The Gonski Institute for Education is calling for the government to ditch NAPLAN tests rather than reform them and replace the standardized exams with tests that put the interest of students first. In its new report, ‘Putting Students First,’ the Gonski Institute has proposed new sample-based testing of students that “builds trust and capacity,” moving away from NAPLAN’s census approach that has a “strong focus on accountability.” The main proposal is to replace the current literacy and numeracy tests in years 3, 5, 7, and 9 with sample-based assessments in years 4, 6, 8, and 10 while complemented with teacher-led assessments in schools. The report said the current system had negative education and well-being consequences due to “too much pressure” to compete in standardised tests. It found external high-stakes tests, like NAPLAN, also pressures teachers to “teach to the test”, which reduced their sense of professional autonomy. Professor of Education at …