NAPLAN results: Could COVID-19 lockdowns be related to a fall in some areas?

Year 9 students have fallen in some areas, something some have linked back to learning from home.

The latest NAPLAN results have been released, with a number of significant data points that have attracted attention.

A main focus was on Year 9 boys in the reading and spelling categories, with boys falling a whole year behind their female counterparts in the latter category.

When asked on The Today Show by Allison Langdon if Australia is going backwards, Education Minister Jason Clare said that the results "are better than I expected."

"They're the first NAPLAN results since the pandemic...they're pretty stable across most of the categories over the last few years but you're right, we're seeing a drop, particularly in Year 9 boys, but also Year 9 girls as well, in literacy and numeracy."

"That kind of suggests that it's related to COVID. NAPLAN tells us what's happening, but it doesn't tell us why."

Queensland Teachers' Union President Cresta Richardson said that the QTU believes NAPLAN is "broken" and needs to be "overhauled".

Minister Clare, however, says he think it's "important."

"It helps us to understand what's going right and what's going wrong. It doesn't tell us everything. One of the things that we know has happened in the last couple of years with COVID is the mental health impact on young people. The mental health impact of COVID and the lockdowns have been serious for young people."

"NAPLAN doesn't tell us that."

Current Year 9 students started their high school journey in 2020, a year that - especially for those in Victoria - saw lockdowns & remote learning.

NAPLAN was cancelled that year - and in 2021, more lockdowns followed nationwide.

Sign up to our new free newsletter to catch up on all our original reporting you may have missed & to read the latest from the editor - click here.

Help support unbiased journalism & keep us independent: donate just $4 a month on Patreon & receive exclusive benefits.

Want to inform others? Share the link to this story on social media & with your family & friends using the buttons below.