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Demonstrating NAPLAN outcomes for students with communication impairment

Research conducted by Charles Sturt University researchers, Professors Sharynne McLeod, Linda Harrison and Dr Cen Wang, from the Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education at Charles Sturt University, with

From left: Ronelle Hutchinson, Senator Sue Lines (Chair of Committee), Gaenor Dixon and Sharynne McLeod at the hearing.

Sharynne’s research found that students with speech and language problems achieve significantly lower scores on every NAPLAN test including reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy at every year level of testing than students without these problems. These students never ‘catch up’ to their peers, they are more likely to be excluded from NAPLAN in the first place, and they are likely to have never been seen by a speech pathologist. This research is a sobering reflection on how poorly our educational systems are supporting these students. Communication is a basic human right. It is essential for social inclusion and for participation in all aspects of life – not the least of which is education. Communication disability is poorly understood by the community and rarely addressed in public policy, and even less so in education policy. A year ago, the Senate Community Affairs References Committee concluded an inquiry into communication disorders and speech pathology and made bipartisan recommendations – we hope a government response will be received soon. We also hope that our time with you today can shed some light on the specifics about what we think the governments of Australia can do to improve education outcomes for students with communication and swallowing disability. We hope that this Committee can recognise the need to improve consistency of access to speech pathology services for students across the country – regardless of which state or sector they are being educated within. This inquiry offers a significant opportunity for the Australian government to demonstrate leadership in improving access and outcomes for students with disability – through leading national work on developing educational and support resources for schools and principals and on improving the use and effectiveness of Individual Learning Plans for these students. We would welcome further conversations with you on the specifics of our recommendations.

funding support from Speech Pathology Australia has for the first time, demonstrated the poorer educational outcomes of students with speech and language problems in Australia. The research examined NAPLAN results at years 3, 5, and 7 for 4,332 children who had speech and language problems when they began school. Children were drawn for the study from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children – a representative sample of 10,000 children commissioned by the Australian Government to examine the lives of Australian children. The research factored in any influence of gender, socioeconomic position of the family, language background other than English, Indigenous status, if the child had hearing problems and if the child was identified as having a disability (disability expected to last more than six months). The research found: • Students with speech and language problems were more likely to be excluded from NAPLAN testing than students without these problems. • Children with speech and language problems achieved significantly lower scores on every NAPLAN test (reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy) at years 3, 5 and 7 compared to students without these problems. • Students who had both expressive and receptive language problems had the poorest NAPLAN outcomes. • Poorer outcomes for children with speech and language problems were observed in each of the states and territories – with little evidence that the ‘gap’ in outcomes was reduced over time. • Most students with speech and language problems had not seen a speech pathologist.

Speak Out October 2015

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www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au