NATIONAL LITERACY AND NUMERACY TESTS

Mr PISONI (Unley) (14:34): My question is for the Minister for Education and Child Development. Why have NAPLAN results for year 9 students, who will next year start the new SACE, gone backwards in reading, writing and spelling since the first NAPLAN test for year 9 students in 2008?

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI (Hartley—Minister for Education and Child Development) (14:35): When I say that I aspire for our students to be the very best, I am acknowledging that there is room for improvement. There is absolutely—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: No, our results are steady.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: Our results are steady, and I—

Mr Goldsworthy interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Kavel, order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: But I have asked my department, a number of months ago, to come back to me with a revised comprehensive plan for literacy and numeracy in our schools. NAPLAN is one of the tools in our tool kit. I think that plan is a very good idea because it has focused not only South Australia but all the states, all the territories and the commonwealth on our literacy and numeracy efforts in our schools, and I think this is a very good thing.

I am not going to use NAPLAN to bag our teachers, to have a go at the outstanding work that our principals and teachers do—and they do outstanding work. I am going to use NAPLAN—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. G. PORTOLESI: I am going to use NAPLAN to assist our students to do better, and that is a very good thing.