The Lantite policy is short-sighted
Mandated Federal Education Policy LANTITE is short-sighted and has become an unfair high stakes teacher test holding beginning teachers and graduate education degrees hostage.
In 2016 the federal government introduced a prospective beginning teacher gatekeeping policy for testing literacy and numeracy skills, otherwise known as LANTITE (literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education) https://teacheredtest.acer.edu.au/about. I along with many other teacher candidates across Australia had already commenced my education degree having begun in the final intake of 2015.
Instead of grandfathering this policy so that those who had already commenced their education degree could finish their education degree culminating in the academically rigorous Graduate Teachers’ Performance Assessment (GTPA) the LANTITE mandate was applied retrospectively to all current candidates studying education degrees in 2016 and onwards. This has meant that there has been a capture of teacher candidates caught in the middle studying for their education degrees and studying during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 subject to this federal education policy that has yet to be proved as ‘fit for purpose’ and technical reports have not been released in comparison to the publishing of NAPLAN technical reports.
Despite numerous peer-reviewed academic papers written by such authors such as Associate Professor Stewart Riddle, writing in The Conversation (https://theconversation.com/testing-teachers-basic-literacy-and-numeracy-skills-is-pointless-51566) and Melissa Barnes & Russell Cross writing in Teachers and Teaching Theory and Practice, and an entire conference with A. Hilton (https://www.murdoch.edu.au/news/articles/it-hurt-my-heart-and-my-wallet-the-unnecessary-test-stressing-teachers-before-they-even-make-it-to-the-classroom) through Murdoch Mondays LANTITE continues to be a stumbling stone preventing many from graduating from their education courses. Some students pass LANTITE and go onto graduate and some students are left in what I call “LANTITE LIMBO” unable to move forward or backward until both tests in literacy and numeracy have been achieved. A big problem now is that degrees are being held hostage to this hurried policy implementation. For those teaching candidates who have completed all requirements as far as their university provider requires; the LANTITE test has now become a high stakes examination holding back numerous students from graduating and commencing their teaching careers. All this in a time of severe teacher shortage, teacher retirement, low numbers in education training and high attrition rates after five years. This mandate is out-of-touch, ill-informed and ill-considered.
I am not saying that teacher candidates do not need personal and transferable teaching skills in literacy and numeracy but what is the point of the passing the exit GTPA and passing all university requirements in an education course only to be held back by a questionable ‘unfit for purpose’ and ever evolving standardised test? The teacher candidate competency for knowing and applying literacy and numeracy to the Australian Professional Standards is already covered in the GTPA.
There has been and still is a severe lack of imagination and creative problem-solving in addressing the teacher testing of literacy and numeracy. This mandate is incredibly short-sighted in its implementation and increasingly stressful for talented education candidates. Should LANTITE continue to be the teacher test that must be passed to graduate in education; why not open up more opportunities for testing, more testing centres for rural and remote students, alternate ways to prove competency such as a government accredited approved course?
Other ideas to address both the teacher shortage and LANTITE testing could be offering primary teaching jobs to those who have studied secondary education degrees as the LANTITE literacy and numeracy is stated to be equivalent of a Year 10 level standard in Australian education. The first year of teaching is provisional and should there be any problems there is legislation already in place to cover breaches of teaching standards and conduct. Additionally, for those education students who have studied primary education they could similarly be offered positions in junior primary whilst they await LANTITE testing and results.
By the time it takes to read this piece you are probably already thinking of numerous other ways that concerns for teacher quality could be allayed and solutions to addressing the teacher testing of literacy and numeracy skills other than the GTPA and how the teacher shortage could be alleviated through such measures.
Furthermore, the Queensland Department of Education and Training suggests the following as qualities of a good teacher:
being good at explaining things to others
being a people person and enjoy working with a wide range of people
enthusiasm
having a strong knowledge in particular subject areas
being a good time manager
ability to work in a team as well as using your own initiative
keeping your cool under pressure
having patience and a good sense of humour
being fair-minded
coping well with change
enjoying a challenge.
I do not see compulsory federal teacher testing in this list.
Lastly and perhaps most importantly Australian Education has been infected by a GERM. This appropriately named acronym and infectious germ is also known as the Global Education Reform Movement. We must always remember the global and national education competitive market wherein the ‘quality teacher’ has become a catch-cry phrase. Also, the influence of education policy from organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and ‘enhancing international competitiveness in the global education market (AGDET,2016; Australian Government Department of Education and Training [AGDET], 2015;Cochran-Smith et al., 2017; Dinham, 2013; Rowe & Skourdoumbis, 2017; Sayed &Ahmed, 2015; Scholes et al., 2017). Melissa Barnes & Russell Cross (2020).
This writing was informed by:- Teacher education policy to improve teacher quality: Substantive reform or just another hurdle?, Teachers and Teaching, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13540602.2020.1832061
I accidentally deleted both my comments as they seem to double up when posting strangely! Hopefully you got an email with my response, but great connections to QLD teacher qualities!