This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jul/30/one-in-three-students-fail-to-meet-naplan-benchmarks-as-disadvantaged-fall-behind
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| One in three students fail to meet Naplan benchmarks as disadvantaged fall behind | One in three students fail to meet Naplan benchmarks as disadvantaged fall behind |
| (3 days later) | |
| Results found four in 10 students performed below expectations in grammar and punctuation, indicating they struggled to recognise verbs and pronouns in sentences | Results found four in 10 students performed below expectations in grammar and punctuation, indicating they struggled to recognise verbs and pronouns in sentences |
| Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates | Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates |
| Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast | Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast |
| One in three students have failed to meet Naplan benchmarks, this year’s test results have showed, as thousands of disadvantaged students continue to fall through the cracks. | One in three students have failed to meet Naplan benchmarks, this year’s test results have showed, as thousands of disadvantaged students continue to fall through the cracks. |
| This year’s tests were taken in March by 1.3 million students across years 3, 5, 7 and 9 to measure literacy and numeracy proficiency, with results released on Wednesday by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (Acara). | This year’s tests were taken in March by 1.3 million students across years 3, 5, 7 and 9 to measure literacy and numeracy proficiency, with results released on Wednesday by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (Acara). |
| Some 93.8% of students participated, the highest rate since 2017. | Some 93.8% of students participated, the highest rate since 2017. |
| Results found four in 10 (39.2%) students performed below expectations in grammar and punctuation, indicating they struggled to recognise verbs and pronouns in sentences. One in three students were still falling behind benchmarks in reading, spelling, writing and numeracy, meaning they were either “developing” or needed “additional support”. | Results found four in 10 (39.2%) students performed below expectations in grammar and punctuation, indicating they struggled to recognise verbs and pronouns in sentences. One in three students were still falling behind benchmarks in reading, spelling, writing and numeracy, meaning they were either “developing” or needed “additional support”. |
| Sign up: AU Breaking News email | Sign up: AU Breaking News email |
| Dr Jordana Hunter, education program director at the Grattan Institute, said while the results were stable when compared with last year’s, one in three students falling in the bottom two bands was a “really big concern”. | Dr Jordana Hunter, education program director at the Grattan Institute, said while the results were stable when compared with last year’s, one in three students falling in the bottom two bands was a “really big concern”. |
| “If a child is in that developing category or … needs additional support, that child needs help to catch up,” she said. “And we know early intervention is critical.” | “If a child is in that developing category or … needs additional support, that child needs help to catch up,” she said. “And we know early intervention is critical.” |
| Students in years 5, 7 and 9 were the first to have completed two Naplan tests since the introduction of new proficiency levels in 2023, allowing for the first analysis on how the same cohort of students had developed over time. | Students in years 5, 7 and 9 were the first to have completed two Naplan tests since the introduction of new proficiency levels in 2023, allowing for the first analysis on how the same cohort of students had developed over time. |
| There were positive trends. All year levels showed higher than average scores in numeracy, with an additional 20,000 Australian students performing at the highest proficiency level – “exceeding” – in 2025 compared with last year. | There were positive trends. All year levels showed higher than average scores in numeracy, with an additional 20,000 Australian students performing at the highest proficiency level – “exceeding” – in 2025 compared with last year. |
| The percentage of students “exceeding” in literacy had also slightly improved across all year levels since 2023, and there was a small increase in the percentage of high-performing Indigenous students in writing, reading and numeracy across year 7 and 9. | The percentage of students “exceeding” in literacy had also slightly improved across all year levels since 2023, and there was a small increase in the percentage of high-performing Indigenous students in writing, reading and numeracy across year 7 and 9. |
| The education minister, Jason Clare, said the improvements in literacy and numeracy were “good news” but there was still “more work to do”. | The education minister, Jason Clare, said the improvements in literacy and numeracy were “good news” but there was still “more work to do”. |
| “That’s what the new agreements we’ve now signed with every state and territory are all about,” he said. “These agreements fix the funding of our public schools … and this is not a blank cheque. | “That’s what the new agreements we’ve now signed with every state and territory are all about,” he said. “These agreements fix the funding of our public schools … and this is not a blank cheque. |
| “This funding is tied to real and practical reforms … [which] are now starting to roll out … to identify students who need additional support, and evidence-based teaching and catch-up tutoring to help them keep up and catch up.” | “This funding is tied to real and practical reforms … [which] are now starting to roll out … to identify students who need additional support, and evidence-based teaching and catch-up tutoring to help them keep up and catch up.” |
| The $16bn investment will fully fund all public schools by 2034 for the first time, while also implementing year 1 phonics and numeracy checks and more small group tutoring. | The $16bn investment will fully fund all public schools by 2034 for the first time, while also implementing year 1 phonics and numeracy checks and more small group tutoring. |
