Summary

League tables have had a negative effect in other countries. They have resulted in a narrowing of the curriculum as effort and resources are put into the areas to be tested, and time is spent ‘teaching to the test’. Enrolment patterns change as people who are able to exercise choice move their children to so-called successful schools. Parents who don’t have choice are then left with their so-called failing schools whose cohort largely consists of the children most challenging to educate.

League tables, which rank or compare schools based on test results, present an invalid and misleading picture of school performance.
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Branding schools as failures or poor-performing based on test results which do not show the progress of students nor the work that schools have done with them is damaging.

The NAPLAN national tests were never designed to be used to compare schools. Experts say the results are not accurate enough to be used this way.

It takes schools many years to throw off the tag of a ‘failing school’ and it is demoralising for students, teachers and parents. It makes it much harder for those schools to improve the performance of their students.

Politicians don’t need schools to be publicly ranked to know which ones need help and more resources. Parents can already access relevant information on school performance by directly contacting schools or looking at their own school’s website.


Laws preventing the creation of league tables in NSW have been in place since 1997. Those laws were put in place after the Daily Telegraph placed a photo of an entire Year 12 class on the front page of the paper under the headline: The Class We Failed. The paper described students as “virtually useless for further education”.

The AEU remains willing to discuss all possible options with the Federal Government to protect students and school communities from the damaging impact of school league tables.

Updates Pages Members, Principals and Reps

Videos

To view the following AEU Federal videos click on the link below:

Teachers Take Action on League Tables
League Tables in England
AEU Federal Conference 2010 League Tables Campaign
British Union Warns of Dangers of League Tables

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Why do parents, teachers and principals oppose school league tables?

Articles about League Tables and Testing

What the United States could learn from Finland about education reform.

Can New York Clean Up the Testing Mess - Sol Stern City Journal

ACARA Head Admits There is Little Evidence for Reporting School Results - Trevor Cobbold, Save Our Schools

National literacy and numeracy tests 'not reliable' - The Australian Newspaper Justine Ferrari, Education writer | October 12, 2009

School Results Fail to Measure Up - Trevor Cobold Save our School

School League Tables - Success or Disaster?
Trevor Cobbold
Speech Delivered to Politics in the Pub Sydney
4 September 2009

Teachers Pressured to Change Student Results to Increase School Ranking

Why ‘league tables’ of schools are a failure - Ian Keese is a retired Head of a History Faculty in a New South Wales State High School and writes on education, history and moral philosophy. He is the State Secretary of the Australian College of Educators and National President of the Independent Scholars Association of Australia (ISAA). He is a member if the New South Wales Fabian Society. The views expressed here are his own. He may be contacted at review@isaa.org.au

Accurate performance measure but meaningless ranking exercise? An analysis of the English school league tables by Deborah Wilson and Anete Piebalga. Bristol: Centre for Market and Public Organisation, 2008.

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/cmpo/publications/papers/2007/wp176.pdf

Parental choice among schools in England is informed by annually published school performance (league) tables. The 2006 league tables included a measure of contextual value added (CVA) for the first time. By explicitly accounting for the characteristics of a school’s intake, CVA should provide a more accurate measure of the impact a school has on its pupils’ progress, i.e. on school effectiveness. In this paper we use UK government administrative data to replicate CVA and other key performance measures in order to investigate the extent to which the current league tables provide the information necessary to support parental choice on the basis of school effectiveness. We find that while CVA does provide a more accurate measure of school performance or effectiveness, school rankings based on CVA are largely meaningless: almost half of English secondary schools are indistinguishable from the national average."

Analysing and reporting performance indicator data: ‘caress’ the data and user beware! by Ken Rowe. [Background paper to invited address presented at the 2004 Public Sector Performance & Reporting Conference, under the auspices of the International Institute for Research (IIR), Sydney, 19-22 April 2004.]

http://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=learning_processes

"Within the context of a growing international movement toward the adoption of ‘outcomes-based’ modes of public sector service provision, policy, governance and accountability, this paper focuses on the context, nature and purpose of performance indicators (PIs), and in particular on the analysis and reporting of data derived from them as bases for informing policy. […] [S]pecific reference is made to educational PIs, and especially to responsible modes of PI data analysis, use and reporting."

Assessment, league tables and school effectiveness: consider the issues and “let’s get real!” by Kenneth J. Rowe. Journal of Educational Enquiry, vol. 1, no. 1, 2000, pp. 73-98.

http://www.literacy.unisa.edu.au/jee/Papers/JEEPaper5.pdf

“[T]he present paper highlights the limitations of using performance indicators based on test or examination scores as accountability measures at the school- and system-level, or indeed, as measures of student learning outcomes. The issues raised are presented for consideration, stressing the need for caution in generating and publishing potentially invalid and misleading information, especially in the typically published form of ‘league tables’ consisting of schools’ raw, ‘ability-adjusted’, or ‘value-added’ average achievement scores, with the risk of generating both individual and institutional harm. As a means of at least minimising such problems, the paper outlines a code of ethics for the publication of educational performance indicators along the lines proposed by Goldstein and Myers (1996), and Myers and Goldstein (1996).”

