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We are sometimes asked by teachers whether our Fitzroy materials conform to the national curriculum requirements upon which the NAPLAN is based. Fitzroy materials have always been strongest in reading, comprehension, spelling, grammar and punctuation. To reassure users concerning the Fitzroy materials, we share the following information concerning our test-bed school, which uses all Fitzroy materials:
Once again, the Australian newspaper published (on 1 October) the highest achieving schools in Australia and in each state, but they don’t show schools with fewer than 100 pupils (we have 90). But you can find us, along with all schools, on the YOURSCHOOL website.
The results show that (the non-selective) Fitzroy Community School came first amongst the 586 Non-Government primary schools in the state of Victoria in reading (as tested by comprehension questions). Out of the 2327 Non-Government primary schools in the whole of Australia, FCS came 4th in reading.
Taking into account all subjects tested (including numeracy), Fitzroy Community School ranked 5th amongst the same 586 Victorian schools and 15th amongst the same 2327 across Australia.
The Fitzroy Readers, the Fitzroy Word Skills and Fitzroy Maths are the basis of literacy and numeracy at the test-bed Fitzroy Community School. The students at this school are not selected for enrolment and all participate in the test.
In reading ability:
In grammar and punctuation:
In numeracy:
Results have now been published on the YOURSCHOOL website. The results for Fitzroy Community School, the birthplace of the Fitzroy Readers, are shown for our yr 3 level only. (Our Yr 5s did sit the test, but the results have not been released on the MYSCHOOL website on the grounds that our student group for that year was too small. YOURSCHOOL gets its data from MYSCHOOL.)
However, working from the Yr 3 results only, we note that our students (unselected) appear to have scored higher in Reading than the highest rated Australian primary school on the YOURSCHOOL website. We believe our Yr 5 results would be close to this outcome too.
Reading can only be measured in a written test by comprehension. This is very appropriate since the very purpose of reading is comprehension. In creating literacy materials at Fitzroy Community School, we have concentrated on comprehension, grammar, punctuation, spelling and creative writing.
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In the results published in 2013, Fitzroy Community School was first in the state of Victoria in Reading, out of 1834 schools. We achieve this without selecting students at all and with 100% participation in all tests.
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In the NAPLAN results published in 2012, our test-bed school was first in the state in several areas of literacy.
From the The Melbourne AGE, 28 February 2012 (page 3)
"...[the] Year 5 students at the alternative independent primary school [Fitzroy Community School] blitzed the state in the 2011 NAPLAN [nationwide] tests, outperforming every other Victorian school in spelling, reading, and grammar and punctuation. ...Children learn using the Fitzroy Readers ... based on the phonics method for teaching reading... Ms Berryman believes the phonics approach has helped her students achieve their stellar NAPLAN results... ."
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The Better Education Australia website also shows our test-bed school as the top achieving primary school in Victoria in 2011.
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[Front page, The Australian, 29/11/14]
Only “15% of [Year 7 students] use correct punctuation most of the time”. Even generally “high-achieving students have as much trouble with correct grammar” as those with poor literacy.
Fitzroy Word Skills cover grammar and punctuation completely - in gentle steps.
Only 20% of primary school leavers can spell words like television, frenzied, etc.
Students using Fitzroy Readers well and truly master these spellings by Years 5 and 6.
Research shows “schools that have lifted students’ writing have seen an improvement … across all subjects”.
The test-bed school for Fitzroy materials, Fitzroy Community School, “aced” the NAPLAN for literacy in Victoria – despite not being a selective school and always having 100% participation in the test. [The Melbourne AGE, 28/02/12]
Marketing Fitzroy materials is a pleasure for the staff at Fitzroy Programs, because we are constantly hearing praise and gratitude from teachers and parents for “saving” their young people from poor literacy.
