The Australian Education Union is refusing to back down from its decision to ban the annual NAPLAN tests for school students.

The national body believes the tests unfairly rank schools and the Queensland Teachers’ Union agrees.

Samantha Kane reports.

TRANSCRIPT

The message read loud and clear in national newspaper The Australian this morning.

The full page ad by the Australian Eduction Union signed from ‘teachers and principals’ vowed they won’t be implementing NAPLAN tests scheduled for May.

At the centre of the debate is the My School website which has also come under fire from the Queensland Teachers’ Union.

Steve Ryan, QTU President: “Everyone is united in the fact that the My School website has flaws and is not an accurate picture of what schools are doing.”

While teachers’ unions are opposed to the publication of results they say flaws lie within the tests themselves.

Steve Ryan, QTU President: “The NAPLAN tests are only a test of a point in time measuring literacy and numeracy, they don’t tell you what a student is doing generally speaking and in education and what a school is doing.”

The State Government remains opposed to the unions’ decision to boycott NAPLAN testing.

Anna Bligh, Queensland Premier: “I don’t think that boycotting the supervision of the tests is in the best interest of students or of our school systems. I think parents want this information and in Queensland we want to make sure they get it.”

More than one million students from years three, five, seven and nine sit the tests each year giving parents an idea of how their child fares against the state and national average.

If teachers refuse to supervise the NAPLAN testing parents may be called in some say they would be happy to help out.

State and Territory education ministers will meet Thursday to discuss the matter further.

Samantha Kane QUT News