Teaching Writing in the National Assessment Program–Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) Era: How National Testing Is Reorganizing English Teaching in Australia

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 33
  In Roundtable Session: Thinking Big Picture: Standards, Testing, and Language as Structuring Structures in Schools and Out-of-School Programs

Abstract

While there have been various investigations of the impact of standardised testing in Australian schools over the decade since NAPLAN (National Assessment Plan for Literacy and Numeracy) was introduced, few have focused on extended writing and the experiences and impacts on the professional knowledge and practices of secondary English teachers. Yet these are the teachers most often charged with responsibility for teaching writing. This paper reports on a mixed method study, comprising surveys across two states and qualitative case studies incorporating instructional artefacts, teacher reflections and interviews. This paper examines what teachers say and demonstrate about the writing pedagogies that are currently practices in secondary schools, and the influences of NAPLAN on English.

Author

• Susanne Marie Gannon, Western Sydney University