The number of Canberra students achieving the national minimum standard in NAPLAN writing tests has declined for all year levels in the past decade, new figures reveal.
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While territory students continue to score well in all areas in comparison to other jurisdictions, the latest Productivity Commission report shows that writing results in the ACT have worsened since the test was introduced in 2011.
It comes despite the ACT government again spending more money on schools per students than all other jurisdictions, aside from the Northern Territory.
The commission's report, published this week, showed that a higher proportion of students failed to reach the minimum standard on their NAPLAN writing test in 2018 compared to 2011.
Students in Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit the test.
The biggest decline was recorded in test results for Year 7s, with 11.2 per cent failing to reach the standard in 2018, compared to 8.2 per cent in 2011.
More than 16 per cent of Year 9's didn't achieve the standard, down from 14.5 per cent in 2011.
There was an alarming decline in the performance of Aboriginal students. More than a third of Year 5 students didn't meet the national benchmark in 2018, compared to 13 per cent in 2011.
According to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, which runs the national assessment program, students who don't meet the national minimum standards "have not achieved the learning outcomes expected for their year level".
Those students are at risk of being left behind academically without "targeted intervention", the authority said.
Despite the decline, the ACT still performed in line with the national average on the writing test, and better than a number of other jurisdictions.
The commission's report showed that performance in reading and numeracy has improved, with a higher percentage of students in all year levels scoring at or above the national standard in 2018, compared to 2008.
The Canberra Times sought comment from Education Minister Yvette Berry about the writing results published in the report. Her office did not provide a response.
Ms Berry did make a general statement earlier in the week about the territory's NAPLAN results, which said that while "ACT students perform well compared to other states and territories, the government was still focused on improvement and, importantly, ensuring every child has equitable access to education."
Ms Berry has long been a critic of NAPLAN as a singular measure of academic performance, and last year said the ACT would play an active role in an a breakaway review of the national testing program.
The commission's report showed that ACT schools remain among the nation's most well funded.
Spending per student reached $21,300 in 2017-18, the second highest behind the NT ($26,296).
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
