Teenage disinterest is being blamed for the lacklustre performance by year 9s in national literacy and numeracy tests, prompting Victoria to call for a change in the year groups being put through the wringer.
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Victorian Education Minister James Merlino wants to see the NAPLAN tests moved from Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 to Years 4, 6, 8 and 10.
He says Year 9 students struggle to make the connection between their test results and career potential.
"These results don't reflect what students are capable of and we must investigate options to ensure our Year 9 students are more engaged," Mr Merlino said in a statement on Wednesday.
"This is about making the test more relevant, not adding unnecessary stress to NAPLAN."
He said moving the years tested up could give schools more timely information about achievement levels of students as they transition from primary school and would better enable students to use their results as they consider senior secondary choices.
Australian Associated Press