Page 5212 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 27 October 2010
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teaching to the test rather than allowing a comprehensive, well-rounded curriculum to follow. We need to be keeping a careful eye on this to ensure that that does not happen.
The other feedback we have received in relation to the NAPLAN test process is that it represents the work of one day in the school year. There are, of course, 196 other school days, so we need to be clear that NAPLAN does give us a bit of a snapshot but it is not necessarily the be-all and end-all of testing or of being able to assess where a student is at. There are a number of other processes in place. We just need to ensure that that continues. I still believe that the My School website, with a focus on the NAPLAN testing, is not necessarily doing many schools the best favour because it does not as yet focus on a range of other programs—the wonderful programs you see in ACT schools: the environment centres, the arts programs, the music programs and so forth, which I have had the privilege of seeing. I think that we really do need to recognise that school is more than simply this one test.
Having said that, we should be pleased with the results of many of our students. They have shown that the ACT is doing well compared to the rest of the nation. I hope to see that continue. Of course, as I said, my amendment is about recognising the achievement of ACT students in these recent tests. It commends the ACT teachers and students for their commitment to improve student achievement in literacy and numeracy. But it calls on the government to address the achievement gap to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, students who have a language background other than English—those are just some of the groups who really do need that support, who do need that attention to ensure that they can reach their potential—can pursue the life opportunities, the educational opportunities and so forth that their peers enjoy.
Mr Doszpot interjecting—
MS HUNTER: Mr Doszpot has been yelling out across the chamber. I think it is important to address the amendments he put forward that were just voted down. I assure Mr Doszpot that it is not because I do not agree with a number of the points that were in Mr Doszpot’s amendments. The problem is—I will put it clearly and hopefully it can be sorted from here on in—that there is no communication. There is no opportunity to sit down. We have had all day, but I have not had any phone call or any approach by Mr Doszpot’s office to discuss this.
We do need to have that opportunity to be able to sit down, to be able to work through these things and give them more time. I would acknowledge that this was something that came up on my list late this afternoon. I would have liked to have had more time to do that. But it is not a criticism of Mr Doszpot. I am just saying that I think that, to get the best out of motions in the Assembly, it would not be a bad practice to sit down and work through what people are putting forward. There are some things in Mr Doszpot’s motion that I do not agree with, but I cannot at this point in time pull out those things. It is just a little bit too late in the day.
I believe that our education system needs to ensure that there is equal opportunity for every student that walks through the school gate. As we said this morning, they could
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