Welcome back!

Welcome back to all our readers. The anti-NAPLAN forces are raising their voices again in the media. We would like to call for a balanced approach to NAPLAN. Assessment is a necessary part of the educational process. Leave it out and you risk a return to the "non-accountable" classrooms that were a feature of many schools in the past.

Olympic workbooks $1.00

Dear Teacher / Librarian / Parents,

• Mathematics workbooks for the Olympics only $1.00
• Offer expires August 31, 2012

Go to http://kilbaha.com.au

Best wishes

Bill Healy BSc BA Dip Ed
Kilbaha Multimedia Publishing (Est 1978)
PO Box 2227
Kew Vic 3101
Australia
Tel: 03 9018 5376
Fax: 03 9817 4334
Mobile: 0413 425 374
Email: kilbaha@gmail.com
Web: http://kilbaha.com.au

Start of term 3 2012

Term 3 for 2012 has commenced in Queensland. Many other states resume school next Monday.
The London Olympics start in less than 3 weeks.

Buy the mathematics workbook "In the Running for the Olympics" and get the mathematics workbook "In Training for the Olympics" FREE - only until July 20.

Download the order form here.

Buy one - get one free - today only!

Buy the mathematics workbook "In the Running for the Olympics" and get the mathematics workbook "In Training for the Olympics" FREE - today only.
Download order form here.

Teach in a different way during the London Olympics

Good teaching is all about being relevant to your students' interests. Take advantage of the blanket media coverage of the Olympics and continue with the Olympics during your classes. Using our Olympics Mathematics Workbooks will focus your students on Mathematics while allowing them to enjoy the Olympics.
Get our Olympics Mathematics workbooks at http://kilbaha.com.au

Olympic Mathematics Workbooks

Need some great mathematics activities during the London Olympics?
"In the Running for the Olympics" and "In Training for the Olympics" are mathematics workbooks designed for upper primary school and lower secondary school. They occupy 1 week of class time and homework time. They are self-marking and inspire students to learn important mathematics in the context of the Olympic Games.
Get further details and sample pages at http://kilbaha.com.au

NAPLAN and the Australian Curriculum

Version 3 of the Australian Curriculum for Foundation to 10 for English, Mathematics, Science and History is now in place. Consultations have started for Years 11 and 12 for 14 subjects in the new Australian Curriculum. 4 English courses, 4 Mathematics courses, 4 Science coursse and 2 History courses .ACARA is currently only responsible for the assessment of NAPLAN and for the time being each of the States and Territories will be responsible for the delivery and assessment of the Australian Curriculum Courses. It is interesting to note, however, that the various State authorities are given the acronym ACACA (Australasian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities).  ACACA is the national body for the chief executives of the statutory bodies in the Australian States and Territories and in New Zealand responsible for certificates of senior secondary education. This points to a future with more centralized control of the Australian Curriculum.
http://acaca.bos.nsw.edu.au/go/list-of-acaca-authorities/

Goodbye Venus until 2117

Venus just about to finish Transit in 2012.

Transit of Venus

Watch today's Transit of Venus on our Web Site at http://kilbaha.com.au

Olympic Mathematics Workbooks on special

"In the Running for the Olympics" and "In Training for the Olympics" are mathematics workbooks suitable for students in years 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Learn important mathematics while learning about the history of Australian athletes at the Olympic Games

From now until the start of the London Olympic Games on July 27, save $10 by buying online at http://kilbaha.com.au

ACARA sets the record straight on NAPLAN

ACARA has today given a concise description of the value of the NAPLAN Tests. Critics of NAPLAN and those opposing participation in the May NAPLAN tests should read this carefully and reconsider their position.

"Pencils Down: NAPLAN 2012 Concludes

ACARA is pleased to acknowledge the successful conclusion of this year’s NAPLAN tests and would like to thank the thousands of principals and teachers who helped to administer tests at nearly 10,000 schools to over one million students right across Australia.

 

The results of these tests provide policy makers, schools, teachers and parents with important information to help them understand and improve student performance.

 

While we await the availability of individual student reports later this year, ACARA would like to set the record straight about NAPLAN and especially some misconceptions about the testing program.

 

NAPLAN involves just a few hours over a few days at four points across a child’s schooling. It is designed to give a snapshot of student performance in key areas of literacy and numeracy – the sort of skills that are necessary not just for school but for life. When taken in aggregate, the results do provide a good picture of how students across the nation, as a whole, are performing. We also know that the individual student reports, set in the context of the local school and the nation, are valued by parents. The NAPLAN results are just one of a number of sources of information used by teachers to measure student progress but they help to place school reports and assessments in a broader context.

