Starting this month, teaching students who fail or haven\u27t yet taken the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) will not be able to teach in Victorian schools. Previously, around one in 20 teachers who had failed the test or hadn\u27t taken it yet received provisional registration. Prospective students who took the test late in 2018 received their results on January 11

Bahr, Nan

Sheridan, Lynn D

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Research Online

University of WollongongResearch OnlineFaculty of Social Sciences - Papers Faculty of Social Sciences2019Viewpoints: should teaching students who fail aliteracy and numeracy test be barred from teaching?Lynn D. SheridanUniversity of Wollongong, lynns@uow.edu.auNan BahrSouthern Cross UniversityResearch Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library:research-pubs@uow.edu.auPublication DetailsSheridan, L. & Bahr, N. (2019). Viewpoints: should teaching students who fail a literacy and numeracy test be barred from teaching?.The Conversation, 17 Jan 1-4.Viewpoints: should teaching students who fail a literacy and numeracy testbe barred from teaching?AbstractStarting this month, teaching students who fail or haven't yet taken the Literacy and Numeracy Test for InitialTeacher Education (LANTITE) will not be able to teach in Victorian schools. Previously, around one in 20teachers who had failed the test or hadn't taken it yet received provisional registration. Prospective studentswho took the test late in 2018 received their results on January 11.Keywordstest, be, fail, who, students, literacy, teaching, should, barred, viewpoints:, teaching?, numeracyDisciplinesEducation | Social and Behavioral SciencesPublication DetailsSheridan, L. & Bahr, N. (2019). Viewpoints: should teaching students who fail a literacy and numeracy test bebarred from teaching?. The Conversation, 17 Jan 1-4.This journal article is available at Research Online: https://ro.uow.edu.au/sspapers/4231AuthorsLynn SheridanSenior Academic Professional Studies,University of WollongongNan BahrDeputy Vice Chancellor (Students)/ Deanof Education, Southern Cross UniversityAcademic rigour, journalistic flairJanuary 17, 2019 2.41pm AEDTStarting this month, teaching students who fail or haven’t yet taken the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) will not be able to teach inVictorian schools. Previously, around one in 20 teachers who had failed the test orhadn’t taken it yet received provisional registration. Prospective students who tookthe test late in 2018 received their results on January 11.Victoria is the first state to implement these new standards. The test is a federal initiative. By 2020, all states and territories will be required to ensure all newteachers pass the test before registration.The test is meant to ensure all new teachers can read, write and perform simplemaths equations. In this Viewpoints, Lynn Sheridan argues this test can’t predict ateacher’s effectiveness, while Nan Bahr argues we should prevent teaching studentswho haven’t yet passed, or who fail the test, from registering.Lynn Sheridan: The Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) islimited in assessing the future quality of teachers. This test only assesses the students’ baselineliteracy and numeracy skills for teaching in the classroom. It is modelled on year nine NAPLAN tests,complex to administer and expensive for students to access.This means students who don’t have the means to pay the A$185 fee (up to three times) will be barredfrom registration, regardless of their efficacy as a teacher. It also doesn’t test for a range of personal attributes essential to good teaching, including interpersonal and communication skills, resilience andStarting this year, teaching students won’t be able to register as teachers unless they pass a literacy and numeracy test. www.shutterstock.comJanuary 17, 2019 2.41pm AEDTViewpoints: should teaching students who fail a literacy and numeracy ... https://theconversation.com/viewpoints-should-teaching-students-who-...1 of 4 18/01/2019, 10:21 ampassion for teaching. And it measures their test-taking ability, not their ability to teach thatknowledge in practice.Increased attention on how we select teachers for initial teacher education programs and employmentis needed. Research shows we need to pay attention to both academic and non-academic capabilitiesto recruit the most appropriate teachers.Ensuring initial teacher education programs are effective and high quality are now national education priorities. But there has been little systematic focus on how we make decisions about choosingteachers for the classroom, or students for initial teacher education programs.Teacher effectiveness can only be measured by how they support their students’ achievement. A newteacher needs job opportunities and colleagues who support their teaching. Research shows practiseis far more important than natural talent.It takes time, practice and support for a new teacher to fully understand the demands of theprofession and become an effective teacher. The personal attributes of the person selected, theirdevelopment and commitment to improvement, teaching opportunities and guidance are crucial togood teaching.Nan