Australian parents and teachers can now track how children have improved over time in the key areas of literacy and numeracy with the launch of the newest version of the My School website.
The updated website measures the progress of students who have sat NAPLAN tests over the past four years, allowing parents to identify schools that have helped their students noticeably improve in comparison with other students who started at the same level.
This new version also includes the latest information on the funding available per student for every school in the country in 2010.
Speaking at Bethany Primary School in Werribee North, the Prime Minister said the My School website was now more powerful than ever before, shining a spotlight on Australia's schools to help lift the performance of every student.
We want every child in Australia to have access to a world class education. Giving them the best start in life is at the heart of what we stand for as a party and as a nation.
Four out of five of the top performing school systems are in our region. For Australia to succeed in the global economy, we must have a world-class school system.
My School is pivotal to this. It helps us see what works and which schools need support to improve.
Minister for School Education Peter Garrett said the new version of My School includes new information about the vocational education and training options available to students.
This information will help young people wanting to pursue a vocation, plan their final years of school.
The information on the site also highlights the impact of extra Government funding for these schools when it is used to improve teacher quality and focus on better learning outcomes. For example:
· 17 schools participating in the Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership were initially identified as “red” schools (results substantially below statistically similar schools) when NAPLAN results became available on the My School website in 2010. None of these schools are now recorded as “red.”
· In 2010 another 110 schools were identified as red schools. These schools were provided with a one-off payment by the Gillard Government to support better outcomes for their students. In 2012, only 17 of those schools still identify as red.
Minister Garrett said that the information provided on My School was essential for the development of the new national school funding model.
Without the information provided by My School and the NAPLAN tests introduced by the Gillard Government, we would have no clear national picture of student performance and improvement.
The Gonski Report showed that Australia's education performance is being overtaken by other nations and that we must overcome the effects of disadvantage on student achievement. Greater transparency is a vital part of our agenda to improve Australian schools and fund them effectively.