NAPLAN results, which came out today, suggest that Australian high school students are flat-lining and Senator Wright has called for a fresh look at how schools are funded in Australia to make sure students are getting the best education.
Senator Wright recommends implementing the findings from the senate inquiry into ‘The effectiveness of the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy’.
The Australian Greens say the Abbott Government must immediately rule out a cutting all Federal funding for public schools, as proposed in the Federation Green Paper leaked today.
Spokesperson for Schools Senator Penny Wright said the Federal Government has an essential role to play in school education.
"The Australian Greens are calling on the Abbott Government to immediately rule out walking away from public education," Senator Wright said.
"It is the government's job to govern for all - they must not abandon the 2 million Australian children in public schools.
Students at rich schools ready to switch to online NAPLAN testing faster could receive higher marks, Australian Greens spokesperson for schools Senator Penny Wright has revealed.
The administrative agency ACARA has told Senate Estimates the new adaptive testing method could lead to higher scores and it would consider bulk-adjusting scores if necessary.
Senator Wright said adaptive testing would ease the stress of NAPLAN testing by adjusting to student capabilities, but warned less well-resourced schools might be left behind.
Statement from Senator Penny Wright, Australian Greens spokesperson for Schools:
"This government is trying to use tricky accounting to hide their broken promises on school funding and disability loadings," Senator Wright said.
"The Abbott Government promised a full disability loading this year - but instead they are continuing with a completely inadequate model which has left 100,000 students with a disability without any educational support at all.
The 2015 Budget has no vision for the future of South Australia, say SA's Australian Greens Senators.
Senator Penny Wright said the Government was continuing to protect big business at the expense of everyday South Australians.
"The Abbott Government has absolutely no vision for South Australia's future. Rather than finding new sources of revenue from the big end of town, this Budget cuts one vital service to fund another," Senator Wright said.
The Australian Greens are calling for drastic changes to the annual NAPLAN tests, which begin again tomorrow, saying the scheme undermines quality education.
Spokesperson for schools Senator Penny Wright said research has shown the tests are narrowing the curriculum, discouraging creativity and placing too much pressure on students and schools.
"More and more class time is being spent on NAPLAN coaching and parents are withdrawing their kids at record rates," Senator Wright said.
The Australian Greens have slammed the Abbott Government for trying to spin $17 million for teacher training as a budget win while cutting billions from schools.
Spokesperson for schools Senator Penny Wright said $17m was a drop in the ocean compared to the government's broken promises on Gonski, which will see $3 billion less than forecast go to schools in the next budget.
"Even the best teacher training programs in the world are not enough if the schools teachers end up in are chronically underfunded," Senator Wright said.