Early years learning is boosting SA’s NAPLAN results, Premier says

Improvements in the literacy and numeracy skills of South Australian children in Year 3 at school demonstrates that the significant value the state has placed on early years learning is paying off, SA Premier Peter Malinauskas has said. 

His comments come as the results from the 2023 National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests are released, demonstrating that SA has “made gains in national rankings” and that the improvement is especially strong for those in Year 3. 

South Australia typically has a higher proportion of NAPLAN participants who are experiencing socio-economic disadvantage (Aboriginal, remote, lower parental education) than national averages which is reflected in the data.

The mean scores reflect similar demographic patterns to previous years; however, remote and very remote students in SA had higher NAPLAN scores than comparable students across Australia.

South Australia has improved its ranking compared with other states in Year 3, Year 5 and Year 7 reading; in Year 5 writing; Years 3 and Year 7 spelling; and, Years 3 and 7 grammar and punctuation.

More than 80,000 South Australian students participated in the NAPLAN testing this year, with important changes made to both the timing of the testing and the explanation of the outcomes.

It’s the first time new proficiency standards are being used to make it easier for parents, carers and schools to understand how individual students are tracking.

New proficiency standards with four simplified levels of achievement for each year level replace the previous 10-band structure and the old national minimum standard set in 2008 when tests were on paper.

The new proficiency levels are:

• Exceeding: the student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.

• Strong: the student’s result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing.

• Developing: the student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing.

• Needs additional support: the student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily.

“NAPLAN is just one indicator of a student’s achievement – and can help identify where we need to focus our efforts,” said SA Education Minister Blair Boyer.

“Our government is making long-term decisions to overhaul education in South Australia.

Introducing universal three-year-old preschool, prioritising investments in student wellbeing to lift academic performance, banning mobile phones in schools, delivering a better curriculum, and ensuring we have the best teachers are all focused on improving education for future generations.”