Putting NAPLAN literacy testing to the test

The answer is c). However, this response contains an error as the language convention requires a comma before the coordinating conjunction “so”. The tests are inconsistent in their application of this rule. For example, in item 28 of the Year 3 test, it is clear that the test writers understand that a compound sentence using the conjunction “so” is preceded by a comma (It was a secret, so he promised to keep it to himself.). Why is the rule not applied in the Year 5 test item? How should teachers guide their students in this regard?

Item 31 of the Year 3 paper asks students to identify the correct punctuation for the sentence “________________ they caught something big.” Possible answers are:

a) one day
b) one day,
c) One day
d) One Day,

All of these answers are wrong. The correct answer should be “One day,” because “one day” is an introducer, which must be followed by a comma.

Similarly, the rule is not applied properly in item 27, in which students are asked “Which words correctly complete this sentence?”: Tomorrow we ___________________ to the park. “Tomorrow” is an introducer, so it should be followed by a comma. Should teachers ignore this convention?

Item 47 of the Year 5 test asks “Which group of words can all be conjunctions?” The choices are:

a) his, hers, its, theirs
b) after, before, while, then
c) plays, speaks, drinks, eats
d) may, must, should, might

The obvious answer is b) because in a) the words are all pronouns, in c) they are verbs, and in d) they are modal verbs. However, the word “then”, which is included in b), is an adverb, not a conjunction. If two main clauses are joined by “then”, the word “then” must be preceded by a conjunction such as “and” or “but” or “because”. Otherwise, a run-on sentence is created, which is grammatically quite incorrect, but a common structure produced by students. Importantly, the other words in b) can perform the function of an adverb, a preposition or a conjunction. The word “then” can only act as an adverb. Have the item writers perhaps confused “then” with “than”? The latter is also a preposition and a conjunction, and is also frequently misused.

According to a recent article in Education Review (May 2010), every test item “is reviewed by every state and territory as well as experts in indigenous education, experts in education for students from language backgrounds other than English, students who have a visual impairment and other experts in teaching and learning for students with disabilities.” The statement says that “The purpose of this review is to make sure that the final set of test items that are printed and delivered to schools are accessible to the widest possible proportion of students.” Numerous items in the tests do not make their pedagogical purpose clear, or appear to be testing points of grammar that are likely to be most accessible to students from native English speaking backgrounds and/or families that are able to encourage more sophisticated language usage.

In the Year 5 test, item 41 asks students to identify “Which word or words correctly complete the sentence?” The sentence is: It is requested that all phones ___________ turned off during the show.” The choices are:

a) be
b) being
c) are being
d) have been

The answer is a). Is this question testing the use of the subjunctive? How many students in Year 5 would be aware of the correct application of this mood? How would students be taught this? It is interesting to note that the word “are” is not one of the options, even though the indicative is common usage, particularly in spoken English.