Estimates Committee B - Answers to Questions Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1) 52 1 Parliament of South Australia Estimates Committee B - Answers to Questions published Estimates Replies Even Start Program EVEN START PROGRAM In reply to Mr GARDNER Legislative Council EVEN START PROGRAM In reply to Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (7 October 2010). The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL Legislative Council Minister for Education Minister for Early Childhood Development EVEN START PROGRAM The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Education, Minister for Early Childhood Development): National benchmarks have not existed since the introduction of the NAPLAN in 2008. It could be considered that a comparable group in 2009 might have been the students below the National Minimum Standard (NMS) in the NAPLAN Assessments given a student below the NMS has typically not demonstrated the basic elements of Literacy and Numeracy to participate at their year level. In 2009, there were 7,772 students below national minimum standard in one or more of the following elements: reading, writing and numeracy out of a total of 56,758 students for years 3, 5 and 7.