The case against national curriculum tests by the National Union of Teachers. NUT, 2003?

http://www.teachers.org.uk/resources/word/case_against.doc

This short report argues that tests do not help teachers teach or students learn and, moreover, are an unreliable method for measuring pupils' achievements.

The case against testing: research evidence by the National Union of Teachers. NUT, 2003.

http://www.teachers.org.uk/resources/pdf/Tests-campaign-Evidence-2.pdf

This 10-page report critically examines eight frequently used arguments used in defence of testing - 1. Tests improve pupil learning and raise standards; 2.Tests do not have a negative impact on pupils' well-being; 3. Tests have not affected pupils' access to a broad and balanced curriculum; 4. The way teachers teach has improved as a result of the tests; 5. Tests are a reliable way of measuring pupils' achievements; 6.The general public supports National Curriculum tests; 7. There is no credible alternative to National Curriculum tests; 8. Tests are a cost-effective way of securing accountability.

Enhancing open and accountable government: discussion paper – review of the [Queensland] Freedom of Information Act 1992. Brisbane: Freedom of Information Review Panel, 2008.

http://www.foireview.qld.gov.au/FOIDiscussionpaper240108.pdf

This document includes a discussion of the notion of public interest.

Failing schools in a failing system by Kate Myers and Harvey Goldstein. From Rethinking educational change with heart and mind (ASCD yearbook, 1997) edited by Andy Hargreaves. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, 1997).

http://www.cmm.bristol.ac.uk/team/HG_Personal/failing-schools-in-a-failing-system.pdf

"This chapter… describes what happens to schools that are publicly labelled as failing and argues that the performance of schools (including those which are deemed to be ’failing’) cannot be evaluated properly or fairly unless the different contexts in which these schools and their teachers have to work are taken into account. Those who identify 'failure' must depend on what information is available to describe school performance. The principle of 'freedom of information' can be an asset here but it can also be abused in ways that harm rather than help schools and the children who they serve."

Freedom of information around the world 2006: a global survey of access to government information laws by David Banisar. Privacy International, 2006.

http://www.privacyinternational.org/foi/foisurvey2006.pdf

This report confirms that most the FOI laws in most countries include a provision that information may be withheld if the harm caused by its release outweighs the benefits.

Freedom of information: towards a code of ethics for performance indicators by Harvey Goldstein and Kate Myers. Research intelligence, no. 57, 1996, pp. 12-16.

http://www.cmm.bristol.ac.uk/team/HG_Personal/code-of-ethics-for-performance-indicators.pdf

“The purpose of this article [about school league tables] is to look at some of the problems associated with the release of information. In particular we wish to open up a debate about the implications of releasing information about institutions, and what safeguards can be taken against misinterpretation, false labelling or generally what we may refer to as ‘information abuse’.”

League tables will not improve choice, just cause damage by Angelo Gavrielatos. The Sydney Morning Herald, 18 May 2009, p. 15.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/league-tables-will-not-improve-choice-just-cause-damage-20090517-b7am.html?page=-1

In this article, the president of the Australian Education Union argues that rather than constructing hierarchies of schools by publishing league tables which “create greater inequality and increased segregation”, governments should be introducing “proactive policies aimed at properly resourcing and supporting all schools”.

Loser schools [interview with Bob Lipscombe, Teachers Federation President, Dick Shearman, Independent Education Union General Secretary, Barry O’Farrell, NSW Opposition Leader, John Kaye, NSW Greens MLC,] Transcript of interview by Quentin Dempster, on Stateline, 10 July 2009.

http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/nsw/content/2006/s2626538.htm

The interviewees discuss some of the negative impacts of the publication of league tables.
 

Making the grade: school report cards and league tables by Jennifer Buckingham. The Centre for Independent Studies, 2008.

http://www.cis.org.au/Issue_analysis/IA103/ia103.pdf

This report “examines the school report cards scheme being considered by the Australian government and recommends a balanced approach to performance incentives for Australian schools." - Australian Policy Online website.

Masters warns against league tables. ACER eNews, no. 78, June 2009.

http://www.acer.edu.au/enews/0906_LeagueTables.html

Geoff Masters, the chief executive ACER, warns that league tables can be misleading and that “[r]eal transparency means reporting schools’ results as they are – without adjustment – and making every effort to compare like with like and to understand the circumstances under which individual schools are operating.”

The Minister replies [interview with the NSW Minister for Education and Training, Verity Firth] Transcript of interview by Quentin Dempster, on Stateline, 3 July 2009.

http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/nsw/content/2006/s2616688.htm

The Minister discusses the NSW legislation which includes a provision to impose a $55,000 fine on any media organisation that publishes rankings of schools.

