A bit of a generalisation, but NAPLAN serves very little purpose in the current climate. Its intention is positive as some sort of surrogate for the more important classroom learning cycle and personalised teaching. If the education system was more supportive of all students and more focused on progress rather than achievement, and teachers were given room and support to teach more personally, supporting each student to grow, then NAPLAN could with some rethinking of the meaning of numeracy in particular,. be used to help teachers in this process. While the overall system is as divisive as it is and while teachers of mathematics in particular stick to deficit models of teaching rather than growth models, NAPLAN just reinforces a sense of failure in many students and teachers.

Gloria, thanks so much for your response.  It is very heartening to read this positivity regarding your articles.

Mark, I really like your distinction between progress and achievement.  I feel this encapsulates the divisive nature of the issue wonderfully.  Thanks, as always, for your valuable input.