Coordinating the NAPLAN

NAPLAN. I have gone through an emotional rollercoaster with our National testing regime over the past decade. I was somewhat indifferent to begin with, then irritated because I wanted to teach my classes and they were too fatigued by hours of tests to engage, now, I would say I am increasingly seeing the benefits of the data package we receive. I don't believe it is anything for students, or teachers, to stress about. Just information to help us teach more effectively.

Data, it is not something new. We assess students, have assessed students, will always assess students, for as long as there is education. The value of different modes of testing may alter, but the fact that students need to demonstrate their learning, will never change.

One of my earliest memories of school is sitting in the library, taking what I now know was the Basic Skills Test. It was something we just did, our parents got some information, the school did too, and that is all. I just remember being a little bit lonely because I had to sit at a big table by myself. 

When I think back to my earlier years of teaching I recall the advent of the MySchool website. It had Australian society in turmoil - what it right? Moral? Legal? Surely not! Surely no-one will take notice. It crashed when it was first released. No-one wanted to know, but we all wanted to know. Many of us knew our schools would be below the line, and we still looked. We checked out the 'comparable schools,' schools we attended as students, schools we once taught in. The data, was enlightening, interesting, controversial, powerful.

I have marked NAPLAN twice and found it to be an interesting but gruelling undertaking. I learnt a great deal through the marking process and I highly recommend it to my colleagues, even as a one off, as it is just so heartening to be a part of the community that is created through collegiate marking projects. It is a camaraderie I have not often experienced professionally or personally anywhere else. The ability to mark to the same standards as hundreds of people across Australia is also an amazing accomplishment and something I think we should be proud of as a profession.

My other experiences with NAPLAN have been through assisting with the coordination and undertaking the role of coordinator of testing. This year will be my third time running the show.  It is an exhausting week, but ultimately a very short time period and something I have felt very proud to have organised (once the boxes of completed test papers are safely at the Post Office).

So, in the spirit of getting organised, and because you don't get a chance to work out little details until silly things happen (when there's no time to fix them), here is my list of preparations for NAPLAN.

1. Collect accurate lists of the grades taking the test. In a NSW Department of Education school, this means the lists from ERN so you will need to speak to your SASS staff. Some schools also have a support unit so ensure that both mainstream and support students are included in the lists.

2. Wait patiently until your Principal receives the NAPLAN information pack with three handbooks and a very important username and password (this will be around Week 5, Term 1). At this point you will be able to cross check all of the students on the NAPLAN PAR website against the Year 7 and Year 9 enrolment.

3. Ensure that students on partial enrolment, or dual enrolment are sorted out early. The test papers must be secure, so it is extremely important that they go to the correct location. You will usually be able to get special enrolment details from the SASS staff or the Senior Executive.

4. Correspondence. At my school we send the official NAPLAN letter home to parents at the end of Term 1, (this letter is in the back of the NAPLAN coordinator booklet and it is also available online) to ensure students and parents have notice, I have posted the website with the official dates and test times on our school Facebook page and School Bag App.  A further letter will go home early in Term 2, to indicate the scheduling of the tests and it will also remind parents and students of what they need to bring.

5. Bookings! Try to book the location of your testing nice and early - the official testing dates are scheduled for the next five years (http://www.nap.edu.au/key-dates.html). My school's population is growing exponentially so when an area needs to be blocked out for testing it means another faculty cannot use a large portion of their space. Book early so everyone can be organised and prepared. Be sure to book a space for Special Provisions if required.

6. Check the spaces - remember, the testing occurs in the cooler months, so consider whether the heating is adequate. Test the lights! Our students sit the test in our hall. One of the front bulbs was blown last year and it cast a shadow over the test paper which was not conducive to a positive testing environment. I had to move students all over the place to ensure they had enough light and this was chaotic when reorganising the papers because the collection was a nightmare. I've learnt my lesson. Light bulb checking is now on my to do list.

7. Buy an enormous clock, (this is the one I purchased last year http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/degree-epoch-50cm-clock-cwepockclk), but be sure your General Assistant can pop it up for you. I store this clock, sans batteries, during the year so I know it is available for the tests. An alternative way to display the time is through a digital clock. A colleague of mine designed one (clever guy!). Here is the link: https://mathsstarters.net

8. Locate portable whiteboards to write the date, test type, and starting and finishing times up. Be sure to organise something to clean the board with and white board markers in blue/black/purple as well.

9. Purchase spare pencils, erasers, sharpeners. Students are allowed to use black pens this year, though I can see this being a bit of a mess if students wish to change an answer. Many students like using pencil for tests so I am going to bring spare pencils, rather than pens. I also have several electric sharpeners that I purchased from Officeworks and I do a quick sharpen between tests.

10. Print out and laminate alphabet posters to assist with your organisation of the students moving into the testing venue (A-E, F-J, etc.). Ensure you have several copies and masking/duct tape to keep them on the wall where you wish students to line up.

11. Stick memes up around the staffroom so staff are aware of the NAPLAN schedule, the tests are immovable, and some don't actually realise this. http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/62072944.jpg

12. Be sure to organise, if you need to, assistance to pull out the examination tables and chairs. Be tactical with student seating arrangements if needed. Even if it takes a little longer to put the papers back into order, it is worth it when students can sit comfortably for the entire duration of the test without distraction. 

13. Ensure that you work with the LaSTs to make sure parents that need to withdraw their students, or parents seeking to have their student exempted, have the correct paperwork.

14. For all of the data requirements, follow the schedule outlining the dates on the NAPLAN coordinator booklet (this will become your best friend). This will keep you on track in the lead up to the testing and will detail what needs to happen with Special Provisions applications.

Best of luck! Happy testing!