Year 9 students in NSW have come first place in the nation for numeracy and spelling in the 2017 NAPLAN tests.
Overall, NSW students scored above the national average and rank in the top three for all tests for all year levels.
NSW was the top-ranked state in the highest band in:
- Spelling: achieving top ranking at all year levels
- Grammar & Punctuation and Numeracy: for years 5, 7 and 9
- Writing: for year 5.
Under the new minimum standards, students are required to achieve a band 8 or above in reading, writing and numeracy to receive their HSC, with the Year 9 NAPLAN tests the first of several opportunities to meet the standard.
Data reveals 68 per cent (61,015) of NSW Year 9 students received at least one test result in band 8 or above, 52 per cent (46,481) received at least two test results at band 8 or above, and 32 per cent (28,403) attained band 8 or above in all three.
The 2017 NAPLAN results also show that the NSW Premier’s Priority of increasing the proportion of NSW students in the top two NAPLAN bands by eight per cent by 2019 has been achieved two years early.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said these results demonstrate the hard work by students and the dedicated teaching taking place in NSW classrooms.
“The results show the NSW Government’s introduction of minimum standards has yielded outstanding results with students showing great improvements in literacy and numeracy,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“The results for Year 9 students are particularly outstanding as they mean more students than expected have now pre-qualified to meet the minimum standard of literacy and numeracy for the HSC.”
Education Minister Rob Stokes congratulated students, teachers and parents on the strong results.
“NAPLAN is a useful diagnostic tool to track students’ progress in basic literacy and numeracy,” Mr Stokes said.
“Schools and teachers will use the results to provide additional support to those students who need it.”
Schools and students will receive their NAPLAN results report later this month.