The Tasmanian Government welcomes the Grattan Institute’s report Measuring Student Progress: A state-by-state report card, which makes comparisons on student progress using NAPLAN data and is based on a measure of growth developed by the Institute.
When socio-economic status is taken into account, Tasmania broadly matches the national average for student progress in reading, writing and numeracy – a recognition of the ongoing work and commitment of our teachers across the state.
This is reinforced by our continuing commitment to make education a major priority with record spending of $6.75 billion across the forward estimates, the employment of an additional 250 teachers over the next six years and extending more high schools to years 11 and 12 to keep students engaged in education longer.
It is important to consider socio-economic factors to make fair comparisons when considering state and national results, and the Department of Education will continue to explore performance data in the way it is advocated in this report to ensure that appropriate support is given to disadvantaged schools.
We also endorse the report’s recommendation regarding the monitoring of teacher practices, including through the annual survey collection and reporting of the views of students, parents, and staff on a range of aspects of school satisfaction.
We support the ongoing accessibility to data, the continuous review of available information to inform best practice, and continuing to monitor our progress against our state targets, including literacy, numeracy, retention and attainment.
While we will consider the report further in closer detail, this report affirms the State Government’s commitment to invest in education to improve the future education and skills outcomes of Tasmanian students.