More evidence on the (lack of) impact of school choice by Steven D. Levitt. New York Times, 4 October 2007.

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/more-evidence-on-the-lack-of-impact-of-school-choice/

The author argues that by defining a school as “better” on the basis of its outputs the value added by a school is not measured. Such schools are already attracting the “better” students, hence it is inevitable that their outputs (i.e. what is often measured in tables) will be impressive.

National testing and league tables: a league of their own making by Chris Bonnor. Australian Education Union, 2009.

http://www.aeufederal.org.au/Debates/CBonnoropinion.pdf

The author of this opinion piece argues that league tables "overwhelmingly reflect the enrolment profile rather than the worth of schools and what they achieve for their kids. They essentially measure the prior learning, family culture, aspiration...and money of the kids who walk in through the school gates each day".

National testing and league tables: opinion piece by Jon Berry. Australian Education Union, 2009.

http://www.aeufederal.org.au/Debates/JBerryopinion.pdf

The author briefly reviews the effects of national testing on British schools, concluding that "[n]ational, high-stakes testing diminishes our curriculum, can change teachers into technicians, can make our schools testing hot-houses and can turn children off learning".

National testing, league tables and school performance accountability by Peter Job. Australian Education Union, 2008.

http://www.aeufederal.org.au/Publications/natestingpap.pdf

"The push towards accountability testing in Australia has been strongly influenced by the test-based accountability systems established overseas… [This report examines] these programs and how they have impacted on schools, student achievement and educational equity as a window to the issues surrounding accountability testing." - (p. 5).

A new progressive consensus for Australian schools: why we need change by Julia Gillard. Presentation to the Brookings Institution, 19 June 2009.

http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/events/2009/0619_australian_education/0619_education_gillard.pdf

Julia Gillard, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education, provides an overview of the Australian education system, focusing on the "education revolution", investment, the curriculum, teacher quality and school leadership, targeting disadvantage, and testing, claiming that "[o]ur schools will not become test factories" (p. 7)".

Our early start on making children unfit for work by Ken Boston. The Sunday Times, 26 April 2009.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/incomingFeeds/article6168874.ece

Ken Boston, a former chief executive of the (UK) Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, argues that students’ insufficient employability skills stem, not from inadequacies in the curriculum but to the fact that “[t]he teaching programme focuses on what is to be tested and on practising for the tests”.

Reporting and comparing school performances: paper prepared for the MCEETYA Expert Working Group to provide advice on national schools data collection and reporting for school evaluation, accountability and resource allocation by Geoff N. Masters et al. [Carlton South, Vic.]: MCEETYA, 2008.

http://www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/ACER_Report_on_Reporting_and_comparing_school_performances.pdf

The authors observe that while tabular information "would be useful for state departments of education and other employing authorities ..., underlying all such tables [should be] a spreadsheet, which enables sorting by any measure, easy calculations of composite scores, and identification of schools that are outliers on any measure" (p. 56). They argue that such data should be available to the public but not be used for the creation of school league tables.

Reporting school results does greater harm than good by Trevor Cobbold. Save Our Schools Canberra, [2009].

http://soscanberra.com/league-tables/reporting-school-results-does-greater-harm-than-good

In this six-page piece, the author argues not only that league tables provide a misleading picture of school quality (indeed, can reduce the quality of education for students), but also that most freedom of information laws around the world include a requirement that governments assess whether publication of information will mislead or harm people before releasing it.

Tracking achievement gaps and assessing the impact of NCLB on the gaps: an in-depth look into national and state reading and math outcome trends by Jaekyung Lee. Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, 2006.

http://www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/research/esea/nclb_naep_lee.pdf

The author concludes that "states that adopted test-driven external accountability either before or after NCLB [No Child Left Behind Act] did not reduce racial and socioeconomic inequalities in reading and math achievement. It is evident that test-driven external accountability, whether it was a state or federal initiative, has not advanced equity on a large scale, as the disparity in achievement among different racial and socioeconomic groups of students persists before and after NCLB." - (p. 57).

School Comparisons Will Pit Rich Against Poor - Trevor Cobold

League Tables will Damage Education - Trevor Cobbold

New League Table Exposes Hollow Assurances - Trevor Cobbold

Reporting School Results Does Greater Harm Than Good - Trevor Cobbold

School League Tables - Success or Disaster - Trevor Cobbold

League Tables - Why just for schools?

Labor’s Deception on School League Tables - Trevor Cobbold

Stop League Tables Today
Author: Angelo Gavrielatos
Publication: The Canberra Times (21,Thu 23 Apr 2009)
Edition: CT

League Tables Increase Social Segregation and Inequity - Trevor Cobbold published in the March 2009issue of the Professional Educator.http://www.acer.edu.au/profed/

The Case for Reporting Statistical Error on School Results

When students miss out, Australia will pay the price - The Age Editorial January 21, 2009

New National Education Goals Are Contradictory - Trevor Cobold Sunday February 1, 2009
 

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