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ABOUT WALNA |
THE TESTS
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THE RESULTS
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KEY FINDINGS
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INFORMATION
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DATA CLUB |
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FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
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What is a benchmark?The benchmark is a nationally agreed description of the minimum skills required to make progress. Students below the benchmark are deemed to be at risk of not making adequate progress in literacy and numeracy. The benchmarks are a key to the National Plan that involves:
Do benchmarks describe average/mean performance?No, the average student performance is significantly higher than the benchmark standard. Is this a national test?No, all states and territories have their own testing program. There has, however, been national collaboration in the sharing and development of test material and in the identification of key outcomes for assessment and measurement. How have the West Australian tests been developed?Extensive consultation with classroom teachers has been a feature of the development of the tests. The WALNA tests are written to cater for the diverse range of students in Western Australian schools and to ensure there is no systematic bias associated with such factors as gender, culture or geographic location. For WALNA 2003/4, the development of the tests was undertaken by the Australian Council for Educational Research, in close conjunction with educators from all sectors in Western Australia. Western Australian teachers along with others with expertise in the area of literacy developed the writing task. While the tests give an indication of how students perform in relation to the National Benchmark, they also measure student performance in relation to the Outcomes and Standards Framework. The reports give an indication of how the student has performed on this test in relation to these levels. How are the tests marked?Most questions on the reading and numeracy tests are machine marked. The short answer questions are hand-marked by teachers trained to mark the WALNA tests. Teachers especially trained to use the marking criteria also mark the spelling and writing. Rigorous procedures are instituted to ensure reliability of marking. How can schools use the test results?
Is it true that exempted students are deemed to be below benchmark?Yes, those students will be included in the percentage reported nationally as below the benchmark. Exempted students are displayed on school reports but they are not attributed a score and therefore are not included in the calculation of the school or state mean (average). Some parents withdraw their child from the test program. Are those children also considered to be below benchmark?No, these children did not have disabilities of a temporary or permanent nature that would have prevented them from demonstrating benchmark performance. These children are not designated as below the benchmark. What if the test results are not consistent with school-based assessment?Schools are expected to use a wide range of measurement techniques to assess the learning progress of students. The Western Australian Literacy and Numeracy Assessments provide a useful additional source of information. In the case of an individual student, observation over time in a variety of contexts is likely to be more reliable. For many teachers these results will provide an important guide to moderation. The results are a consistent, statewide reference point based on an independent assessment, for considering the performance of each student and the class as a whole. How can you compare the various States' and Territories' performance if they all have different tests?A national collaborative procedure is used to identify the location of the benchmarks in each State and Territory's test material. The procedure uses a statistical equation methodology in combination with expert judgment. This ensures that the reporting of Western Australian results is consistent with the reporting of results from other states. This collaborative procedure was devised and trialed in Western Australia. How confidential are school-by-school results?The Department of Education will maintain the confidentiality of school-by-school results. It will, however, publicly release district-by-district results. What happens when students are below the benchmark?The WALNA results provide additional information that should help schools target problem areas and develop strategies for improvement. In most instances the test results will be a confirmation of what schools already know. Schools will already have been involved in whole-school planning to address these problems. Further, whole-school review of strategies for improvement may be required. The results of the Year 3, Year 5 and Year 7 assessments represent the culmination of nearly, 3, 5 and 7 years of schooling respectively, and responsibility for good or bad results cannot reside with the current classroom teacher alone. It is worth remembering that the WALNA results provide an indication of the educational needs of all students, including those ranking high above the benchmark. What happens when students demonstrate high levels of achievements?The school, in consultation with their parents would need to establish an overall picture of the child's current work. Extension, enrichment and acceleration are possible strategies to meet the educational needs of the gifted child. The Education of Gifted and Talented Students in Western Australia. Can parents compare their child's results from Years 3, 5 and 7?Yes. Many students across the State will have completed three Western Australian Literacy and Numeracy assessments. It is possible to observe their progress from Year 3 to Year 5 and from Year 5 to Year 7. Parents can see this progress depicted in the student report. They can see how far their child has progressed through the levels of achievement shown on the report display. Can WALNA information relevant to my child be passed on to their next school?Schools routinely pass relevant student records to the new school when students transfer. The Department assists in the transfer of WALNA data from primary to secondary schools.
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