New analysis by Fairfax Media shows which Canberra schools are substantially improving student performance over time while others are stalling, and a handful have actually slipped backwards.
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National literacy and numeracy results have been updated overnight for 10,000 Australian schools on the My School website.
According to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 23 Canberra schools have demonstrated substantial improvement in NAPLAN results as student cohorts progress between years 3-5 and years 7-9.
A high proportion of children change from primary school to high school, making the results between years 5 and 7 less conclusive.
While raw scores are also published in the new Fairfax Media tables, the data has been collated in a way to allow the community to see which schools are succeeding in improving their student results the most between testing periods.
Government schools that have shown the greatest improvements include Richardson Primary, Majura Primary, Mount Stromlo High, University of Canberra High School Kaleen, Alfred Deakin High School, Telopea Park School, Ainslie School, Chapman Primary and Taylor Primary.
Independent schools that have shown the greatest improvements include Radford College, Canberra Girls Grammar, Emmaus Christian School, Orana Steiner School and Trinity Christian School.
Both Emmaus and Trinity showed substantial gains in both the primary years and the high school years.
Catholic schools showing the greatest gains include St Anthony's Primary, St Vincent's Primary, Holy Spirit Catholic School, St Joseph's Primary, St Mary MacKillop College, St John Paul II College, St Francis of Assisi Primary, St Jude's Primary and St Michael's Primary.
Meanwhile, the Islamic School of Canberra, Covenant College and the Wanniassa School have had student results slip backwards in the high school years across writing and grammar.
Schools identified by ACARA to have provided the most value to students have done so through exceeding the national average gain, having an overall gain higher than schools with similar students based on socio-economic status, and having an overall gain higher than that shown by students with the same starting score.
Schools identified by ACARA had to have matched NAPLAN results for at least 15 students and the overall percentages of matched students had to be higher than 70 per cent.
ACARA's general manager of assessment and reporting Dr Stanley Rabinowitz said while academic achievement of students at school was certainly important, "the only way for any school to improve – be they a low performing or high performing school – is through substantial growth".
"At ACARA, we believe that schools that have managed substantial growth should be acknowledged. Simple league tables, based just on achievement scores, are one dimensional and ignore important characteristics that affect student achievement."
Raw scores, meanwhile, continue to show the predominance of Canberra Grammar, Radford College and Canberra Girls Grammar. Telopea Park School and Curtin Primary were among the top government school achievers based on raw score, while St Vincent's Primary and St Jude's were among the top Catholic schools.
ACT Education Minister Shane Rattenbury said he was encouraged by the work undertaken by schools which had implemented new programs or approaches that have resulted in significant gains.
"For example, the University of Canberra High School Kaleen, which has achieved a higher than national average gain in numeracy and literacy. Over the past two years Kaleen has made a conscious effort to improve literacy outcomes, including the employment of a literacy field officer and implementation of designated literacy blocks for students," Mr Rattenbury said.
"This is great example of a school principal using the NAPLAN data in a way that enhances student learning on an ongoing basis and ultimately results in better student outcomes.''
He noted that while My School could be a valuable source of information for parents and carers, "there is no substitute to visiting your child's school, speaking to the principal and teachers, and observing students as they participate in their school day".
