preparation this year to ensure that they are well aware of what they are required to do and how to achieve the best results they can for the testing in 2009. In order to achieve this, class teachers of Year 6 gave instruction to students in the test areas of Writing, Reading and Language conventions and provided opportunities for boys to practice these skills by doing the 2008 test for their nearest Year group as an assessment task. We believe that this will have benefits for the student in a number of areas. Firstly, their familiarity with the tests themselves will be an advantage in increasing confidence when it comes to do the test. Their understanding of exam technique should also stand them in good stead by settling them down to work more quickly and letting them make the most of their time. They responded very well to the preparation and achieved some good results, particularly impressive as the boys were completing a test that was for a higher year group.

CONTACT

Michelle da Roza, Literacy Co-ordinator
(02) 6239 0654
MiDaRoza@stedmunds.act.edu.au

CONTACT STAFF>>