The UNSW Gonski Institute for Education calls for sampling instead of a census to measure school performance.

Institute director Adrian Piccoli and education policy professor Pasi Sahlberg make the case for ending Naplan in their submission to a COAG review.

“We recommend that an Australian national assessment system should use scientifically determined sampling of students rather than the current census approach. A sampling approach lowers the stakes that testing has on children, parents, and schools. Sampling rather than census also strengthens the role of classroom-based diagnostic, formative and summative assessments led by teachers and schools.”

Piccoli and Sahlberg point to positives from sampling, including, an end to publication of results by schools. “Removing the high stakes nature of the current national assessment and reporting system will reinstate the primary role of teachers and schools in student assessment and reporting will increase trust in teachers as professional,” they suggest.