In weeks 3 & 4 our Year 9 students will be sitting their NAPLAN tests. As a school we value these tests. Teachers use the information gained about student learning to design lessons and assessment tasks for their classes.

At Renmark High, students have been learning about growth mindset. growth mindset is the belief that when you put in effort you are rewarded with improvement. As parents and caregivers, when you discuss the upcoming tests with your child, you may like to reinforce that although students might find some questions in the test difficult, they can still demonstrate that they are a good learner. By trying hard and answering all the questions in the test to the best of their ability they have the potential to demonstrate growth since they last sat a NAPLAN test in Year 7.

Sometimes during a NAPLAN Test it is tempting for students to decide that a question is too difficult and to make the decision not to attempt it. Please encourage your child to persevere with difficult problems. A good plan is to go through the test and answer the questions you feel confident with. Then, if there is time, go back and answer the questions that required more thinking. Is there a different way you could work out the answer? Can you eliminate the wrong answers in the multiple choice responses?

Mobile phones and other electronic devices (eg. computerised watches) are not permitted in the test area under any circumstances. Students who bring these items to school on NAPLAN days will be asked to take them to our Student Services Office during Care Group and may pick them up at the end of the school day. It is preferred that these devices are kept home on test days.

We wish all of our Year 9s the best of success with their NAPLAN tests and trust it will be an experience that adds to their growth as learners.

Kirralee Baldock - Director of Learning