What major tests like PISA and NAPLAN get wrong about Indigenous students
The numbers that show Indigenous students ‘behind’ their non-Indigenous peers are accurate. But they only tell part of the story.
The latest results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) have revealed that Australian Indigenous students are falling significantly behind their non-Indigenous peers in science, reading, and maths. Indigenous students scored 72 points lower in science, 76 points lower in reading, and 74 points lower in maths compared to non-Indigenous students. However, this narrow focus on the "gap" between the groups fails to capture the complexities and successes within Indigenous education.
A 2024 study by Peter Anderson examined a decade's worth of NAPLAN data and found that comparing Indigenous students to non-Indigenous students' averages obscured the actual progress being made. When Indigenous students were matched with their Indigenous peers who shared similar starting points, it revealed that some schools and systems were achieving real, sustained gains. These gains were not evident in conventional comparisons, which only highlighted the disparity between the two groups.
The PISA test, designed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), assesses 15-year-olds' ability to apply their knowledge to real-life situations. In Australia, a significant proportion of Indigenous students come from low socioeconomic backgrounds, which hinders their access to resources and education. Therefore, the stark differences in test scores should be attributed to the complex socio-economic factors rather than innate ability or aptitude.
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted in 2007, outlines the rights of Indigenous peoples to control their own education systems, teach in their languages, and have their cultural methods of teaching and learning recognized. Despite Australia endorsing the declaration in 2009, the education system has not adequately incorporated these rights.
A rights-based benchmark could provide a more suitable and equitable approach to evaluating Indigenous education, focusing on factors such as language support, curriculum diversity, community involvement, and tracking of individual student progress.
By shifting the focus from the "gap" between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students to a rights-based framework, the education system can better address the unique challenges faced by Indigenous students and celebrate the achievements that have been overlooked.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
