My School protections introduced

The Australian Education Union today welcomed moves to stop data on the My School website being used to rank schools in damaging and misleading league tables.

AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos said the primary concern of teachers about the website had been the absence of measures to protect student test results.

“Ministers have responded to the concerns of teachers, principals and parents by ensuring the data on the site is protected by copyright and cannot be used to create damaging and misleading league tables,” he said.

“The AEU welcomes this improvement which is in line with the recommendations of a working party of educational experts set up by the Federal Government earlier this year after protest action by teachers against league tables.

“The My School Working Party was asked to provide advice on the use of student performance data in line with commitments by the Federal Government which include “an opposition to the misuse of student performance data including simplistic league tables”.

Mr Gavrielatos said the union also welcomed the addition of financial information to the site but remained concerned it did not reveal the total resources of schools.

“Elite private schools making millions in profits and with hundreds of millions of dollars in assets will not have to disclose their true wealth,” he said.

“As the Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said, it is only by showing the total funds available to schools that there can be an understanding of the relationship between resourcing and educational outcomes and an understanding of where extra funding is most needed.

“Full disclosure of the financial wealth of schools is also critical to the success of the Federal Government’s review of school funding, which is underway at present.”