Bahr: The vital life skills of literacy and numeracy are learned and honed at school and theymust be taught and demonstrated by every teacher. Send away applicants for teacher registration whocan’t meet the mark. Link them up with support programs for literacy and numeracy, and onlyprovide provisional registration when they have met the standard. We know parents expect it.Testing prospective teachers for literacy and numeracy alone is not enough. from www.shutterstock.comViewpoints: should teaching students who fail a literacy and numeracy ... https://theconversation.com/viewpoints-should-teaching-students-who-...2 of 4 18/01/2019, 10:21 amIf we want our children to be fully literate, and numerate, they need to be taught by people who have ahigh level of personal skill. The literature, social media and intuition tell us how important it is forteachers to have strong personal literacy and numeracy capabilities. They’ll struggle to employ therequired skills for instant feedback in spotting basic errors and appropriately correcting them:fundamental for enhancing learning. It’s unlikely they’ll be able to unpick complex texts, problems,and ideas with their students.As teachers, they need a deep understanding of what it means to be literate and how they can leadlearners to their own functional and critical literacy. Without this, our children will not be enabled tobe effective communicators of their ideas or self-reliant as functional adults.These capabilities are important life skills. Without numeracy and critical literacy skills, a person willstruggle. A calculator won’t help without a conceptual understanding of what needs to be calculatedand why. A spell check won’t help comprehension of the messaging in written communication. Agrammar check won’t help anyone be a powerful writer capable of advocating for themselves or theirfamilies.If we want these capabilities for our children, teachers must have them. Some might say to leave it asa requirement only for the English and maths teachers, but functional and critical literacy andnumeracy are a feature of every discipline area.The Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education regularly identifies pre-service teacherswho struggle. There is an opportunity to re-sit the tests multiple times. But if a pre-service teachercan’t pass, they’re clearly not ready to oversee student literacy and numeracy development.If a student teacher can’t pass the test, they’re clearly not ready to oversee student literacy and numeracy development.Viewpoints: should teaching students who fail a literacy and numeracy ... https://theconversation.com/viewpoints-should-teaching-students-who-...3 of 4 18/01/2019, 10:21 amLiteracy Numeracy Teachers Teacher education Viewpoints Testing Initial teacher educationTeacher preparation new teachersLynn Sheridan: The literacy and numeracy test (LANTITE) is a useful indicator of a graduateteacher’s ability to pass a year nine NAPLAN style test. It’s only a very simplistic “first pass”instrument to determine suitability of students for the teaching profession.The LANTITE test does not determine a teacher’s level of personal skills, intuition or life skills. Itsimply tests baseline literacy and numeracy skills at a year nine level only.Current research suggests it would be better to assess a graduate teacher’s suitability for teachingbased on their teaching performance and teaching degree results.Much more is required to develop quality graduate teachers. Firstly, they should be selected on bothacademic and non-academic attributes, then supported in their education and into the teachingprofession. Through this coordinated, long-term approach, student teachers can develop as effectiveteachers.Nan Bahr: There is definitely more to teaching than functional personal literacy and numeracy. Ialso agree tests are inexact measures for understanding the deep and nuanced dimensions of criticalliteracy and numeracy. But we shouldn’t forgive people who have not yet demonstrated functionalliteracy and numeracy and allow them to be registered teachers anyway.A teacher’s perceived professionalism is undermined if their written communication is poor, or if theycan’t do simple calculations. Even apart from the classroom context, a teacher’s letter to parentspeppered with spelling errors, or assessments with miscalculated grades undermine the professionalperceptions of the capabilities of teachers to teach complex ideas.The profession’s reputation and status can’t withstand such a body blow. We should fully support therequirement for teachers to demonstrate basic literacy and numeracy skills prior to professionalregistration.Facts matter. Your tax-deductible donation helps deliverfact-based journalism.Make a donationfrom www.shutterstock.comViewpoints: should teaching students who fail a literacy and numeracy ... https://theconversation.com/viewpoints-should-teaching-students-who-...4 of 4 18/01/2019, 10:21 am

Viewpoints: should teaching students who fail a literacy and numeracy test be barred from teaching?

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Viewpoints: should teaching students who fail a literacy and numeracy test be barred from teaching?

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