NAPLAN: One Piece of the Learning Puzzle

Last week, students in Years 3 and 5 received their NAPLAN results. NAPLAN, or the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy, is a key component of Australia's education system. It evaluates the literacy and numeracy skills that students are developing through the school curriculum.

NAPLAN is unique because it is the only national assessment that all Australian students undertake. Each year, students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 participate in this standardised testing to provide a snapshot of their proficiency in essential skills such as reading, writing, and numeracy.

It’s important to understand that while NAPLAN provides valuable insights, it is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to assessing a child’s learning. Teachers regularly evaluate students through various methods, including whole-school formal assessments, classwork, pre- and post-assessment tasks and observations. This ongoing assessment helps build a complete picture of a student’s abilities and progress. NAPLAN results can complement this by providing additional information that might highlight areas of strength or areas where extra support might be beneficial.

For parents, NAPLAN results are a useful tool to gauge how your child is performing. However, they should be considered alongside the regular feedback you receive from teachers and your own observations of your child's learning and development.

If you have any questions about your child’s NAPLAN results or their overall progress, we encourage you to reach out to their teacher for further discussion and support.

Behaviour Management & Pastoral Care

At St Pius X Unanderra, we prioritise pastoral care, respecting each person's dignity and their contribution to our school community. We implement the Positive Behaviours for Learning (PB4L) framework, which is supported by international research and focuses on enhancing respectful relationships and student engagement in learning. This proactive approach, used across all Wollongong Diocesan Primary schools, establishes practices and systems to create positive teaching and learning environments. Our school-wide management framework aligns with our vision of fostering an inclusive, nurturing Catholic school community where students reach their full potential.

This is achieved by establishing school-wide management practises which:

• clearly define outcomes that relate to academic and social behaviour

• is supported by the understanding that “Adults matter”. Clear, consistent and durable systems support the work of the adults that matter to the lives of children – staff and parents

• has effective and efficient teaching practises that support student success

• uses relevant school data to guide decision making.

We also adhere to the CEDoW 'Life to the Full' Framework, which guides our approach to building respectful relationships, child safety, and human sexuality education within a Catholic context. This framework underpins our pastoral care and wellbeing initiatives and aligns with Social and Emotional Learning across the curriculum.

Key CEDoW policies and frameworks that support behaviour and pastoral care at St Pius X can be accessed on the CEDoW website, including:

Student Pastoral Care and Wellbeing Policy

Positive Behaviours For Learning Framework

CEDoW Path to Life Framework for Pastoral Care and Wellbeing

Suspension, Expulsion and Exclusion of Students Policy (currently being updated)

CEDoW 'Life to the Full' Framework