The impact of high-stakes testing on curriculum and pedagogy: a teacher perspective from Australia

Abstract

Debates continue about how high-stakes testing regimes influence schools at all levels: their impact on teaching practices, distribution of resources and curriculum provision, and whether they achieve the intended increases in student achievement in targeted areas. In 2008, the Australian government introduced a national testing scheme, the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), in which all Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are required to participate, and a national website, MySchool, was established in 2010 to publish the results of all schools. This paper reports on the first national study of educators’ views on the impact of NAPLAN on Australian schools and students. Over 8000 educators from all states and territories participated in the study, and the findings indicate that the testing regime is leading to a reduction in time spent on other curriculum areas and adjustment of pedagogical practice and curriculum content to mirror the tests. The findings suggest that the modification of teaching and curricular practices is in response to concerns regarding the use and reporting of NAPLAN data and the potential impact on schools. This confirms findings of researchers in other countries on the capacity of high-stakes regimes to distort teaching practices, constrain the curriculum and narrow students’ educational experiences.

Keywords:

• critical analysis
• equity/social justice

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge our partners at the Whitlam Institute within the University of Western Sydney and the Foundation for Young Australians for supporting this research.

Notes

1. NAPLAN and the MySchool website have generated considerable strong debate in Australia, and as a consequence, the government has commissioned two enquiries by the Senate into NAPLAN. The first, in 2010, called for submissions and heard evidence on the assessment and reporting used in NAPLAN, while the second, in 2013, focused on the effectiveness of the NAPLAN programme.