The site allows you to type in a schools name, and then a profile for that school will appear showing statistics about enrolment, socio-educational status and academic results. The main purpose is to compare schools academically, below is a screenshot of the site.

This school is above the national average, and statistically comparable with similar schools

The issue with the academic results is that they are based of singular nation wide tests called the NAPLAN tests.

Parents are being encouraged to use the “My School” website to compare their school to similar schools, and they are also being encouraged to talk to teachers about their schools results. The website states that it aims to introduce “a new level of transparency and accountability to the Australian school system.”

If parents are encouraged to judge schools based off this one test, then this test will start to take over teaching. Instead of teachers teaching students what they need to know over the course of a year, teachers are going to be forced to teach students what they need to know to do well in the NAPLAN test.

Teaching for a test is not good for learning.

I doubt that the “My School” website will benefit education in Australia.

What do you think?