My School 2018 website revamp

The publishing of NAPLAN results on the MySchool website allows parents to monitor how their kids are tracking against the performance of others and professional groups are liking what they see.

The Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA) has welcomed the revamp of the My School website.

“The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is to be congratulated for its ongoing commitment to making complex data as accessible and as easy to read as possible”’ said AHISA’s CEO, Ms Beth Blackwood.

Ms Blackwood said freedom of choice was important given the wide diversity of schooling options in Australia.

“While the My School website is a good place for parents to start when gathering information about where they will educate their children, it is important to remember that My School gives only a very limited snapshot of school life,” said Ms Blackwood.

“A visit to the My School site is no substitute for a personal visit to a school, where parents have the opportunity to talk with the principal, teachers and students to help determine whether the school is the best choice to meet the unique needs and interests of their child.”

Ms Blackwood also warned against making value-for-money comparisons by attempting to align financial data published on the My School site with NAPLAN results.

“Differences in the per student expenditure figures published on My School may reflect differences in teacher:student ratios or the breadth of subject offerings, particularly at senior secondary level, or the cost of the co-curriculum,” said Ms Blackwood. “Parents should follow the links from the My School site to individual school sites to get a feel for the full program that schools offer students, including co-curriculum opportunities.”