| Acara’s chief executive, Stephen Gniel, said the latest results continued to highlight areas that needed “collective attention”, including supporting students from regional and remote areas, those from disadvantaged backgrounds and Indigenous students. | Acara’s chief executive, Stephen Gniel, said the latest results continued to highlight areas that needed “collective attention”, including supporting students from regional and remote areas, those from disadvantaged backgrounds and Indigenous students. |
| Just two in 10 students from very remote schools were “strong” or “exceeding” in reading, writing and numeracy, compared with seven in 10 students from major city schools. Students whose parents went to university had a one-year learning advantage – over those whose parents who did not have a tertiary degree – in year 3, growing to a five-year gap in year 9. | Just two in 10 students from very remote schools were “strong” or “exceeding” in reading, writing and numeracy, compared with seven in 10 students from major city schools. Students whose parents went to university had a one-year learning advantage – over those whose parents who did not have a tertiary degree – in year 3, growing to a five-year gap in year 9. |
| “There are really, really wide gaps that open up,” Hunter said. | “There are really, really wide gaps that open up,” Hunter said. |
| “That’s an indicator of how big that equity gap is, which is really troubling – because we know children start school at different levels, but we want our school system to be closing those gaps.” | “That’s an indicator of how big that equity gap is, which is really troubling – because we know children start school at different levels, but we want our school system to be closing those gaps.” |
| Sign up to Breaking News Australia | Sign up to Breaking News Australia |
| Get the most important news as it breaks | Get the most important news as it breaks |
| after newsletter promotion | after newsletter promotion |
| Indigenous students were four to five times less likely to perform in the “exceeding” category across all age groups and domains, the data showed, and disadvantage was even more concentrated for Indigenous students in outer-suburban and regional areas. | |
| Just over half (56%) of Indigenous students in major cities were not meeting benchmarks in reading, writing and numeracy, more than double the proportion of non-Indigenous students in urban areas (26%). | Just over half (56%) of Indigenous students in major cities were not meeting benchmarks in reading, writing and numeracy, more than double the proportion of non-Indigenous students in urban areas (26%). |
| That rose to eight in 10 (79%) of Indigenous students in remote areas, and more than nine in 10 (92%) in very remote areas. | That rose to eight in 10 (79%) of Indigenous students in remote areas, and more than nine in 10 (92%) in very remote areas. |
| Female students continued to outperform male students in literacy across every year group, particularly in writing, while male students “exceeded” at higher rates in numeracy. | Female students continued to outperform male students in literacy across every year group, particularly in writing, while male students “exceeded” at higher rates in numeracy. |
| The ACT – the only state or territory to have reached full funding of public schools – and Victoria had the highest average scores across all year levels. Victoria also ranked first or second in 18 of 20 measures, and had the highest number of students performing “strong” or above. New South Wales also performed above average across all domains. | The ACT – the only state or territory to have reached full funding of public schools – and Victoria had the highest average scores across all year levels. Victoria also ranked first or second in 18 of 20 measures, and had the highest number of students performing “strong” or above. New South Wales also performed above average across all domains. |
| In the Northern Territory, which will receive double the commonwealth funding due to additional need, more than half of students failed to meet benchmarks. South Australian, Queensland and Tasmanian students fell below the average national Naplan score across all domains and year levels. | In the Northern Territory, which will receive double the commonwealth funding due to additional need, more than half of students failed to meet benchmarks. South Australian, Queensland and Tasmanian students fell below the average national Naplan score across all domains and year levels. |
| Victoria’s education minister, Ben Carroll, said Victorian students had achieved their strongest Naplan results ever, significantly improving on 2024. | Victoria’s education minister, Ben Carroll, said Victorian students had achieved their strongest Naplan results ever, significantly improving on 2024. |
| “The rest of the nation is flatlining while Victoria’s jumps are significant,” he said. “Our schools have all put explicit instruction at the heart of what we do and the feedback I’ve been getting from teachers is it’s a gamechanger. | “The rest of the nation is flatlining while Victoria’s jumps are significant,” he said. “Our schools have all put explicit instruction at the heart of what we do and the feedback I’ve been getting from teachers is it’s a gamechanger. |
| “All students are being uplifted.” | “All students are being uplifted.” |
| Hunter said it was positive that states and territories had focused more on evidence-based practice, such as phonics. | Hunter said it was positive that states and territories had focused more on evidence-based practice, such as phonics. |
| “Where we really fall down in Australia is backing the implementation to make [evidence-based teaching] happen,” she said. | “Where we really fall down in Australia is backing the implementation to make [evidence-based teaching] happen,” she said. |
| “If we look at really strong, high-performing systems that have really improved over time, Singapore and England in particular, they’ve invested really heavily in professional development for teachers. | “If we look at really strong, high-performing systems that have really improved over time, Singapore and England in particular, they’ve invested really heavily in professional development for teachers. |
| “I think we’ve got a little bit too comfortable with mediocrity in Australia.” | “I think we’ve got a little bit too comfortable with mediocrity in Australia.” |