CANBERRA, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- One third of Australian school students have failed to meet minimum numeracy and literacy standards, a government report has shown.
The federal government on Wednesday published the results of the 2023 National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), revealing 430,000 of the 1.3 million students -- 33 percent -- who sat the tests are performing below expectations.
It was the first year that results were assessed under a tougher set of criteria, with Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students who sat the standardized tests categorized as either "exceeding," "strong," "developing," or "needs additional support."
Under the new approach, 130,000 students -- one in 10 -- need additional support to keep up with their classmates.
Only 15 percent of students were found to be exceeding the expected standard.
Two thirds of Indigenous students, including those at city schools, fell below baseline standards.
The revamped criteria were introduced at the behest of state governments who called for the test to be modernized by moving it online and earlier in the year.
Jason Clare, the Minister for Education, said in a media release issued on Wednesday, that the new system better reflected the reality inside Australian classrooms.
"We have raised the minimum standard students are now expected to meet, so we can really identify the students who need additional support," he said, "the next step is to provide them with that support."
"The evidence shows if you have fallen behind at school it's really hard to catch up. Only one in five students who are behind the minimum standard in literacy and numeracy in Year 3 are above it in Year 9. This is what we have got to fix," said the minister. ■
