Please help me write this essay many thanks (about 1200 words) Select one curren

Question

Please help me write this essay many thanks (about 1200 words)

Select one current educational policy issue related to Assessment in Australia (from the list below), and drawing upon the lectures, required readings, and your own research into that issue, write a critical essay explaining why and how this issue is currently exerting influence upon education in Australia. It is expected that a substantive argument would require the use of at least 10 references. While your issue relates to Australia, it is permissible for you to draw upon both national and international research in Education to substantiate your case.
Topical issues could relate to:
· The national curriculum;
· NAPLAN;
· Teacher accountability;

Explanation / Answer

The national assessment program provides the measure through which governments, education authorities and schools can determine whether or not young Australians are meeting important educational outcomes. NAPLAN tests the sorts of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy. However, they do not have a pass/fail system. Schools play a central role in ensuring the smooth running of NAPLAN tests. Each year, ACARA and test administration authorities (TAAs) in each state and territory provide information and support to schools to ensure they understand what is required to support the administration of NAPLAN tests.

Recently, there is growing research evidence that suggests that there has been a raft of unintended consequences that are most likely having a negative impact on student learning (Thompson & Harbaugh, 2013). These unintended consequences mirror many experienced in the US and UK, including teaching to the test, narrowing the curriculum focus, increasing student and teacher anxiety, promoting direct teaching methods, a decrease in student motivation and the creation of classroom environments that are less, not more, inclusive. Other than that however, it is noticed that some amount of improvement has been observed in the overall academic skill acquisition in students through this implementation. But from a larger perspective, it has not been found useful in terms of embracing student differences, rather focused on creating disparity. The largest number of responses (48%) from teachers perceived that NAPLAN was having an impact on relationships with parents. This was manifesting in various ways: in pressure on students, teachers or schools to show improvement in student outcomes, strained relationships with parents as well as teachers reporting that they were having to spend more time and resources explaining NAPLAN testing and individual student results to parents. Some teachers saw that there had been a range of impacts, both positive and negative, on teacher-parent relationships in each class. A small percentage of coded responses suggested that NAPLAN had actually improved teacher-parent relationships.

Source: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1017709.pdf

In fact, recent results on the impact NAPLAN on students have been so disheartening that discarding the same has been proposed in many news articles. However, more rigorous results through research may help reveal if merely some modifications and correct changes in the plan and policy can help make the difference that it intends to. Sometimes, the gap between the policy intent & its actual implementation leads to the negative results. However, the correct feedback and implementation checks can lead to recovery. As a national curriculum, it must have substantial evidence & intense work gone in its creation, while keeping in mind its unique audience. Therefore, a re-visit by educationists and scholars may mend things & must be encouraged.

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