Hon Sue Ellery's question on notice examines WA public school NAPLAN results, focusing on performance relative to national averages and disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students across different locations. The answer reveals no WA schools above national averages and details the changing gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, alongside performance variations based on remoteness.

AnsweredQoN 1436Legislative Council
Asked
12 August 2014
Portfolio
Education

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to the performance of Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 students in Western Australian public schools in 2013 NAPLAN, and I ask: (a) how many Western Australian public school means in 2013 were above all the Australian means; (b) if any in (a), which ones; (c) has the difference between the performance of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students improved since 2011 and, if so, by how much; and (d) has there been a decline or increase in the performance of Indigenous students from metropolitan to provincial to remote and very remote and, if so, what is the decline or increase?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
16 September 2014
Responded by
Minister for Education
Response time
35 days
(a) None.
(b) Not applicable.
(c) Between 2011 and 2013 the gap in NAPLAN mean scores between Indigenous and
non-Indigenous public school students decreased in six of the 20 assessments by between two and 21 scale points. The gap increased in 13 assessments by between one and 16 points.  The gap stayed the same for one assessment.
(d) The 2013 data for Western Australian public school students indicates that there are no substantial differences between the performance of Metropolitan Indigenous and Provincial Indigenous students, but significant differences between the performance of Provincial Indigenous students and Remote Indigenous students and Remote Indigenous students and Very Remote Indigenous students. Across the five assessment areas this is indicated by:
· Metropolitan Indigenous student means were, on average, one scale point higher  than Provincial Indigenous student means in Year 3, six points higher in Year 5, three points higher in Year 7 and six points higher in Year 9.
· Provincial Indigenous student means were, on average, 28 scale points higher than Remote Indigenous student means in Year 3, 30 points higher in Year 5, 27  points higher in Year 7 and 25 points higher in Year 9.
· Remote Indigenous student means were, on average, 30 points higher than Very  Remote Indigenous student means in Year 3, nine points higher in Year 5, 23  points higher in Year 7 and 27 points higher in Year 9.

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