 

ACARA expects all students, with certain clearly spelled-out exceptions, to sit the NAPLAN tests. Not doing the tests denies students, parents and schools information from which they might usefully learn. ACARA continues to make the point that research shows that the best way for students to develop their literacy and numeracy skills is through a rich curriculum, not through any narrow “teaching to the test”.

 

ACARA agrees that some organisations use NAPLAN in ways that are meaningless or even harmful. Those who use NAPLAN results to publish simplistic league tables do themselves and the community a disservice. Such tables offer nothing worthwhile because the user cannot tell whether differences between schools are due to what the schools do or whom the schools enrol, nor do they include crucial statistical information such as confidence intervals."

 

Source: http://www.acara.edu.au/acara_update_01062012.html

Olympics Mathematics Workbooks

For the attention of all Mathematics Teachers and Parents
(1) Olympic mathematics workbooks
(2) Perfect for teaching mathematics during the London Olympics (July 27 - August 12)
(3) Primary and Secondary workbooks
(4) Students love using these workbooks
(5) Integrate your mathematics teaching with the Olympic Games
(6) Details here
(7) You can also buy online at http://kilbaha.com.au/index.php?route=product/category&path=67

Olympic workbooks and free eBook

For the attention of Mathematics and English Teachers and all parents
(1) Olympic mathematics workbooks
(2) Perfect for the London Olympics
(3) Primary and Secondary workbooks
(4) Buy online at http://kilbaha.com.au/index.php?route=product/category&path=67
(5) These Olympic Maths workbooks are NOT free
(6) For free eBooks, see below.

To get your free eBook, do the following:
(1) Go to http://kilbaha.com.au/index.php?route=product/category&path=77
(2) Select ONE eBook
(3) Click button: delivery method download
(4) Click on Add to Cart
(5) Go to your Shopping Cart
(6) Go to Checkout
(7) Create an account
(8) Complete the registration process
(9) Select the payment method: Bank Transfer
(10) Write "Please provide this item free"
(11) Click on Confirm Order.

You will receive an email within 24 hours allowing you to download the eBook.

Back soon!

We will return soon with more resources for NAPLAN 2013. In the meantime, go to http://kilbaha.com.au to take advantage of our NAPLAN specials that are available only until May 31, 2012

PS (Post Script)

Wow! So many people reading this Blog right now.
Persuasive Writing tomorrow for years 3, 5, 7, 9.
Download your free practice persuasive task and sample response at http://kilbaha.com.au

Making NAPLAN a learning experience

NAPLAN 2012 starts tomorrow and continues on Wednesday and Thursday. It is an important exercise for students, schools, teachers and parents. A lot of ill-informed and biased information about NAPLAN is spread around in the media every year about this time. NAPLAN is an important learning experience for everyone. Students are challenged to show what they know and understand about Writing, Reading, Language Conventions and Numeracy. Schools and teachers find out how their teaching programs are working in these critical areas of education. Parents find out how well their children are learning at school. Most important of all, these diagnostic tests provide a way forward for all students (no matter what their ability level) so that they can improve their Literacy and Numeracy skills. Get into NAPLAN and enjoy the learning experience!

This is the last NAPLAN post for a while. We will return towards the end of May with information about the detailed answers and responses for the May 2012 NAPLAN Tests.

On-line today

We are online today to answer any questions you may have about NAPLAN 2012.

(1) Email to kilbaha@gmail.com
(2) Ring Bill on 03 9018 5376
(3) Get your free practice stuff at http://kilbaha.com.au

2012 NAPLAN Year 7 Language Conventions Trial Test.

Dear Customers, The following small typograhical errors have been found in the 2012 NAPLAN Year 7 Language Conventions Trial Test.

(1) Q29 - delete the word "loved"
(2) Q30 - delete the word "the" in front of the word "further"
(3) Q45 - replace "pre" with "post"

Apologies for the inconvenience,
Best wishes,
Bill Healy

Thank you!

To all teachers and parents who used this Blog during 2012, a big thank you for your participation. We hope we have been of some assistance to you. Last minute NAPLAN material can be downloaded from http://kilbaha.com.au

Ask a NAPLAN question - get an immediate answer

Do you have a NAPLAN question for which you need an urgent answer? Send an email to kilbaha@gmail.com or ring Bill on 03 9018 5376. We are here to help.